Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine has to be in Avengers: Doomsday after the 6-year-old comments from the movie’s directors and which stars are in the next Avengers entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jackman’s Wolverine, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, and Wesley Snipes’ Blade are the three heroes many hold responsible for making superhero movies popular in the early 2000s. Their Marvel franchises were what would lead to the birth of a new shared universe years later, the MCU. Interestingly, all three stars have since joined the franchise, reprising their heroes in some of the MCU’s best movies, which I loved to see.

When it comes to Jackman’s Wolverine specifically, I don’t think any actor was more instrumental to the success of the Fox X-Men franchise than him. Until Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool did so recently, he was the only mutant to get a live-action trilogy. Adding to that, Jackman’s Wolverine had a cameo or a bigger role in multiple movies of Fox’s younger X-Men timeline, which no other cast member from the original trilogy matched. That is why I was surprised by how Jackman’s Wolverine was absent from Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast announcement, but I still think he will be in the film.

Avengers: Doomsday Will Lean Heavily Into Fox’s X-Men

The MCU Recently Revealed Many Surprising Returns

Interestingly, both Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool were not announced to return for Avengers: Doomsday when Marvel Studios held a live-stream event to reveal the film’s cast to celebrate the start of production. While a lot of familiar MCU names, such as Thor and Loki stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, were announced for the film, the most exciting part about the cast reveal was how important the X-Men seem to be for Avengers: Doomsday. The MCU movie brings back Fox X-Men stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden.

This means that versions of the Beast, Charles Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Mystique, and Cyclops of Fox’s original X-Men franchise will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. There is an easy way to pinpoint what their role might be in the MCU film, as The Marvels‘ post-credits scene has already brought one of them back. Grammer’s Beast made his MCU debut in the movie, tending to Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau after she crash-landed on his universe. Beast mentioned Charles Xavier, which seems to mean that all the X-Men will be coming from this universe. Monica’s multiverse travel can cause an incursion with Earth-616.

While Jackman’s Wolverine was not announced for Avengers: Doomsday, he would make a lot of sense for the movie. After all, pretty much every X-Men member confirmed for the upcoming MCU film is from Fox’s original X-Men franchise, not the younger one led by Michael Fᴀssbender and James McAvoy. The only exception is Channing Tatum’s Gambit. However, the hero debuted in the MCU’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, turning out to be its breakout character, which makes it even more likely for Logan to show up alongside Reynolds’ Wade Wilson and Dafne Keen’s X-23 in the Avengers movie.

Hugh Jackman & Other MCU Stars Could Still Be Part Of The Avengers Movie

Avengers: Doomsday’s Cast Announcement Does Not Mean Wolverine Will Be Absent

While one could look at Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast announcement as the reveal of which characters are in the movie and which are not, that is not entirely accurate. Avengers: Doomsday could have a larger cast than what Marvel Studios has announced so far. Key MCU heroes like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Scarlet Witch, the Hulk, and more are still absent. With the multiverse allowing for other actors from past Marvel movies, both in the MCU and not, to show up, it is also possible that the studio is trying to hold on to surprises for as long as it can.

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Marvel could also still be finalizing deals for the rest of the main cast, which are surely complex given the high number of stars involved. Jackman’s Wolverine also has a huge chance of being in the film due to how Marvel has already started teasing directly that more actors will be in the film. Doctor Doom star Robert Downey Jr. jointly shared the cast announcement video on Instagram with the official Marvel Studios account. Downey commented, “That must be it….right?” Marvel then teased that more stars would appear in Avengers: Doomsday, saying, “There’s always room for more.”

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine’s Success Means It Would Not Make Sense For Hugh Jackman Not To Appear

Wolverine’s MCU Debut Could Not Have Gone any Better

2024 was an unconventional year for the MCU. The franchise released a single movie after years of multiple films. However, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine was a huge hit, playing out like the major event film Marvel had envisioned. Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool films have always been successful, but both entries made around $780 million worldwide. With the excitement of Jackman’s return as Wolverine for the first time since 2017’s Logan, and also the fact that he was finally teaming up with Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool as his faithful comic book self, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine fared even better than it was expected to.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. That shows just how big of a bump the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool franchise’s move from Fox to the MCU and the inclusion of Jackman’s Wolverine gave the movie. Marvel Studios is well aware of the film’s success and is already clearly tapping into it for Avengers: Doomsday. After all, Channing Tatum’s Gambit will return in the Avengers movie after having debuted in the latest ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool entry. It would not make sense to bench ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and Wolverine after their MCU debut was such a major hit.

The Russo Brothers Revealed The One X-Men Movie They Would Make 6 Years Ago

Avengers: Doomsday Will Be A Major X-Men Event

Besides all the reasons already listed why Avengers: Doomsday could still include Jackman’s Wolverine despite him not being part of the initial cast announcement, 6-year-old comments from the movie’s directors are the best explanation for why he is likely to appear in the Avengers film. In 2019, the Russo Brothers held an AMA on the Marvel Studios subreddit (via CBR), and there, they revealed that the movie about a superhero not in the MCU then that they would most like to direct is Wolverine, saying, “We’ve always loved us some Wolverine.” Jackman is now in the MCU, making that possible.

Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be a major Avengers vs. X-Men event movie, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom thrown into the mix, possibly orchestrating a battle between the two teams. The Russo Brothers’ Wolverine comments mean the duo would likely want to use Jackman’s Logan now that they have the chance to do so. Add that to the fact that not only are the X-Men crucial to Avengers: Doomsday, but they will be the original stars of Fox’s X-Men franchise, and it seems like it is only a matter of time for Wolverine‘s inclusion to be announced.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

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  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  MCU Spider-Man 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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