There are stories that are pure reported fact, and some that veer more towards the wish-fulfilment rumour mill – and before we go any further, it should be said that the following can be found firmly at the latter end of that spectrum. But if you’ve wondered if Hugh Jackman might be feeling the itch to get those Wolverine claws on once again, his recent Instagram rumblings have been interpreted by some as a sign that he could be getting ready to snikt it up a storm (no, not in a Halle Berry way) again.
Earlier this week, Jackman’s Instagram stories featured a neat bit of Bosslogic artwork of Logan’s iconic claws. So far, so interesting.
But after that post came another story with Jackman posting an image of himself with President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige.
It’s fair to say that this could all be nothing – but in the world of comic book movie rumours, it’s been interpreted as a sign that Jackman might be coming back to his most famous role in the MCU.
Let’s dig into that a little more – we know that mutants are coming in the MCU now that Disney owns Fox. We also know that the current slate of MCU movies and Disney+ series is cracking open the multiverse (of madness), and that other rumours suggest previous Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield might be reprising their Peter Parker roles in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. If Marvel has been largely quiet on the mutant front so far, could it be that they’re planning to port Jackman over into the MCU? It is, certainly, possible.
Whether it’s probable is another matter – for one, Jackman has played Wolverine for decades now, and that workout routine always sounded particularly brutal. Would he really be putting himself back through all that again, especially after giving the character an emotionally powerful farewell in Logan? And while Jackman is a massive box office name, would Marvel not seek the opportunity to introduce a whole new generation of an X-Men cast as they forge into a future? As for that photo with Feige, it was taken a few years ago – and the pair go way back, since Feige was a producer on X-Men back in the year 2000.
This is all completely up in the air for now, then – and it might be a while before we know anything for sure. Either way, it’s clear that Jackman has had those three metal claws on his mind this week – and now, we all will too.