If the reports are to be believed, then Jackman isn’t getting rid of the claws just yet. Hugh Jackman is supposedly set to not only feature in Deadpool 3 as Wolverine, but he’s also rumored to be starting in the MCU’s Secret Wars as the superhero.
I like the concept of this idea, but I don’t like the consequences of it.
Despite having a PERFECT sendoff in Logan as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is set to star in Deadpool 3 as the clawed superhero and has supposedly been in contact with the MCU and Disney to play a role in Secret Wars as the iconic X-Men character. And, as I said, even though I love Hugh Jackman being back as Wolverine, I think it really cheapens his service to the character.
Now, to be honest, a little part of me is annoyed that Hugh Jackman, who has suffered under the tumultuous handling of the X-Men franchise by 2oth Century Fox for the last twenty years, has joined the MCU at the literal worst possible moment. If the X-Men rights could have been purchased by Disney just a few years earlier than when they ended up getting bought, the X-Men could have joined the MCU during Phases 1-3 and been a part of the glory days of the franchise (aka: 2008-2019).
Unfortunately, now Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the X-Men as a whole must be subjected to another chaotic and disastrous management by their head studio developer as the MCU and Disney are in an utter catastrophe of a situation with the failures of Phase 4 and the pitiful start of Phase 5. So, I’m a little annoyed by that.
But what really has me frustrated is how Disney and Hugh Jackman himself are ruining the legacy of Logan/Wolverine by trotting out the same actor in Jackman to continue portraying the character, even though it would make far more sense to just cut ties with Jackman’s portrayal and move on with a new actor.
Whether you hated Logan or loved it (which I most certainly did), you have to say that the ending Logan gave Wolverine, Professor X, the OG X-Men characters, and really that 20th Century Fox universe as a whole was masterfully done by director James Mangold.
Logan giving his life to save his clone “daughter” Laura and her mutant friends (who are also clones of the OG X-Men) against the forces Dr. Rice and the Reavers when he really didn’t have to and could have lived out the final years of his life in peace was the heroic send off the character of Wolverine deserved.
I wasn’t totally against Jackman playing Wolverine in Deadpool 3 as it is going to be a totally different theme for the character (Deadpool is a humorous, tongue-and-cheek superhero) and set years before Logan (as far as I know), yet Jackman playing Wolverine in the MCU’s Secret Wars is completely different.
Not only is Wolverine going to play a key role in an Avengers film as a new continuity of Wolverine, which dramatically cheapens his character’s conclusion in the 20th Century Fox franchise, but the rumors are that Jackman will play an important role in the MCU’s FUTURE projects beyond 2027 (when Secret Wars is set to release).
How is bringing in a 58-year-old Hugh Jackman, who would be 58 in the year 2027, and having him play a brand-new continuity of Wolverine, who most certainly will not be the old, weathered “Old Man Logan” as we last saw Jackman in Logan, separating the 20th Century Fox iteration of the characters versus the new ones?
(Disney/Marvel/20th Century Fox-Logan-Official Trailer)
It’s really just Disney banking in on the popularity of the old characters and actors, inevitably changing them beyond recognition and making them inferior to their past iterations, and then acting like they’re making “creative” stories. They’re doing the exact same thing with Daredevil, Deadpool, and Blade.
I also have the same complaints about Sir Patrick Stewart playing Professor X in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, though Jackman’s feels a little more painful given the fact he specifically stated he would NOT PLAY WOLVERINE post Logan. Even if Marvel called him.
It’s tough to say to Jackman that he can’t play Wolverine as it is his livelihood to act and portray characters such as Wolverine, but Jackman has earned more than enough money, fame, and fortune from his 20 years of service to the role to give another actor and continuity a chance to grow and thrive.
And I REALLY don’t want to see the OG X-Men characters and actors get polluted by the crap storytelling and direction the MCU is doing these days.
Images Source: Featured Image: (Disney/Marvel/20th Century Fox) (X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST – Official Trailer (2014) – YouTube)
In Text Image 1: (Disney/Marvel-20th Century Fox) (Logan | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX – YouTube)
