The news that Hugh Jackman will return to the role of Wolverine in the next third Deadpool movie has set the internet on fire. Deadpool 3 has been in various forms of development for several years now. Despite the resounding success of the first two Deadpool movies, there is a significant gap between the second and third movies. The third installment in the series was released shortly after the release of Deadpool 2but Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox’s film and television assets has been significantly delayed Deadpool 3‘s development. Now the film finally has a September 2024 release date, which means that by the time the film is released, more than six years have passed since Deadpool 2 hit theatres.
However, Ryan Reynolds makes up for lost time by pulling out the big guns. Although Jackman very publicly stopped playing Wolverine with his last performance in 2017 Logan, Reynolds and Kevin Feige worked their magic and convinced him to return to play the character again. Jackman’s Wolverine is one of 20th Century Fox’s most recognizable aspects X-Men movies. He was a relatively unknown actor when he was cast in the 2000s X-Menbut after 17 years in the role, it’s hard to imagine anyone else brandishing the iconic adamantium claws.
As exciting as Jackman’s return to the character may be, it’s not all great news. While there is no doubt that the actor will once again deliver an outstanding performance in the role for Deadpool 3There are also some aspects that could take away from Wolverine’s on-screen past and his future in the MCU. Here are some of the pros and cons of Jackman returning to replay the character.
Against: Logan was a perfect ending
The biggest downside to the brilliance of Jackman’s return as Wolverine is pretty obvious. He already had a perfect broadcast to the character in 2017 Logan. Not only did he undoubtedly give his best performance in the role in Logan, but the movie itself was an incredibly emotional, gripping, violent, and exciting conclusion to that iteration of the character. Spoiler warning for those who haven’t seen it (watch it ASAP if you haven’t already), but Wolverine’s death at the end of Logan not only capped Jackman’s tenure, but his time in the role brilliantly ended with the best material he got for the character during his long 17-year run.
Jackman returning to bring the character back to life after that perfect ending could risk a lot of the emotional weight of Loganhis last act. Part of what made that ending, in addition to all of director James Mangold’s story and character work, was the fact that it was really meant to be the end of Jackman’s time with the character. Unlike many of the deaths in Marvel movies, this one felt real, and that version of the character wasn’t going to come back. It was a final goodbye to a character who had been loved by fans for over 15 years at the time. Now, with his return in Deadpool 3, Jackman’s end in Logan is actually not the end.
Now these concerns have already been allayed to some extent. In a video released by Reynolds and JackmanReynolds states that “Logan takes place in 2029. Totally different thing. Logan passed away in Logan. You don’t touch that.” In the meantime, Mangold took to Twitter to show that he is not very concerned about the development. He said, “Logan will always be there. Multiverse or prequel, time warp or wormhole, canon or non-canon or even for no reason.” So even the director of Logan doesn’t seem to think that Jackman’s return in Deadpool 3 distances itself from logan. It’s a good perspective to have, if Logan will always exist as a standalone story no matter what happens around it. Plus, with Deadpool because it’s such a meta-series as it is, there’s bound to be some sort of reference to the events of Logan in the new movie. There was already inside Deadpool 2!
Pro: Working with Ryan Reynolds
One of the great strengths of Jackman’s return is who he works with. Jackman and Reynolds have always had a tremendous amount of chemistry together, even off screen. They constantly show their friendship on social media and the video announcements of Wolverine’s shooting in Deadpool 3 rely heavily on that. They often feign a bitter feud between the two of them, which will always surprise their fans and will definitely play into the new movie in one way or another. Reynolds even included references to their feud/friendship in both Deadpool films, which can now be interpreted as directly paving the way for Jackman’s inclusion in Deadpool 3.
Their friendship started when they worked together on 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine. That movie, which is widely regarded as… one of the worst X-Men movies, served as Reynolds’ first on-screen introduction as the Merc with a Mouth. That clearly didn’t work out well, and Reynolds has made countless jokes about the film in both of his films. Deadpool solo outings so far. Those jokes are sure to escalate significantly in Deadpool 3because it’s the first time the characters of Deadpool and Wolverine appear in a movie together since that mess of a movie.
