No one could have predicted that Hugh Jackman would still be playing Wolverine 26 years after the original X-Men movie. It never occurred to me as a kid that I’d still be seeing the same actors as my favorite characters when I became an adult. But spotting Jackman in different Marvel projects always makes my younger self so happy. Who else remembers him showing up in First Class with an epic one-liner? He instantly steals the scene every time.
So it’s not surprising that the actor would be reluctant to see anyone else take up the claws. With the multiverse, there is a real probability of seeing another actor playing Wolverine. We did see Henry Cavill’s cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine as a variant of the character. And if we can see Superman do it, anything is possible. But I love that when Jackman was asked about that very topic by ProjectBigScreen, he responded with an A+ Deadpool joke while he weighed in on the possibility of being replaced:
I’m not going to say anything to whoever plays it, because no one said anything to me, which I really am thrilled about. And I had not read the comics, so I was just coming to it fresh. And I learned a lot over the years. Of course, I’ve got my own take, but it must be melding in with me in some ways. I hope someone just comes in and does whatever the fuck they want and makes it their own.
I expected nothing less from Jackman. The actor making the role his own is why fans haven’t stopped piling on the Wolverine hype. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see him show up, even in a cameo, in Doomsday. But I would be excited regardless, especially if it was a reunion with James Marsden. Scott and Logan notoriously butted heads over Jean in the early 2000s films, and a little wink to that would make my X-Men loving heart so happy.
I already felt like I had won when Aaron Stanford briefly returned as Pyro in Deadpool and Wolverine, but to learn that other X-Men 2 actors would be coming back for the next Avengers? It’s almost too good to be true. The second X-Men was one of my favorite movies growing up, even if the set was rife with drama, so having Alan Cumming back as Nightcrawler feels like a gift. And I would love to see Jackman reunite with any of his former castmates. However, the actor has been hilariously dodging questions about returning as Wolverine in Doomsday. Though the actor doesn’t seem ready to let the character go any time soon. He referenced a joke from his last movie when explaining:
Well, I’m 57, I’m doing it until I’m 90 so…. [Laughs] I’ll do a little time capsule for them.
I don’t think anyone would mind if Jackman played the role until he’s 90. Then maybe we’ll be ready to see the character go to someone else. For now, I’m excited to see where the multiverse is going to take us. We have many confirmed returns, including the shocking Robert Downey Jr. come back as Doctor Doom. The character was previously played by Charmed’s Julian McMahon in the underrated Fantastic Four movies in the early 2000s.
While we patiently wait for Doomsday to hit theaters in December 2026, we can check Jackman out in The Sheep Detectives available to stream on Amazon and the polarizing Death of Robin Hood in theaters. But while we see the actor taking up different mantels, that doesn’t mean we can’t all hope to see him back with his Wolverine hair and claws…. and maybe wish for a reunion or two.