Marvel’s new X-Men would benefit from saving Wolverine for the sequel instead of bringing him in for the first movie.
The X-Men are starting to assemble in the MCU. The first confirmed cast member is Sadie Sink, who will play Jean Grey. Sink made her Marvel debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As for who will join her, Kit Connor as Scott Summers/Cyclops and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost are the only two actors who the trades have reported.
All of the other actors tied to the X-Men reboot have been rumors. Those names include Adam Driver, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny, Christopher Abbott, Tom Pelphrey, Bill Skarsgard, and Jayme Lawson. With D23 scheduled for August 14 to 16, Marvel could make a splash by announcing the X-Men cast during the event.
One character I don’t expect to hear about for a while is Wolverine. By far, Wolverine will be the hardest character to cast. How do you choose an actor to replace Hugh Jackman? While Marvel needs to find a new Wolverine, it would be in their best interest to be patient and hold off on revealing Jackman’s replacement. Furthermore, saving Wolverine for the eventual X-Men sequel would be the better play.
The new Wolverine could make Marvel’s X-Men sequel a much bigger event
Though unconfirmed, all signs point to Jackman appearing in one of, if not both, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. No matter what, Secret Wars should end Jackman’s iconic run as Wolverine.
After Secret Wars, Marvel enters the Mutant Era, with the X-Men serving as one of the MCU’s pillars for the future. The X-Men reboot is easily the most anticipated movie in Phase 7. Fans will be excited about the first X-Men movie with or without Wolverine.
Imagine this scenario. The X-Men movie ends, and the post-credits scene reveals the new Wolverine, setting up the sequel. Now, there is considerable excitement for the X-Men sequel because of Wolverine’s inclusion.
It’s a different franchise, but I always love how Christopher Nolan teased the Joker at the end of Batman Begins. It perfectly set up the Joker as The Dark Knight’s villain and generated significant anticipation for the sequel. If done properly, the same thing could happen for Wolverine if he’s teased at the end of the first X-Men movie.
Wolverine is such an integral and important character for superhero movies. He deserves a huge spotlight for his debut in the new X-Men. Marvel should be patient with Wolverine. Let Jackman finish up his run in Avengers: Secret Wars, and then usher in the next actor to play Wolverine.