Other than that, it’s actually somewhat surprising that this is the first time the two actors have collaborated on a movie since X-Men Origins. Aside from a little cameo here and there, their on-screen careers have remained quite separate in recent years. Considering how much chemistry they have together, it’s really a bit surprising that no studio has linked them before. A buddy comedy from Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds sounds like an absolute home run. Now that movie is really happening under the guise of Deadpool 3and it is sure to thrill both casual and die-hard fans alike.
Con: Further delay of Wolverine’s reshuffle
Prior to this announcement, it was widely believed that there was no chance Jackman would return to the Wolverine character. There has been endless online speculation as to who the character will be playing when he is inevitably introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the MCU is a different continuity from the Fox X-Men movies, Wolverine’s introduction would probably end via some multiverse jokes or a grand introduction of all X-Men at a given moment. Very few people believed that Jackman would be involved in that reintroduction. In addition, there were many rumors that Kingsman star Taron Egerton had been approached for the role. There’s already been plenty of evidence that mutants exist within the MCU, and there was even a not-so-subtle reference to Wolverine in the She-Hulk Disney+ series.
However, the return of Jackman in Deadpool 3 throws an unexpected wrench into this whole equation. It has already been confirmed that the third Deadpool The film does take place within the canon of the MCU, but in what way has yet to be determined. Considering how much the MCU has come to play with the multiverse concept in outings like Loki, Doctor Strange 2 and the coming avengers movies, that way would make the most sense. The most likely scenario is that Reynold’s Deadpool will find a way to jump out of the Fox X-Men universe and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps he will find a variant of Jackman’s Wolverine and take it with him for the adventure.
It is very unlikely that Jackman will return for a long period of time to reprise the character. His return to the role is certainly a one-off action for Deadpool 3with the only other possibility that he shows up in Avengers: Secret Wars also. There’s very little chance that his Wolverine will become the MCU’s primary Wolverine. With that, his inclusion in Deadpool 3 means it will be a while before a new Wolverine is introduced to the MCU. It may not happen until Avengers: Secret Wars or further. As exciting as it is to think about Jackman’s return, chances are it means the real introduction of the X-Men to the MCU is further away than previously thought, like Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios will probably want to. build their own brand new team from scratch.
Pro: It’s just a great idea
It’s very easy to get caught up in all the details of Jackman’s return announcement Deadpool 3 could mean for the continuity of the MCU. But in the end, it wasn’t the logistics or canonicity of the universe that led to the decision. Reynolds and Marvel Studios are bringing Jackman back because the prospect of a Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman/Wolverine crossover is just too good to resist. Wolverine is one of Jackman’s most iconic and recognizable roles, and a new outing with him is bound to get fans excited.
The point of Deadpool 3 won’t be a major universe-defining item within the MCU. The movie should just be entertaining. Retiring Jackman’s Wolverine for the movie aims to set the board up for a hugely fun, hilarious and exciting movie. Step back and consider what this movie is outside the context of the MCU. A Deadpool/Wolverine team-up movie starring Reynolds and Jackman is the kind of thing comic book movie fans live for. By getting too caught up in the details or logistics of the universe, it’s easy to lose a lot of fun and appreciation for the idea of the movie.
bring Jackman in Deadpool 3 is yet another example of Feige’s willingness to step outside the box that has defined the MCU for the past 15 years. After-Infinity SagaMarvel is really starting to experiment with the kinds of stories they can tell within the MCU. The most recent example of this is: Werewolf at night, which had much more to do with a moody and old-fashioned horror game than a thoroughly interconnected chapter of a larger universe. While it’s true that the general idea of a cinematic universe can get messy by taking this approach, it also gives a lot more creative freedom to the people involved in the project. Deadpool 3 doesn’t have to be a big MCU event movie like the avengers movies. It just has to be awesome Deadpool movie. Reynolds and Feige know that, and by bringing Jackman back, they’re doing everything they can to make the movie as funny and exciting as possible.