Hugh Jackman made his Jackman's Wolverine movie appearances started in 2000 with Fox's X-Men. It is hard to believe that the star was not the first choice for the role. The studio had chosen Batgirl actor Dougray Scott to portray Logan. However, scheduling conflicts led to him dropping out, with Jackman coming at the last minute. The rest is history.

Jackman is now one of the most beloved figures in superhero films. Due to that, I was not surprised by how Deadpool & Wolverine turned out to be one of the MCU's X-Men movie to have a new Wolverine, but both could happen.

An MCU X-Men Casting Report Suggests A Younger Team

The Team's Reboot Movie Is Being Developed

Marvel Studios has been making progress on its reboot film about the mutants from Marvel Comics. The last mainline X-Men movie was 2019's Dark Phoenix. With the Multiverse Saga ending when 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars comes out, it should not take long after the film for Marvel to release its first live-action movie for the team. Working towards that goal, the MCU's X-Men movie has already enlisted The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie to pen its script. It is reportedly female-focused, and a casting report points to an interesting direction for the team.

According to The InSneider, Marvel Studios is considering Stranger Things star Sadie Sink to play Jean Grey in the MCU's X-Men movie. I think the casting would make sense, as Sink not only looks like Jean but is one of the rising stars of her generation. That said, the report suggests a younger Wolverine would have to be cast for the team. While Hugh Jackman is 56, Sadie Sink is only 22 years old. Given how the characters have been romantically linked before, and the team should more or less have the same age, a younger Wolverine should be cast.

Hugh Jackman Can Be The MCU’s Old Man Logan

Marvel Can Have Two Different Wolverines

While the X-Men movie casting report suggests a younger Wolverine fits what Marvel is looking for with the mutants, I know how Jackman can keep playing the character. There could be two versions of Wolverine at the same time in the MCU. A younger actor could debut as Logan in the MCU's X-Men movie, while Hugh Jackman's version of the character from Deadpool & Wolverine continues to play a role in crossovers, as well as alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool as the Old Man Logan version of Wolverine. In the comics, Wolverine and Old Man Logan have interacted and fought together.

Jackman has already shown how he could excel as Old Man Logan in the MCU. After all, the actor has already played two different versions of the character before. 2017's Logan was loosely based on that Marvel Comics story, with Jackman giving life to an older, disillusioned, and weaker Wolverine who tried to save Dafne Keen's Laura. In Deadpool & Wolverine, one of the multiverse Wolverine variants played by Jackman was a more faithful take on Old Man Logan. The MCU could go for a middle ground for the two, with Jackman as a veteran Wolverine for big events and a younger Logan for the X-Men.

Why The MCU Can’t Let Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Retire Just Yet

Deadpool & Wolverine Was The Start Of A New Journey

I think that having two Wolverines is the best possible scenario for the MCU. This way, the franchise could start anew with the X-Men, bearing no connections to Fox's version of the franchise, while also continuing to use Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in exciting ways. Deadpool & Wolverine showed the potential that Jackman still has in the MCU as Wolverine. The movie became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, with Deadpool & Wolverine giving Marvel Studios its first film to gross over $1 billion since Spider-Man: No Way Home did so in 2021.

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Before he ed the MCU, Jackman was vocal about how he wanted to interact with the Avengers. With two team movies coming up, I'm convinced we will see Jackman as Wolverine in at least Avengers: Secret Wars, if not both films. I can't see how those continued appearances would make fans' desire to see Jackman carry on as Wolverine in the MCU wane in any way. With so many possible crossovers and stories now that he is in the MCU, I hope Marvel explores all that Jackman's Wolverine still has to offer, and the X-Men can have a younger Logan.

Wolverine in Comic Art by Leinil Yu
Franchise
X-Men, Marvel
NAME
James "Logan" Howlett
Alias
James "Logan" Howlett
Created By
Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.

The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men's wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics' biggest stars. He's played in Fox and Marvel's movie franchises by Hugh Jackman.

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