Hugh Jackman’s MCU future as Wolverine would seem to be coming to an end soon once Avengers: Secret Wars marks the end of the Multiverse Saga, but there’s a way Marvel Studios can still bring him back despite the X-Men‘s imminent reboot. After starring in most of Fox’s fourteen X-Men movies, Hugh Jackman reprised his iconic Logan role in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, which established a new variant of the clawed mutant and started a new chapter in his journey. Now, Jackman’s new Wolverine variant is ready to take on bigger threats alongside Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine‘s ending left both тιтular heroes on Earth-10005, and Avengers: Doomsday‘s first official cast announcement didn’t confirm their return in Phase 6. However, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool are all but guaranteed to meet the Avengers, the New Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and other X-Men in Avengers: Secret Wars, which is bound to repeat the Avengers: Endgame formula and bring together the most iconic character portrayals in Marvel movie history. After Avengers: Endgame concludes the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios will introduce brand-new variants of the X-Men and other mutants.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Return Would Be Underwhelming If He Didn’t Stay After Phase 6
Jackman’s New Wolverine Is Ready For A Bigger Story Than A Two-Movie Farewell
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine introduced a Wolverine variant who lost all hope after witnessing the annihilation of mutants in his home timeline, but who also regained his will to fight after ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool gave him a chance to redeem himself. Hugh Jackman’s MCU Wolverine is stronger and apparently younger than his Logan counterpart, and he seems to have a stronger connection to the X-Men, as his yellow-and-blue superhero costume suggests. If he doesn’t return in Avengers: Doomsday and retires or dies in Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel would be wasting the full potential of Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine variant.
Avengers: Secret Wars will probably be filled to the brim with characters from all over the Marvel multiverse. While a team-up scene featuring beloved characters such as Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is the kind of spectacle one would expect from Avengers: Secret Wars, Wolverine’s proportionately small role in Phase 6’s final crossover would still come across as truncated farewell for such a popular portrayal. However, there’s a chance the MCU can reboot the X-Men without having to replace Jackman’s Wolverine right away.
Secret Wars Can Lead To Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Staying In The MCU In Phase 7
Jackman’s Wolverine Could Be Phase 7’s Version Of Old Man Logan
In Marvel Comics’ 2015 Secret Wars event, an Old Man Logan variant waged his own war in Battleworld, where he survived the Marvel Zombies-infected ᴅᴇᴀᴅlands, Technopolis, and the Domain of Apocalypse before joining Marvel’s main timeline after God Emperor Doom was defeated. Once on Earth-616, Old Man Logan replaced the original Wolverine, who was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the time. This older Wolverine remained active for a while and teamed up with heroes such as the X-Men, X-23, Totally Awesome Hulk, and fought villains such as Bullseye, Sabretooth, and Maestro. Old Man Logan met a resurrected Wolverine before he returned to his original timeline and died in action.
Jackman’s Logan could become a recurring character in a post-Battleworld Earth-616 in the MCU, where he could serve as Marvel’s main Wolverine for a while
Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine variant resembles Marvel’s second Old Man Logan in various aspects, from his painful experience failing to save the X-Men (but not as tragically as his other Old Man counterpart), to having disdain for the Avengers and gaining a second chance at redemption in a different universe. Similarly to Earth-21923’s Wolverine, Jackman’s Logan could become a recurring character in a post-Battleworld Earth-616 in the MCU, where he could serve as Marvel’s main Wolverine for a while, before the MCU’s new prime Wolverine arrives to continue his legacy.
Hugh Jackman’s Logan Staying In The MCU After Secret Wars Would Solve A Wolverine Problem
The MCU’s Next Wolverine Needs To Give The X-Men Their Time In The Spotlight
One of the most evident flaws in Fox’s X-Men franchise is that Wolverine stole the spotlight, leading the rest of the X-Men to be supporting characters in his story. This isn’t the case in the source material, where every major mutant is the protagonist of their own stories. Hence, the MCU’s X-Men need to shift focus away from Wolverine, but at the same time, Marvel needs an exciting take on Logan that matches Hugh Jackman’s portrayal in order to attract old and new audiences. This might be a complex challenge, as Wolverine’s debut could be too distracting if it happens too close to Jackman’s last Wolverine appearance.
One way Marvel Studios could solve this is by taking a page from the comic books and allowing Jackman’s Wolverine to stay in the MCU after Avengers: Secret Wars. Jackman’s Logan could briefly join the X-Men in a mentor role while the new X-Men gain popularity. Eventually, Jackman’s Wolverine would retire and a brand-new MCU Wolverine would be introduced. With audiences already acquainted with the MCU’s X-Men, the new Wolverine‘s debut likely wouldn’t steal attention away from them.
