Warning: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary
Only three actors have playedWolverinein the character’s live-action history. Since his debut in Marvel Comics in 1974’sThe Incredible Hulk #180, Wolverine has become one of Marvel’s most recognizable and beloved heroes. The character’s exploration of antihero themes, the prominence of mental health issues and psychological trauma in his stories, and his rebellious nature have made him one of the most significant characters in Marvel’s history. This made him a clear candidate to be adapted for 20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise, and his recentMCUdebut has been hugely popular.
Wolverine’s live-action historyhas been lengthy and varied, with the character having appeared in a total of ten feature films since his debut in 2000’sX-Men.Throughout his 24-year live-action career, Wolverine has been played primarily by one actor, but two more stars have made brief appearances as the clawed mutant, and Marvel Studios is expected torecast Wolverine for his official MCU debut. While more iterations of Wolverine may be on the way, the three previous portrayals of the iconic Marvel antihero have certainly made their mark.
The 2 Best MCU Wolverine Casting Choices Just Got Even Better After Hugh Jackman’s Latest Comments
Hugh Jackman’s latest comments about playing Wolverine make two popular choices for the MCU’s Logan sound even more like perfect candidates.
Troye Sivan’s James Howlett Discovered His Powers
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Marked Troye Sivan’s Feature Film Debut
The opening moments of 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverineintroduced Troye Sivanas a young James Howlett in 1845. Australian singer-songwriter and actor Sivan was cast as Howlett after he was seen singing at the Channel Seven Perth Telethon, while Kodi Smit-McPhee - who went on to play Nightcrawler in Fox’s revisedX-Mentimeline - had originally been cast in the role.X-Men Origins: Wolverinewas Troye Sivan’s feature film debut, and established him as the second actor to portray Wolverine, providing him with a pivotal scene in the mutant’s backstory.
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Troye Sivan’s performance inX-Men Origins: Wolverineexplored the emergence of James Howlett’s mutant abilities. As a child, Howlett had been perennially ill, but after witnessing his father be killed by the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan, his mutation emerged.This gave him a regenerative healing factor that fought his illness, and also saw him grow three skeletal claws on each hand, which he used to slay Thomas Logan, who soon revealed he was actually James' birth father. Sivan never played Wolverine again, but delivered a solid performance as the young mutant.
Henry Cavill Portrayed A Wolverine Variant In Deadpool & Wolverine
Henry Cavill established himself as a coveted name in superhero media after debuting as Clark Kent’s Superman in 2013’sMan of Steel, and the variety of roles he’s taken on since then made him a popular fan-cast for the role of Wolverine.This spurred unsubstantiated rumors that Cavill would appear as a version of Wolverine inThe Marvels, and he was again rumored to be involved with Marvel Studios early in 2024.Deadpool & Wolverinemade these dreams a reality, asHenry Cavill made a brief appearance as a variant of Wolverineduring the Phase 5 movie.
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Henry Cavill’s Wolverine, dubbed the “Cavillrine,” appeared during a montage that saw Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool journey across the multiverse on the hunt for a Wolverine to replace the missingAnchor Being from Earth-10005. Cavill delivers his iconic arm choreography as Wolverine before thrusting Deadpool through a time door, but not before Deadpool can make a quip about Henry Cavill’s previous treatment at DC.It’s unlikely Cavill will be revealed to be the MCU’s official Wolverine, but it was great to see this brilliant fan-casting realized in live-action.
Hugh Jackman Has Become Synonymous With Wolverine
Hugh Jackman Has Played Wolverine In Ten Live-Action Movies
While Troye Sivan and Henry Cavill have delivered brilliant portrayals of Wolverine, the character’s most prominent actor has been Hugh Jackman. 2000’sX-Menwas Jackman’s breakthrough movie, introducing the young Australian actor to the world of Hollywood and superheroes. Since then,Jackman has portrayed Wolverine in all ten of the hero’s live-action projects, and has become completely synonymous with the role, making it difficult to imagine anybody else taking over asWolverine in the MCU’s future.
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Deadpool & Wolverine
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was the onlyX-Mencharacter to be gifted a solo trilogy, allowing him to become one of the franchise’s main characters.Jackman retired from the role after 2017’sLogan, but decided to return as Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds inDeadpool & Wolverine.This sawJackman portray several different versions of Wolverine, but not his originalX-Mencharacter, whose emotional death was retained. There is speculation that Hugh Jackman will return asWolverinein upcoming Multiverse Saga movies, but he will leave big shoes to fill for whoever takes over the role after his final departure.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
