When it was announced that Hugh Jackman would return as Wolverine for the sequel Deadpool & Wolverine, fans were ecstatic, especially considering the actor had previously hung up his claws to step away from the character. He proved it was worth coming out of mutant retirement, sharing incredible chemistry with Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool, and portraying the character like Logan was just filmed yesterday. Jokes were made throughout the movie about how Marvel will retain Jackman's talents for the character until he’s in his 90s, and the Oscar winner shared a hilarious response on social media.
The Deadpool movies are known for their irreverent sense of humor and meta commentary, and this latest is no exception, pushing the envelope even further. The title character made references to the 20th Century Fox/Disney merger, Marvel’s boggled experiments with multiversal storytelling, and even cited Reynolds’ and Jackman’s personal lives. One continuous joke was about Hugh Jackman returning to the Wolverine character, and how the studio was going to make him reprise the role until he's elderly. The Greatest Showman star just referenced the joke on Instagram which you can see below:
The best part is that you can see in the character’s eyes how long that timeline seems, as he will turn 90 in 2058. The Prisoners actor has already been playing Logan for 24 years, which is a very long time to stay with one character. Not to mention staying in the kind of physical shape playing him requires, and Jackman absolutely put his body to the test for this latest Deadpool movie. Marvel has a knack for holding on to their cast members for a long time, contractually speaking, without wanting to recast. While this may be a joke, the studio may actually be pushing to have the Oscar nominee stay in the role even longer.
At first it seemed like Jackman was only returning for this singular movie, but after the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, I’m not so sure. Instead of once again killing off the character, or giving another send off to the actor, Wolverine stays with Deadpool in his timeline, suggesting that this is not the end for the character in the MCU. Disney has made it clear that the studio has every intention of incorporating X-Men stories within the shared universe, so if they are able to keep Jackman on the payroll, they probably will. The “until you’re 90” joke doesn't feel too far off.
Considering how lukewarm the fan response to post-Endgame MCU movies have been, Marvel seems even more keen on actors returning to their roles. Having actors like Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Chris Hemsworth likely starring in future Avengers films is big, grounding the movies by attaching it to pre-Endgame stories.
Plus, adding Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom shows that the MCU is trying to recapture the same magic as it did before. Hugh Jackman may be joking in this social media post, but he also could be hinting that audiences can expect to see him return again and again to Wolverine in the foreseeable future.
Who knows how long Hugh Jackman will be Wolverine, but for now fans can just enjoy his presence in Deadpool & Wolverine, which is playing in theaters nationwide. For more information on other projects Jackman may or may not be a part of, make sure to consult our upcoming Marvel movie schedule.
