Hugh Jackman Might Return as Wolverine, and He Really Shouldn’t

Hugh Jackman is the best at what he does. And what he does is apparently play Wolverine until the day he dies. At least, that’s what we have to think after the Australian actor talked about donning Logan’s adamantium claws again while visiting the Graham Norton Show. When Norton pointed out that the actor has repeatedly said he was done with the character, only to return and star in a big hit, the host asked if Jackson was coming back again. “Maybe,” answered a smiling Jackman, before declaring, “I am never saying ‘never’ ever again.”

Of course, most actors would consider returning to their signature role. Moreover, many of Jackman’s co-stars from 2000’s X-Men are back as Marvel’s Merry Mutants in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. However, Jackman has already had one more outing as the Canucklehead, even after bringing his character to a natural and satisfying conclusion with 2017’s Logan. Deadpool & Wolverine got away with giving Jackman one last time around, this time in a comics-accurate costume, but any other returns, even for a cameo, will diminish both the actor and the character.

It’s easy to understand why Jackman would cling to the part. Before getting cast as Wolverine in X-Men, Jackman was a relative unknown and Scottish actor Dougray Scott was picked for the part. But when an injury on the set of Mission: Impossible II forced Scott to drop out, Jackman got the call and immediately made the role his own. Despite being tall, hairless, and handsome—three qualities not associated with the short, hirsute, and ugly Canadian antihero—Jackman captured the inner savagery and desire for nobility that made Wolverine one of comics’ most popular characters.

Jackman’s take on the character proved so true that Wolverine spun off into three solo movies. The first X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved to be one of the worst superhero movies ever made and while director James Mangold managed to make The Wolverine into a liked, but uneven entry, it was the third time that proved a charm. The sparse and serious Logan stripped away the excesses of the Old Man Logan comic book story that inspired it and gave Wolverine something so rare among superheroes: an actual ending.

So good was that ending that most couldn’t help but cringe a little when Ryan Reynolds announced that he was bringing Jackman along with him for the Merc With a Mouth’s first MCU adventure, Deadpool & Wolverine. Yet, the movie won over skeptics, in part because of the audacious way it began, with Deadpool literally digging up Logan’s corpse, and in part because of the excellent performance that Jackman put in as a Wolverine who truly failed his friends.

In short, Hugh Jackman has become synonymous with Wolverine in the minds of both moviegoers. Which is exactly the problem. While Jackman does a fantastic job playing that version of Wolverine, the character in the comics has proven to be even more rich and complex than we’ve seen on screen. It’s time to let someone else see what they can do with Logan.

On some level, Jackman himself seems to understand this. “I did mean it when I said ‘never,’ until the day when I changed my mind,” he told Norton. “But I really did for quite a few years, I meant it.” Hopefully, he doesn’t mean it when he refuses to say never, giving someone else a chance to play Wolverine.