For nearly two decades, X-Men fans like myself have known only one Wolverine on the big screen in Hugh Jackman. In that time, we’ve had three don the mantle of Spider-Man, two as Superman, two as Batman, and even two as the original X-Men cast. The world of superhero actors is dynamic, to say the least. Long-term stability is the exception, not the norm.
However, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is one of the greatest exceptions of all time. Multiple generations of fans know no other Wolverine and the idea of casting someone else to don those adamantium claws just feels wrong. Despite plenty of casting rumors, no one can forget the high bar of snarling, swearing berserker rage that Mr. Jackman set for 17 years.
Now, he’s toying with our collective hearts once more. In a somewhat cryptic post to his Instagram, Jackman showed an image of him and Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, along with some iconic Wolverine artwork by BossLogic.
Needless to say, it garnered a hell of a reaction. I’m not gonna lie. My heart definitely skipped a beat when I saw this. As much as I love the send-off Jackman’s Wolverine got in “Logan,” a part of me still wants to see Jackman play Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since Disney didn’t complete its purchase of Fox until after “Logan” came out, it seemed like an impossible dream.
Now, this cryptic post does not confirm anything. Kevin Feige, Disney, and Marvel Studios are notorious for their secrecy. You’d probably have better luck getting information out of the CIA at this point. That said, I’m inclined to believe Feige and Jackman knew what kind of reaction they’d get by posting this. This was not an accident. It may just be a stunt, but a part of me believes it might be something more.
That’s not to say it means Hugh Jackman is signing onto do another six Marvel movies as Wolverine. That’s just not gonna happen, given Jackman’s age and the training it takes just to be Wolverine. If he thinks he can do it, then more power to him. I’ll be the first to cheer him on. I just think it’s more likely that Marvel Studios wants a fresh start with Wolverine and all things X-Men.
However, that doesn’t mean they won’t acknowledge the past cinematic successes of X-Men. Since Jackman was part of those successes, I think it’s likely he will make a few Stan Lee style cameos at some point. That leads me to believe that this post teased a possible appearance in the upcoming “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” Since multiverse is literally in the title, it may be the case that the world of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is just one of the universes that story will reference.
If that means seeing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine again, even if it’s brief, then that alone will be worth the ticket price.
If it means something more, then that’ll be a hell of a bonus.
I’m not getting my hopes up for the latter, but I’ll be plenty satisfied with the former. There’s also a chance that this is nothing more than Jackman capturing a nice moment with someone he’s known for over 20 years. If that’s the case, then I’ll be disappointed, but not enough to stop loving Hugh Jackman and all the wonderful years he gave us as Wolverine.
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