Why Laura Kinney should be Wolverine in the MCU
By Scott Brown
She’s the best she is at what she does. But what she does isn’t very nice. And she should be Wolverine in the MCU.
If recent rumors are to be believed (which, to be completely honest, should always be taken with a grain of salt), then Marvel Studios is may have a Wolverine series in early development. If so, that would likely make its way onto Disney+. Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and regained the rights to the X-Men, it’s unsurprising that fans of the franchise are clamoring for any news regarding integrating the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it wouldn’t surprising if every rumor didn’t pan out.
However, let’s play with this report and just assume it’s true, well what does that mean? It means that Wolverine and, by proxy, the X-Men are going to make their way to the MCU sooner rather than later. There are a lot of ways that the MCU could introduce the X-Men into the MCU in order to differentiate the team from the one in Fox’s universe, but one of the most interesting ways would involve not using Logan, at least at first, because in the MCU, Laura Kinney should be Wolverine.
Introductions to the MCU’s Wolverine
Now, a lot of you reading this may be thinking many things about the assertion that Laura should be Wolverine in the MCU instead of Logan, but here’s the thing, Laura’s tenure as Wolverine fits the MCU style more than anything that Logan has done. If you need convincing of that, go read All-New Wolverine. It’s the exact tone that the MCU has set at this point. By basically adapting most of that series, the character’s introduction would fit perfectly into the MCU and only by using Laura could that be pulled off, not Logan.
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One of the biggest reasons why Laura would fit the tone of the MCU more than Logan would be down to her supporting cast, mainly her sister, Gabby. Gabby is a wonderfully sweet character who isn’t afraid to get dark if need be, which is absolutely perfect for the sidekicks and comic relief that is a staple of the MCU at this point. And again, Gabby wouldn’t work with only Logan being present. She works because of her relationship with her sister. Plus, she has a friendship with Deadpool so that could be tied into the MCU as well.
Beyond that though, most of the audience has an attachment to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine that simply will not just disappear overnight. If the MCU were to cast and use another actor who would more than likely be great in the role, he would be unfairly get compared to Hugh Jackman until the end of time. However, if Laura were used as the introductory Wolverine to the MCU, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. Yes, Dafne Keen played her in Logan – which she was fantastic in – but the general audience simply doesn’t have the attachment to her as Laura as they do to Jackman as Wolverine. If they wanted to reuse Keen, great, but more than likely they would start fresh with a new actor in the role – who, hopefully, audiences could now get attached to, much like they did with Jackman.
The Next Generation
Beyond just allowing the audience to become more familiar with a new version of Wolverine that doesn’t come with the audience attachment that recasting Logan would do, using Laura would make sense just from where it seems like the MCU is headed. The upcoming slate for Marvel, across both their films and Disney+ shows, is putting a heavy emphasis on the younger generation of heroes moving forward.
The Hawkeye series will feature Kate Bishop. Ms. Marvel will focus on Kamala Khan. Cassie Lang will seemingly feature heavily in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as she was re-cast (again) and will now be played by Kathryn Newton. Ironheart is on her way as well. Tommy and Billy were featured in WandaVision. America Chavez will be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It’s even possible that Hulkling will be appear in Secret Invasion.
With all that said, Laura would fit in perfectly with this younger generation of characters if Young Avengers is what the MCU is ultimately heading toward. In fact, she could play a similar role that Logan has played in the comics for the past twenty years or so – she could be both an X-Men and an Avenger, effectively bridging the gap between the two series moving forward.
Giving Us Something Different
And really, Laura should be Wolverine in the MCU for one big reason: It gives us, the audience, something new. We had seen Logan as Wolverine for nearly two decades by the time Logan came out. At this point in time, Hugh Jackman is the character in the eyes of most of the audience. So, why would Marvel try and completely reinvent the character so soon after a previous version was given a perfect send-off?
Sure, it would be cool to finally see a comic-accurate Logan in his Wolverine suit on-screen (and we totally would get that as the MCU doesn’t shy away from mostly comic-accurate costumes). However, some things are more important than just providing fanservice.
Are there stories still left to be told in film and television for Logan? Absolutely, but right now is not the time to tell those stories. Right now, it’s Laura’s time to shine so that an even larger audience can fall in love with her.
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Would you like to see Laura Kinney debut as Wolverine in the MCU? Let us know in the comments below!