One of the biggest perks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga is watching the return of many fan-favorite heroes whose story seemed to be already over. While some projects do a better job at incorporating these past legends better into a modern story than others, there's no denying that a surprise appearance can make fans jump out of their seats in excitement and disbelief. But as easy as these moments have come in recent years, as easy as they eventually go.
Most of the MCU's multiversal appearances are short-lived. Patrick Stewart's Professor X had a few minutes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before being killed by Wanda. Furthermore, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men went back to their original universes after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday is likely to bring back many variants of the X-Men from the Fox era for one last ride, before Marvel recasts most of their roles.
Fortunately, not everything is bad, as there is one character in particular who might come back even after the Multiverse Saga is no more and the bridge to other worlds is forever closed.
Marvel reportedly wants Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine after Avengers: Secret Wars
Marvel might really make him do this until he's 90. According to reliable insider Daniel Richtman, there are plans for Hugh Jackman to return for more MCU projects after the release of Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to mark the end of the Multiverse Saga. While the report is a welcome surprise, it's still a surprise nonetheless, especially considering everything we once heard about the future of the MCU.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that there's a "reset" or soft-reboot on the horizon, in which storylines that never really worked will be undone, new versions of characters will be reintroduced, and the X-Men will be recast. Additionally, the many realities we've seen so far will be unified, which means there will be only one official timeline moving forward. That means there will be less room (if any) for characters from other universes to make surprise appearances in future projects.
As such, the X-Men cast we'll see after the events of Avengers: Secret Wars is likely to have a long-term presence in the MCU. That's why there was a lot of speculation regarding whether a young actor could take Hugh Jackman's spot as Wolverine, and who it could be. However, the recent report suggests that such an iconic role won't be recast after all.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is one of those perfect superhero castings that has stood the test of time. He stands among other legends, such as Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Heath Ledger as Joker, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. That's not to say that another actor couldn't take Logan's role and do something unique and memorable with it. Hover, Hugh's portrayal will always be iconic and very hard to top. That's why it makes sense for Marvel to keep him around as long as possible.
The role of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine could now be that of a mentor moving forward. He could help train the new generation of X-Men that will be introduced after Avengers: Secret Wars. And if the time ever comes for him to truly retire, then Dafne Keen's X-23 could be an amazing successor that could stay in the MCU long-term.
Only time will tell what will really happen with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in the MCU, but for the time being, it's clear his story isn't over, and we can't wait to see where he shows up next.
Avengers: Secret Wars will be released on Dec. 17, 2027.