Though Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine eventually came to redefine the character, aspects of his casting already disprove doubts about who will play the hero in the MCU. 2000's X-Men first adapted the titular team of superheroes to the big screen, led by Patrick Stewart's Professor X against Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his Brotherhood of Mutants. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine quickly became an iconic take on the character, and the actor went on to reprise the role in eight subsequent X-Men movies, with his run as the character ending with Logan in 2017.
As Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has come to be considered the definitive version of the character, the prospect of Wolverine joining the MCU is divisive. The most common issue with the idea is that Jackman so fully embodied the character that any replacement will be unable to live up to the Australian actor's performance. Speculation on who will assume the role has run rampant, with actor Taron Egerton reportedly under consideration to become the MCU's next Wolverine.
However, the doubts about how anyone could follow Jackman's performance were already dispelled way back in 2000. Though it's hard to imagine after his celebrated tenure in the role, there was actually considerable backlash to Hugh Jackman being cast as Wolverine in X-Men. By going on to not just disprove the doubts of the time but to redefine the character for modern audiences, Jackman has already subtly proved that there's no need for concern over who replaces him.
Jackman's Perfect Casting As Wolverine Will Make His MCU Replacement Better
The original concerns about Jackman's casting back in 2000 were that he was too tall and too handsome to convincingly play the part of Marvel's Wolverine. These two factors proved not to be an issue, as Jackman was able to perfectly convey the essence of the character, proving that such superficial matters shouldn't be as much of a concern regarding his replacement again this time around. It was Jackman's talent that made him a good fit for the character, and that alone was enough to dispel the doubts about his ability to become Wolverine. This proves that whoever plays Wolverine in the MCU simply needs to tap into the deeper aspects of the character in a similar way to beat back these same questions.
This also evidences how Jackman's performance will enhance his replacement's. By disproving his own casting doubts, Jackman opened up the idea of how Wolverine can be perceived by audiences - in other words; he created a different but equally iconic spin on the character. This allows the MCU's version of Wolverine a broader spectrum of inspiration, making it far more likely that Jackman's replacement is appreciated.
Ultimately, Hugh Jackman's perfect Wolverine might seem a difficult act to follow, but the actor proved that the most common Wolverine casting doubts are all wrong. Not only did his performance in X-Men and its sequels dispel concerns about his own casting, but it proved that no set template for casting the character should exist. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine was so perfect that it will only improve the MCU's version of the character regardless of who is cast in the role.
