Why Marvel Almost Killed Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Return In Deadpool 3

Comic book fans lost their minds when it was revealed that Jackman would be returning for the then-untitled "Deadpool 3." After the initial excitement wore off, many became hesitant over the reprisal. After all, Jackman ceremoniously wrapped up his tenure as the X-Men member in 2017's lauded "Logan," which killed off his character, and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was initially against Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine. Speaking with Empire, Feige revealed that he told Jackman to genuinely consider if returning would sully his beloved send-off. "I said, 'Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don't come back,'" Feige told the actor. "'You had the greatest ending in history with 'Logan.' That's not something we should undo.'" 

It should be noted that the Wolverine we see in "Deadpool & Wolverine" doesn't appear to be the same one we saw in James Mangold's "Logan." The "Deadpool 3" trailer might spoil how Wolverine gets into the MCU, suggesting that this version could be a variant. While Feige had everyone's best interests at heart by encouraging Jackman not to return, the actor decided to think it over. 

To figure things out, Jackman went on a long drive to meditate on a potential return. "And that question came into my head: 'What do I want to do?' And as soon as I asked the question, I wanted to do 'Deadpool & Wolverine,'" Jackman told Empire. "I drove for another hour. Couldn't stop thinking about it. And I got out of the car, called Ryan [Reynolds], and said, 'Ryan, if you'll have me, I'm in.'"

With Wolverine's inclusion, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is poised to be one of the biggest films of the summer and a major game-changer for the MCU. Before Disney purchased 20th Century Fox in 2019 and decided to fold the "X-Men" into the MCU, the original plot for "Deadpool 3" was wildly different, although it was always supposed to feature Wolverine in some capacity. 

Once it was decided that Deadpool would be joining the MCU, Ryan Reynolds pitched several ideas that Marvel Studios rejected. While concrete plot details for "Deadpool & Wolverine" are vague, it's clear that the multiverse is playing a major role in the picture's narrative. The trailers have done an excellent job of teasing a Wolverine who is mourning the loss of the X-Men, likely because of his own actions. Still, the question on everyone's minds is if the threequel will do the character of Logan justice, especially after his nearly two-decade-long arc was closed with grace. 

Director Shawn Levy wants fans to know that Wolverine's inclusion in the film isn't gimmicky or cheap. "So the story, the tone, the movie itself leans into that gift of having Deadpool and Wolverine co-starring in a movie for the first time," Levy told Collider in 2023 before the film was officially titled "Deadpool & Wolverine." 

Audiences can look forward to the next chapter in the "Deadpool" saga on June 26.