Comic book fans weren’t the only ones hoping Hugh Jackman would keep his claws sheathed after Logan, as it turns out Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige cautioned the Wolverine star against returning, too.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) mastermind spoke about the actor’s return for Deadpool & Wolverine during an interview with Empire. Feige says he was just as touched as everyone else when Logan delivered a fitting conclusion for Jackman’s take on the mutant hero in 2017.
“I said, ‘Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don’t come back’,” Feige added. “‘You had the greatest ending in history with Logan. That’s not something we should undo.’”
Many would probably agree with Feige’s guidance at the time. Jackman was first introduced as a leather-suited version of Wolverine for X-Men in 2000 and reprised his role in a laundry list of sequels and standalone movies for years after. Logan sought to bookend that time with an R-rated story that focused on an older version of the character, and many would agree that it gave Jackman and his fans a fitting sendoff.
Jackman seems to agree, but when the opportunity to star alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool landed at his feet, he knew the job was too good to pass up.
“I was about an hour into the drive,” he recalls. “And that question came into my head: ‘What do I want to do?’ And as soon as I asked the question, I wanted to do Deadpool & Wolverine. I just knew it. I drove for another hour. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. And I got out of the car, called Ryan, and said, ‘Ryan, if you’ll have me, I’m in.’ ”
Feige notes that the Wolverine we’ll meet in Reynolds’ third Deadpool movie isn’t exactly the same person fans know from any of Jackman’s previous 20th Century Fox X-Men movies. That will, hopefully, give the MCU just enough room to maintain Logan’s place as a fitting farewell while giving audiences one last brutal ride with everyone’s favorite clawed mutant.
Deadpool & Wolverine will weave its title characters into the MCU when it comes to theaters on July 26, 2024. For more, be sure to read up on why viewers won’t have to do any additional homework before seeing the movie this summer. You can also check out why Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld thinks the film features some of the best action scenes in the MCU.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
