Just when you think he’s dead, Wolverine is now one of the focal points of an X-Men film. It’s certainly an exciting time as it’s great to see Hugh Jackman return to such an iconic role that’s he set a high bar for. Logan is a tremendous film, and it’s great that Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy aren’t touching that movie. However, this multiverse angle allows the audience to finally see Logan interact with some of the biggest names in the MCU. There’s also rumors that Logan/Wolverine will make an appearance in the upcoming Secret Wars film.
I think it’s safe to say that the new generation of X-Men isn’t going anywhere soon. However, it would be foolish to think that Kevin Feige and Marvel would NEVER touch Wolverine again. With the new X-Men film still planned, should Kevin Feige make a bold step by recasting the character in his first attempt to touch on the popular Marvel character? Or should there be a long wait period before a new Wolverine is introduced into the MCU?
Hugh Jackman Left Such A Defining Mark On The Character
When X-Men was first released in 2000, no one knew just how big the brand would grow in the film market. For the most part, the Fox films have been hit or miss, but when it comes to casting, the series was spot on. Big names like Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe, and Viggo Mortensen were once considered for Wolverine. But now it seems strange that those were even choices to begin with. Even during the weaker films, Hugh Jackman has perfectly embodied the character both physically and emotionally.
It helps that the Fox films gave him plenty of depth that allowed audiences to see his full range. While it sucks that names like Cyclops and Storm were sidelined for Wolverine, Fox did wonders developing the character from X-Men to Logan. There’s certainly other names that could play Wolverine. Plus, there’s also several alternative stories that can separate Jackman’s Wolverine from the next; however, the next actor has a tall mountain to climb when taking on such career defining role.
Would Going The Alternate Route Be The Proper Direction?
This seems like a silly question because following a similar route would spell doom for the newcomer who steps into Marvel’s shoes. The thing is, we still don’t have any ideas on what direction Kevin Feige is planning to take with the new generation of X-Men. Will Wolverine get as much screen time as the Fox films? It’s doubtful that he’ll get three solo spin-offs. To be clear, I have no idea if Wolverine if scheduled for the new X-Men. This is pure speculation. Honestly, it would be a mistake to bring back Wolverine so soon.
As previously stated, Jackman set a high standard on what the character should be. It’s doubtful that he’ll get the same spotlight as the Fox films (if Wolverine is the new X-Men movies), which would cast a massive shadow that could do more harm than good. If Feige does bring back the character then going the alternate route is a must. The crazy thing is, Fox already found a good replacement to carry on the Wolverine name: Dafne Keen.
She was excellent as Laura/X-23 and it’s a shame that her spin-off was cancelled. For the most part, audiences would be fine with Keen being the next generation of the character since Logan did such a tremendous job. But if Feige doesn’t want to bank off the Fox films then going alternate won’t help much because Wolverine is still a fresh name in pop culture.
How Long Should It Take For Marvel To Replace Wolverine?
As cool as it would be to see Feige go the strange route of using Vampire or Zombie Wolverine, that’s highly doubtful. Ten years from Hugh Jackman’s final appearance should be a good enough time span. It’s not just about the casting of Wolverine itself, but Feige should spend that time showcasing and developing new mutants.
X-Men is such a rich lore, but you wouldn’t know that if you only watched the Fox films. There’s so many great characters in the franchise that the focus should be to expand the series beyond the core names that were established already. Once Hugh Jackman is officially done, there will be another name taking over the mantle as Wolverine. Let’s just hope that he can live up to the lofty expectations Jackman set.
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