By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 36 seconds ago

One reason that Deadpool & Wolverine was such a worldwide success was that nobody expected Hugh Jackman to return to the role of Wolverine, especially after saying goodbye to the character with the masterpiece movie Logan. Since he returned to fight alongside everyone’s favorite Merc With a Mouth, though, fans have been wondering whether the actor will stick around in the MCU or, like his fellow X-Men actors, get replaced by a younger model. 

According to reliable industry scooper My Time To Shine Hello, Marvel Studios is currently working on a standalone Wolverine film starring Hugh Jackman.

SNIKT Hapens: Hugh Jackman Wants To Play Wolverine Again

If you’re skeptical about this news, you may wonder if there is anything to corroborate this bold claim beyond the words of a scooper. One notable bit of circumstantial evidence is that Hugh Jackman himself is itching to return to the character: on a recent episode of The View, the actor was asked about possibly returning to playing Wolverine again, and he responded, “my gut says — it’s not done.“ He quickly added that “Marvel might have different ideas,” but his initial reply created a firestorm of excitement online due to Jackman’s willingness to return to the role that made him famous.

Of course, you might be skeptical about this, too. After all, what actor wouldn’t want to return to a role that made them a millionaire and a household name? However, it’s worth noting that Marvel recently filed for a new Wolverine trademark, one specifically covering the production of film and television projects. That doesn’t guarantee that this exact film will happen (trademarks don’t automatically guarantee production, and this could be for a non-Jackman, non-MCU project), but it’s another provocative bit of circumstantial evidence.

If we get a Hugh Jackman Wolverine film, should you expect to see any of the MCU X-Men? Not necessarily: there have been previous reports that Marvel wants to create a separate Wolverine film or even films before later adding the character to the X-Men. That means Jackman could appear in Wolverine films for years before unleashing his berserker rage alongside characters like Cyclops or Jean Grey. 

Is Old Man Logan Coming To The MCU?

Fans should also keep in mind that we won’t be getting any new X-Men or Wolverine films until Avengers: Secret Wars, which is supposed to end the multiversal saga for good while resetting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the original Marvel comics, the events of Secret Wars deposited Old Man Logan (an older version of the character from a different universe) in the 616 universe. It’s entirely possible Hugh Jackman could end up starring as an older version of the iconic Wolverine character, one who is stuck in the MCU and separate from whatever young actor gets hired to play the primary Wolverine in the mainline X-Men films.

At any rate, we might not have to wait that long to see Hugh Jackman return to this role: the same scooper who reported development of the solo Wolverine film previously claimed the actor would have a small cameo in Avengers: Doomsday. If so, that movie may very well put into motion the events that later lead to a Wolverine solo film. As for this comics fan, I’ll be crossing all my fingers, toes, and claws that Jackman ultimately ends up playing Old Man Logan in a performance that forever changes how we see the most popular character in superhero history.