Wolverine is not in the MCU's X-Men movie

The X-Men are finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Multiverse Saga has allowed for that and the groundwork has already been set; it's just a matter of time now. There is currently an X-Men movie in development at Marvel Studios, but it is simply the point that it's all building towards, as there have been plenty of nods and references to the team of Marvel's Mightiest Mutants over the past few years.

It all started with a subtle nod to the mutant gene in Ms. Marvel and it evolved into the confirmation of the MCU's first mutant and the returns of X-Men cast members Patrick Stewart and Kelsey Grammer as alternate versions of their respective characters Professor X and Beast. It all built towards the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool and Wolverine, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also confirming that the Mutants Era has begun.

However, a new report has since revealed that the MCU's upcoming X-Men reboot may not feature one particular legendary member of the X-Men. But there is a good reason for that.

Wolverine reportedly won't appear in the MCU's X-Men reboot

According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, the current treatment for the MCU's X-Men movie doesn't feature Wolverine in any capacity. He also adds that the rest of the team will be pretty recognizable as it will feature mostly the same line-up as the one seen in Disney Plus animated series X-Men '97 but that Logan won't be a part of it.

As for why Wolverine could be absent from the film, well that might actually be good news for the fans of the current Wolverine. Daniel Richtman states that the reason for that is down to the fact that Hugh Jackman will be sticking around as his version of the character, likely even after Avengers: Secret Wars (which is expected to close out the Multiverse Saga).

This is a rather interesting development. If it turns out to be the case, it would back up the rumors that Jackman was sticking around. His return to the character of Logan in Deadpool and Wolverine was initially expected to be a one-time thing as he had retired from the role (that he had played in nine movies across Fox's X-Men movie series) in 2017's Logan but now it seems that the character will continue to play a part in the MCU franchise going forward.

It's hard to argue with that because his performance is considered one of the all-time greats, so it's hard to imagine anyone else playing that role. And as this particular version of Logan that we met in Deadpool and Wolverine already had his own team of X-Men on his own earth, it makes sense that he wouldn't be paired with a new team of X-Men right out of the gate - even if they are the team that will ultimately be canon to the MCU.

This also suggests that the rest of the X-Men will be recast with new actors ultimately taking over the roles from the cast of both the original trilogy and the prequel movies. Fans had been assuming that already but this is essentially the confirmation of that, because if it was a reboot with the same cast there would be no reason as to why Jackman's Wolverine couldn't reunite with them on-screen.

No, it seems that this movie is about starting from scratch with a fresh new line-up, even if there are plenty of familiar characters in there. In fact, from the report, it sounds like we should expect to see characters such as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Storm, Gambit, and Rogue on Charles Xavier's team. That's not to say that they won't team up with Logan at some point; in fact, Wolverine is a bit of a loner, so it would make perfect sense if it took a while for him to join the X-Men - especially given his history with his own version of the team.

We could also see Jackman reunite with at least some members of his X-Men team. Rumors are already swirling that various cast members from the original X-Men movie series could reprise their roles for cameos in Avengers: Secret Wars as part of the Multiverse Saga's grand finale, so that reunion could take place there (especially as it didn't happen in Deadpool and Wolverine like many hoped it would). Just don't expect to see him team up with the MCU's new X-Men in the immediate future.