Back in 2017, Logan felt like the perfect curtain call for Wolverine’s big-screen journey. The film followed a weary, aging Logan as he cared for a frail Professor X and reluctantly took on the mission of escorting young mutant Laura to safety in a bleak future where mutants were nearly wiped out. Fans, critics, and even Hugh Jackman himself embraced it as a definitive, emotionally resonant farewell. Jackman was clear at the time: this was his final outing as Wolverine.
But if there’s one rule in comic-book storytelling, it’s that no ending is ever truly final. That proved just as true for Jackman. After persistent (and humorous) prodding from Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds (plus a well-timed offer from Disney, now steering Marvel Studios), Jackman surprised fans by returning in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
And it seems that comeback may have rekindled more than just nostalgia. Between the film’s massive success and the evolving direction of the MCU, Jackman appears more open than ever to continuing Wolverine’s story. As Deadpool jokes in the film, “They’re gonna make him do this till he’s 90.”
All jokes aside, Jackman himself recently hinted that there may still be more adamantium claws left to unsheathe.
“It doesn’t feel like the end,” Jackman told Cynthia Erivo during Variety’s Actors on Actors series. “It really felt like the end after Logan. If I look back, I really needed to claim it as the end… because I really believed in some things that I wanted that movie to be, and I had to fight for them. And I think I had to say, ‘This is the last time I’m doing it, and I don’t mind not doing it.’ And we did it.”
Jackman added, “But there were parts of my brain, particularly when I saw Deadpool, that I was like, ‘Ooh.’ I see 48 Hours. I see Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte,” he continued. “But I would shove it down because… I’d told everyone that I was done. I’m not one of those guys [who go back on their word]. Then I went, ‘You know what? I change my mind.’ It’s not that big of a deal. I’m not even gonna say I’m sorry. And it was so awesome.”
Jackman says returning as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine reignited his love for the character, giving him the chance to explore aspects of Logan he never had the opportunity to tap into during his nearly 24-year run in the Fox films.
“I felt it was different,” he said of Deadpool & Wolverine. “I’ve [played Wolverine] 10 times. So I have all this evidence of how I’ve felt, and I’m like, ‘I know this character…’ I think in many ways, I know people love Logan, as do I, but I was like, I see sides of Wolverine that we haven’t seen before.’”
Will Wolverine return in the MCU? Hugh Jackman’s recent comments certainly seem promising for the character’s return. But when will he show up next? Avengers: Doomsday? Secret Wars? The X-Men’s MCU debut? Let us know what you think in the comments.
