X-Men fans' hopes for Deadpool and Wolverine may have just gone up in smoke

It's a super exciting time to be an X-Men fan. X-Men '97 has brought us back into the world of the classic animated series, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is slowly setting the stage for the arrival of Marvel's Mightiest Mutants in the future. The latter's attempts to do that will be kicked up a notch this summer when Deadpool and Wolverine arrives in movie theaters.

With Deadpool's addition to the MCU, the movie is already a big deal in and of itself, but its most intriguing aspect is the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. He was a major part of Fox's X-Men movies and that, alongside the fact that freakin' Wolverine is joining the MCU, is huge for fans - especially those hoping to see some familiar faces in the film.

It won't be the first time that one of the cast members from Fox's X-Men movie saga appeared in the MCU (Patrick Stewart brought back Professor Charles Xavier for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), but it is set to be the biggest role that one of them have played in the Marvel Studios saga yet. Naturally, fans are hoping that we will see more cameos - or significant appearances - in the movie. Unfortunately, though, one major character won't be appearing.

Famke Janssen says she isn't in Deadpool and Wolverine

X-Men fans hoping for a reunion between Logan and Jean Grey in Deadpool and Wolverine may have to prepare for disappointment. When speaking to ScreenGeek about her new film Boy Kills World, Famke Janssen was asked if she would be appearing in the upcoming MCU movie. She responded:

"I’m not in [Deadpool & Wolverine]. No. Everybody keeps asking. So, at some point, I was like, ‘Wait, am I in Deadpool, and I just don’t know it yet?’ But, no. I’m not. No, no."

The news will understandably be upsetting for fans of the X-Men movies. Janssen was a big part of the original trilogy, which explored Jean Grey's powerful psychic abilities, her relationship with Scott Summers (a.k.a. Cyclops), and her growing chemistry with Wolverine. Her character died in X-Men: The Last Stand when Jean had been corrupted by the Phoenix and asked Logan to kill her.

Jean and Logan's relationship was also quite the important factor in those movies. Much like in the comics, Jean was in a romantic relationship with Cyclops but she couldn't deny her feelings for Wolverine. Even in death, there was a connection, as Logan continued to her dream of her, which led to Janssen reprising her role in 2013's The Wolverine.

Jean and Logan have a connection in almost all X-Men adaptations so it goes without saying that fans were hoping she would make some kind of appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine. This may very well be Jackman's last appearance in the role of Wolverine, so it would have been nice to see him share the screen with Janssen one more time.

There is always the chance that Jean could still appear in the movie. Remember how committed Andrew Garfield was to keeping his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home a secret? Perhaps Janssen is doing the same.

Regardless of whether Jean is in the movie or not, Logan won't be the only X-Men character to appear in the film. Aaron Stanford will be reprising his role from the second and third films as Pyro, which was revealed in the Super Bowl trailer. There are also rumors that James Marsden could make a cameo as Cyclops. If that one turns out to be true, it wouldn't feel right without Jean.

We'll have to wait and see if Janssen will appear, but it doesn't sound like the rumors of Jean's return in the MCU were true after all. And that unfortunately means that the chances of seeing the Fox X-Men together again for the last time have significantly decreased.