Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Captain America: Brave New World.Captain America: Brave New World featured a key Marvel Cinematic Universe introduction that makes Hugh Jackman’s future in the franchise as Wolverine less likely. Jackman returned as Logan in 2024’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. The actor had already become one of the most popular stars in live-action Marvel films before he joined the MCU, but his arrival in the franchise showed just how big of an impact Jackman could have on future Marvel movies. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine grossed over $1.3 billion globally, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

While there have been no updates on a ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine sequel, Jackman’s Marvel mutant could very well return to the MCU. After all, the franchise is getting ready to hit Fox’s collection of Marvel characters harder. The MCU’s X-Men movie is currently in development, with rumored names for many characters emerging online. After Captain America: Brave New World, it seems like whenever the MCU X-Men movie is released, it could have a new actor as Wolverine, as the franchise’s latest entry made things more difficult for Jackman to return as Logan.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine Left The Door Open For Hugh Jackman’s MCU Return

The Marvel Film Joked About The Actor’s Longevity In The Role

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine‘s ending was different from what many had imagined. Instead of coming to Earth-616 and staying in the MCU, Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool managed to save his universe and went back to it. He was not alone there, as Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine variant, Dafne Keen’s X-23 from Logan, and all of Wade Wilson’s friends came together to have dinner at his apartment. Since Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool is sure to return in future MCU movies, with the next two Avengers films being likely entries, and Wolverine is with him, Jackman’s MCU return should come soon.

Before the end of the film, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine played with the idea that Jackman’s return as Wolverine would mean the actor would now continue as the mutant for many more years. In the film, after a kid sees Jackman’s character and says, “It’s Wolverine,” Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool jokes about it, breaking the fourth wall by saying, “Disney brought him back. They’re gonna make him do this ’till he’s 90.” While the 56-year-old Jackman will not keep playing Wolverine until he is 90, the line could be Marvel’s way of teasing that he will stay in the MCU for some time.

Captain America: Brave New World Debuts A Key X-Men Element

The Mutants Are Soon Taking Over The MCU

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is nowhere to be seen in the MCU’s first movie of 2025, Captain America: Brave New World. However, the new Captain America movie does feature a key connection to the X-Men that should be very important for the team’s future in the MCU. Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus Ross announces to the world that they have discovered a new metal stronger than Vibranium and available to all nations, unlike the Wakanda-based mineral, which is Adamantium. The unique metal is tied to Wolverine’s origin in the comics, as his Adamantium skeleton gives Logan his iconic claws.

Captain America: Brave New World finally brings back Tiamut, the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Celestial that lies in the Indian Ocean since Eternals. Tiamut is made of Adamantium, making his body extremely valuable to the MCU’s nations, with many fighting for control of it in the new Captain America movie. At the end of the film, Thunderbolt Ross manages to get other countries to sign a treaty that allows everyone to research Tiamut and have access to Adamantium. Interestingly, Marvel has now introduced Adamantium to the MCU just a movie after bringing back Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

A New Wolverine Makes Sense For The MCU After Captain America: Brave New World

Hugh Jackman’s Logan Can Bid Goodbye Before The X-Men Film

Captain America: Brave New World makes a huge deal of Adamantium’s MCU arrival. This is the kind of thing that would not make much sense if Jackman were to continue as Marvel Studios’ version of Wolverine. The franchise is unlikely to make Adamantium so important only to have the most famous character connected to the metal played by Jackman, as audiences have already been following the actor’s take on Wolverine for 25 years. As such, there would not be any links between him and Adamantium being introduced in the MCU.

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That is why the way Captain America: Brave New World handles Adamantium makes it more likely that the MCU will introduce a new Wolverine instead of keeping Hugh Jackman’s. Adamantium being given such a prominent role in the first MCU movie of 2025 could lead to a deeper exploration of what it means to the franchise through the Weapon X program. A younger Wolverine could start with his bone claws before being given an Adamantium skeleton in the MCU, with a new actor playing Logan to live up to the full potential Captain America: Brave New World‘s Adamantium introduction offers.

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

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