Summary
Hugh Jackman has been Wolverine for almost a quarter of a century, and his reprising the role inDeadpool & Wolverinejust cements that Jackman owns the role at this point. Jackman began his acting career slightly later in life after having made a career as a physical education teacher in Australia. However, when he began appearing in theater and musicals, it wasn’t long before his talents proved he was meant for a future on the big screen. Within a few years of his first acting credit, Jackman landed the role of Wolverine in the 2000sX-Menmovie, years before theMCUwas born.
Throughout the best part of the last 25 years, Jackman has returned to the role on average every two to three years. Each time, he brings life to a character that appears to be identified more and more with the actor. However, with his advancing age, andthe MCU set to introduce its own version of the X-Menin the coming years,Marvel Studios needs to overcome the issue of recasting Wolverinedespite the character being intrinsically linked to Jackman. Unfortunately,Deadpool & Wolverinemight just be making the argument against recasting the hero.
Deadpool & Wolverine Admits Recasting Wolverine Will Be Impossible
Hugh Jackman Is The Face Of Wolverine
For years, fans of the MCU have been desperate to see Deadpool join the MCU proper, and having Hugh Jackman return to play Wolverine one more time, despite his apparent retirement from the role in 2017, is a huge bonus. Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, the star of theDeadpoolfilms, have a close friendship, and the chemistry which they will bring to the upcoming film is intoxicating. However, Reynolds has also spoken out about howJackman is the only person who can play the role of Wolverinein a recent interview.
As wonderful as it is for Reynolds to support his co-star and friend, it also highlights the issue that Marvel faces in recasting the hero. Despite some popular fan castings, reboots to the franchise, and years to replace the actor,Jackman remains the only actor to tackle the role of Wolverineon screen. Hopefully, Reynolds' comments are more playful than serious, which is likely the case, andDeadpool & Wolverinecould be the first film to feature variants of the character to start easing the audience into seeing new actors tackle the role.
We Have To Accept That The MCU Needs To Recast Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine Could Set The Stage For A New Wolverine
There is no doubt that some actors are a perfect fit for the roles that they are cast in. Jackman has certainly made the role of Wolverine his own, but it is time to finally pass the mantle on to someone new, to carry a character that is pivotal to the X-Men’s story into the future of the MCU.Deadpool & Wolverineis theperfect opportunity to begin exploring new actors as Wolverine, and potentially pay off fancastings, like the cameo of John Krasinski playing Reed Richards inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Hugh Jackman will forever remain a beloved and integral part of bringing Wolverine into the mainstream on the big screen, but it’s time to accept that the role has to change hands. Jackman is in shape, but keeping up with the physicality and intensity of the role will not be realistic for many more years. In addition, new characters will be appearing in the roles of the rest of theMCU X-Men cast. Having a much older version of Wolverine simply wouldn’t fit with the tone, and it would hinder the opportunity to keep the X-Men stories going beyondDeadpool & Wolverineand into the future of the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
