Hugh Jackman Is Wolverine In The MCU Moving Forward?

It made sense why Hugh Jackman initially was prepared to retire playing the Wolverine character. When the superhero was still under the ownership of Fox, the X-Men franchise had done just about all it could within the rights of the characters they held. But with Marvel Studios now holding the rights, it suddenly opens up much more varied possibilities, such as the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine crossover.

However, it does not stop there. When asked about the possibility of returning years ago, Hugh Jackman said that probably the only thing that would maybe convince him to change his mind about playing Wolverine again would be the possibility to do so in an Avengers movie. And it just so happens that the next Avengers film is on the horizon. So if Jackman still feels the same way, one would have to think he would at least want to be a part of that.

There is more recent evidence to further suggest that Hugh Jackman is sticking around as Wolverine. A video from earlier this month from a fan event in Berlin showed Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman speaking to a crowd and Reynolds addressed why Jackman had to come back for their upcoming movie. “There’s only been one Wolverine, the reason is no one can do it except him.”

That is a valid argument, as a Deadpool & Wolverine movie with anyone other than Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine likely would not have gotten anywhere near the level of excitement that it has. The same way Robert Downey Jr. became synonymous with being Iron Man, Jackman has been the only live-action Wolverine since the first X-Men movie in 2000.

That no doubt means Marvel Studios also recognizes the value of keeping Hugh Jackman around as Wolverine. It is hard to imagine the MCU being content to use a character as popular as Wolverine for a one-off movie and then never touching him again. So even if Jackman wants to be done, Marvel would no doubt be offering him quite a lot of incentive to stick around for at least a few more movies.

Honestly, one of the few realistic impediments to Hugh Jackman remaining in the Wolverine role long-term for the MCU is that the actor is currently 55-years-old. However, he remains in tremendous shape regardless of what movie he is in, so it does not seem like Jackman would be one to struggle to remain in superhero shape.

It seems like Hugh Jackman’s previous willingness to move on from Wolverine was accepting he had done everything he wanted under the Fox brand of X-Men. But under the Marvel Studios brand, we could see live-action adaptations of many more great crossovers featuring Logan. Wolverine and Spider-Man, Wolverine and The Hulk, Wolverine and Captain America. If Jackman does stick around for the next Avengers, who knows how many more doors that could open for him.