X-Men star Hugh Jackman has suggested he won’t be done playing Wolverine anytime soon.
With Marvel moving forward on a full X-Men reboot, and speculation pointing to our first new X-Men hero popping up sooner rather than later, fans have wondered whether a new actor will also be brought in as a fresh version of Logan.
At least for now, however, that doesn’t sound like it’s the case, with Jackman pointing to the (jokingly made) suggestion in Deadpool & Wolverine that he’ll be playing the fan-favorite character until he’s 90, and will make a “little time capsule” for whoever does take on the role next.
Speaking to PBS, Jackman commented: “I’m 57. I’m doing it till I’m 90. So, you know… I’ll do a little time capsule for them.”
While Jackman has not officially confirmed if or when he will return as the adamantium-clawed superhero, fans fully expect he will portray Wolverine again in either or both of the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, as well as any Deadpool sequel.
Jackman famously suggested he was done with playing Wolverine after 2017’s Logan, but later walked this back to return to the character alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. And, of course, Deadpool & Wolverine went on to generate over a $1 billion for Marvel, and its star Ryan Reynolds has already discussed having ideas for a team-based follow-up. So, surely, Logan’s Wolverine will be back in the mix as well.
But where does this leave Marvel’s X-Men reboot, which is currently scheduled to arrive early in the next MCU saga following Secret Wars (which itself is set for December 2027)? As a reboot, perhaps it will simply not feature the Wolverine character to avoid having two versions of the hero active within MCU continuity at the same time.
Surely, though, there will come a day where Jackman does hand over the Wolverine baton. Asked if he had any advice for any potential successor, the Australian actor suggested that any new version would likely be “melding in” with his own take, but that he’d hope the actor was allowed to do “whatever the f*** they want.”
“I’m not going to say anything to whoever plays him,” Jackson stated, “’cause 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 way,” he continued. “I hope someone just comes in and does whatever the f*** they want and makes it their own.”
Image credit: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
