Jackman's Wolverine Return Doesn't Undo Logan

Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 won’t undo Logan’s emotional ending, as the MCU already did that with a different character’s surprise cameo appearance. In a release date announcement video, Ryan Reynolds revealed that Hugh Jackman would officially be joining the cast of Deadpool 3, reprising his role as Wolverine after what was thought to be his final stint in Logan. This would seem to be the perfect continuation of Deadpool 2’s end credit sequence, as well as another exciting return for one of Marvel’s most beloved character adaptations. Considering Deadpool 3 will be part of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, there will undoubtedly be some multiversal shenanigans at play that will allow Jackman to return, and yet there are some genuine concerns that Jackman’s role in Deadpool 3 will undermine Logan’s perfect character finale.

Hugh Jackman played Wolverine for well over a decade while the X-Men were under 20th Century Fox’s jurisdiction, and Logan was initially the perfect send-off for a character that had such a massive impact on the X-Men films. Logan passed the baton to Laura Kinney, a.k.a X-23, played by Dafne Keen, and both Jackman’s Wolverine and Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier were given emotional and heroic endings, a final moment of peace after a lifetime spent fighting and protecting other mutants. When 20th Century Fox was acquired by Disney, it was assumed that the MCU would one day introduce its own interpretation of the ever-popular X-Men franchise, but both Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman are now involved in the MCU, leading to some doubt about the MCU’s plans for mutants in the future.

The MCU has already hinted at a few mutants that have no relevance to Fox’s X-Men films, including a new origin for Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, and Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, the inclusion of, and even reliance on Stewart and Jackman in the MCU could be said to prove that Marvel Studios wants an easy and recognizable link to the X-Men, something to pull audiences in, regardless of the character arcs that came before. If that is the case, it won’t be Jackman’s appearance in Deadpool 3 that will undo Logan’s narrative arc, as Patrick Stewart’s cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will have already had that same effect.

The MCU Already Undid Logan With Doctor Strange 2

Professor X talking to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Patrick Stewart’s Professor X was surprisingly revealed to be a part of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in a trailer, though his role in the film was short-lived as a member of the Illuminati on Earth-838. And yet, at the time, there was less speculation about what Stewart’s inclusion meant for the ending of Logan and Xavier’s fate in it, even though both Xavier and Wolverine died in the film, and it was said to be their last-ever appearance. Perhaps this is because Doctor Strange 2 was so clearly about the multiverse, meaning that Stewart’s Xavier could be on whatever Earth the MCU decided was pertinent to the story, and it would automatically mean that Logan’s storyline had taken place on some other Earth, at some point in the distant future. As a result, Fox’s X-Men continuity could, however convoluted it may be, live on as a separate entity. It’s understandable if some believe that Jackman’s appearance as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 will undo Logan’s ending, but it’s important to consider why Stewart’s role in Doctor Strange 2 didn’t spark the same level of debate.

Hugh Jackman's MCU Appearance Can Be Better Than Patrick Stewart's

Patrick Stewart’s cameo as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was very short, yet still relatively impactful. His death at Wanda’s hands was certainly one of the more shocking moments of the movie, yet his inclusion felt rushed, and even somewhat unnecessary. The MCU could have just as easily introduced a different version of Xavier, one that could have possibly taken on the mantle in the MCU from there on out.

Hugh Jackman’s appearance in an MCU Deadpool 3, however, will likely be a much more expanded role. Otherwise, there would be no reason to go to such lengths to announce Jackman’s return before the film has even started shooting, or indeed include Wolverine’s signature claw marks as part of Deadpool 3’s official logo. The likely multiversal aspect of the film will allow Jackman to interpret the character in a new way, and Reynolds’ and Jackman’s well-documented friendship will no doubt shine through their performances, providing Jackman’s Wolverine with a new character to play off of, much in the same way that Deadpool’s and Cable’s dynamic developed in Deadpool 2. Perhaps this is even the moment that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine gets a comics-accurate costume for the first time. In the multiverse, anything can happen.

Logan is undeniably one of the most impactful and memorable modern superhero films. Its story is raw, emotional, and realistic, a perfect send-off for two actors who gave these characters their all for years. Not only did Logan take place in the future, however, but it also took place in a completely different continuity. Anything the MCU has done or will do with some of these legacy characters won’t change the relevance of Logan. It’s still a perfect conclusion for Fox’s interpretation of the mutant mythos. Fox’s X-Men franchise is its own thing, just as the MCU is its own thing. A multiverse is just a tool that can be used to reinterpret certain characters, a narrative device that asks "what if?" Patrick Stewart’s MCU cameo and Hugh Jackman’s role in Deadpool 3 don’t inherently stop the MCU from creating their own original mutant narrative, and they don’t have to negate the emotional impact of Logan’s satisfying conclusion, either.