Hugh Jackman May Return As Wolverine, But He Needs Something First
Could Hugh Jackman be returning to the Wolverine character? It might happen but a couple of things would need to be in place
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If you thought Hugh Jackman was done playing Wolverine just because, you know, the character died the last time we saw him on screen, then you don’t know much about comic book movies. The future and the past are never set with these things and just because something seemed definite in a previous iteration doesn’t mean the plans can’t change in the future. That could be the case for Jackman who might be eyeing a return. According to Geekosity, the actor isn’t outright dismissing a return to the Wolverine character and could get the adamantium claws back at some point. But there could be some conditions.
While this is only a rumor at this point, it does feel like it’s at least being considered by Hugh Jackman that there would be a chance to return to Logan/ Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, among the active considerations for the actor would be the potential script being offered and what the role would look like in the movie. And, of course, money is a consideration here as well though it doesn’t feel like Marvel and/or Disney have any shortage of that right now.
The other issue that Hugh Jackman has referenced in the past as to why he wouldn’t want to return to the character and why he thought his time as Wolverine was over has to do with his last time on screen in that role. Logan saw the end for the character with a definitive death in what amounted to a truly beautiful movie when it was all said and done. It brought about all of the violence we’ve seen from the character, but also all of the heart as well. It’s hard to imagine a better ending for Wolverine with Jackman in the part and it’s clear why he’d see that movie as a culmination of his work.
But much like his adamantium interior, the world of comic book movies has a way to heal and bring back folks even from the most obvious of deaths and endings. It would make sense for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to want Hugh Jackman to be incorporated in some respect with the X-Men coming over into the franchise considering the actor was literally the face of the character for almost 20 years. Bringing this group into the MCU mix has a high barrier to clear, so lending familiarity to the role from the outset could have a lot of benefits.
According to this same Geekosity rumor, there are a couple of places we could see Hugh Jackman pop up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe if he were to make a return. The first would be Deadpool 3 which has deeper ties to the Marvel canon. Deadpool and Wolverine have had significant overlaps in the past with many run-ins. Plus, Ryan Reynolds made his first turn as the titular character in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The other option for Hugh Jackman would be the upcoming limited series Secret Invasion which will have some franchise-bending story arcs. The reason this one works is that the story revolves around imposter versions of characters in the Skrull takeover of Earth.
Whatever ends up happening with Hugh Jackman, I think we are in a best-of-both-worlds situation. If he never returns, we know we got a near-perfect ending with Logan. But if he does come back as Wolverine, we know we have the perfect iteration of the character with this actor.
