Deadpool 3 Debuted Marvel's Scariest Wolverine - But Only Real Fans Caught It

What a trip "Deadpool & Wolverine" was. Finally, the Merc with a Mouth, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), and his less chatty pal Logan (Hugh Jackman) have torn the MCU a new one, and in doing so, they've also blown everyone away, with the box office results making it the biggest R-rated movie opening in history. Of course, this team-up was a team effort, and besides the titular pair in red and yellow costumes meeting the task, it was the collection of cameos, many of which were played by Jackman himself, that helped things along.

During Deadpool's Wolverine-wrangling montage that shows him encountering a variety of Logan variants, in what looks like an alley of a post-apocalyptic world we meet one who is an overly hairy, one-armed version of the mutant. In this timeline, Earth has gone to heck and Logan is one of the few survivors in what's known in Marvel history as the Age of Apocalypse, a reality where Logan becomes the most feared person on the planet.

Beginning in 1995, this Marvel story event saw Apocalypse take over the Earth in the wake of Charles Xavier's death, an event that created an alternate timeline. In this alternate reality, Logan loses one of his hands and replaces it with a metal guard that allows his claws to remain usable, making him an even meaner hero. What's interesting to note in the film, though, is where in his story we meet this Logan and how close he is to becoming the world's greatest threat.

Judging by his black and red outfit and his unruly hair, Deadpoool actually comes across this version of Weapon X on a good day. Further down the timeline, however, things don't go so well for this Wolverine variant, as he ends up turning to the Dark Side near the end of his world-shattering reality. It all sparks from Logan sacrificing himself to be judged by the Celestials instead of the entire planet after Apocalypse's reign comes to an end. Unfortunately, this results in him being altered by Celestial tech, growing in power and becoming unhinged from the encounter. He renames himself Weapon Omega and basically establishes himself as the new Apocalypse.

From here, the newly-villainous Wolverine picks up where his predecessor left off, overseeing a mass culling of Earth's inhabitants and ordering the death of Magneto and Rogue's son, Charles Lensherr. He also has a continuous battle with his former love interest, Jean Grey — a tragic development in one of the few timelines where these two actually get together. All of this makes for one of Marvel's truly nightmarish alternate realities, and fans ate it all up.

While the chances of Hugh Jackman returning to the MCU via "Avengers: Secret Wars" seem fairly decent, having him play this version is, admittedly, unlikely. That being said, given the current announcements of the MCU, it does posit the interesting idea of what will happen when the X-Men finally arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in all their mutant glory.

With the announcement of Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU return as Doctor Doom, Marvel Studios has established that even its greatest heroes can return as its most formidable foes. If that's the case, then it's hard to deny that the idea of Jackman's Wolverine being a bad guy for a change is intriguing, especially following his brief appearance as a Logan variant who ends up with a villainous fate.

With "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars" now in the pipeline, it's safe to say that an "X-Men" movie won't be slotting into the schedule anytime soon. As a result, any massive movie event linked to our favorite team of mutants is likely a far-off fantasy, as are any massive story events with them at the core. Even so, that just gives Jackman plenty of time for his age to line up with the grizzled "Age of Apocalypse" variant and for the broody Wolverine we encountered to transform into the terrifying Weapon Omega.

Sure, an "Age of Apocalypse" movie might be parked at the bottom of Marvel's wishlist, but if it were to be made, seeing Jackman pop his claws for evil purposes would undoubtedly draw just as much attention as, say, a twisted Tony Stark. Doctor Doom looking like Marvel's beloved billionaire playboy philanthropist is an undeniably surprising twist, but a Wolverine who takes over the planet and becomes a tyrannical nightmare is a dream we kind of want to be realized, bub.