Hugh Jackman’sWolverinemight now be in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, but he came in too late to fight some of the franchise’s best villains, and I fear most — if not all — of those matchups will now be impossible to happen. Jackman is one of the most beloved superhero actors of all time.He first played Wolverine in 2000, only joining the Marvel Studios franchise 24 years later withDeadpool & Wolverine, easily one of theMCU’s best movies.
Jackman’s performance as a new version of Logan was gripping. We got to see the journey of a depressed Wolverine as he learns to let go of his trauma and rise to become a full-on hero. Together with a strong character arc were manybloody fight scenes that let Wolverine cut through enemies in an R-rated setting. With Jackman’s Wolverine likely to return forfuture MCU movies, even if they are just the two upcoming Avengers films, I’m sad we are unlikely to ever see him fight some impressive MCU villains.
10Loki
The First Villain The Avengers Faced
Loki is one of the most important characters in the MCU. He was the villain that led to the creation of the Avengers, starting the biggest team in the franchise. I think it would have been amazing to see a brawler like Wolverine go up against Loki and his spells. We could have gottena similar scene to Hulk’s hilarious bashing of Lokiat the very least.
All 11 Hugh Jackman Wolverine Appearances, Ranked
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is one of Marvel’s longest-running live-action heroes, with amazing performances across different universes and franchises.
However, Jackman’s Wolverine joined the franchise many years after Loki had last been a villain. Now, there is a minimal chance the two could ever fight. The reason for that is that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki variant is not only a hero, but the personin charge of protecting the multiverse. With Doctor Doom looming, Loki and Wolverine are bound to be on the same side of the conflict in the Avengers movies.
9Thanos
The Biggest Villain The MCU Has Ever Had
Thanos is easily the most exciting villain the MCU has had so far. Not only was he a physical threat thatcould take down the Hulk without breaking a sweat, but the Mad Titan was also incredibly smart. I think that a battle between Thanos with the Infinity Stones against Jackman’s Wolverine with his healing factor would have been interesting. The mutant could have shined like Captain America did inAvengers: Endgamefor a thrilling sequence.
The Nova series, which could have seen Thanos return, is currently on pause.
While there are rumors that Thanos could return to the MCU in the future, I’m convinced that will either be so he can get killed by Doctor Doom, like in the Secret Wars comics, or in flashbacks in the Nova series. As such, Wolverine fighting Thanos is unlikely.The character is dead, and I can’t see the next Avengers movies bringing him back to life in a major role.
8Winter Soldier
Another Reformed MCU Villain
A fight between Jackman’s Wolverine and Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier has the potential to be one of the franchise’s most intense. Projects likeCaptain America: The Winter Soldierhave shown justhow much of a menace Bucky Barnes is in hand-to-hand combat. That is why a close-quarters fight between Bucky with his metal arm and Jackman’s Wolverine with his Adamantium claws would have been a bloody affair that kept fans guessing who would win.
However, that ship has most likely sailed. The fight would have made sense if Jackman were in the MCU in the 2010s, but Bucky has not been a villain in the franchise for a long time now. While there is the chance that they could have a quick skirmish if they meet before deciding to team up, as superhero movies often do,Bucky is now the leader of his own MCU team, so I don’t see him looking for trouble with Wolverine.
7Kang The Conqueror
The Multiverse Saga’s Initial Main Villain
Kang the Conqueror is a special case. We could have seen him fighting Wolverine, as Kang was meant to be the main villain of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. With Jonathan Majors' Kang and the multiversal Council of Kangsoriginally set to play a role in the next two Avengers movies, I think Jackman’s Wolverine could have even fought more than one version of the character.
Kang the Conqueror and Wolverine are now unlikely to ever cross paths.
Since the Kangs would have been a threat to all universes, Wolverine could have started fighting one in his with Deadpool and X-23 before going to Earth-616 at some point in the film. However, Kang the Conqueror and Wolverine are now unlikely to ever cross paths. Kang’s death inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniashould prove itself final, asMajors was fired by Marvel Studios, andKang’s role was given to Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom.
6Abomination
The Character Has Returned To The MCU With A New Stance
Like the Hulk, the MCU’s version of Abomination has changed a lot since the character first appeared in 2008’sThe Incredible Hulk. I would have loved to see Jackman’s Wolverine take on the villain at the height of his power and anger.Abomination would have been a difficult foe for Logan to take down, but I think that even though there is a clear size difference, Wolverine’s agility and ferociousness would have made him come out on top.
The characters' personalities matched, and the same goes violence-wise. However, that is no longer possible with Abomination’s current state in the MCU. Returning inShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Tim Roth’s Emil Blonsky was a much calmer character.Blonsky was last seen being freed from prison by Wong, who took him to Kamar-Taj, so I think Abomination’s villain days are over.
5Ultron
The Character Is Reportedly Coming Back Soon
I think Ultron might be the one villain on the list that Jackman’s Wolverine has some chance to fight in the MCU. The main reason for that is the character will reportedlyreturn to the franchise in 2026’s Vision series, with James Spader said to voice him once again. However, I believeUltron’s role in the show could either be related to flashbacks or simply be contained to the series.
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Ultron and his bots would make for exciting foes for Wolverine. I think seeing Jackman’s Wolverine slash through the robots with extreme violence, not needing an R rating to do so, would be incredible.Wolverine’s Adamantium claws are the perfect weapon to fight Ultron and his bots. However, that would have had to happen around the second Avengers film, as Ultron is currently dead, and the Vision series' plot of White Vision remembering his past could lead to Ultron’s return not being in the actual world, but in his mind/memories.
4Gorr The God Butcher
The Star Behind The Villain Is Unlikely To Return
I was disappointed by howThor: Love and ThunderwastedChristian Bale’s casting as Gorr the God Butcher. Sure, whenever he was onscreen, the villain was the most interesting character to follow. However, Gorr was missing for large portions of the film and never got to do any “God Butchering” onscreen. And then he died. That leaves a lot of potential on the table. Potential that could have included a Wolverine fight.
One of the best aspects of Jackman’s Wolverine is how he is never afraid to get into a fight with a villain above his power level. He has done so before with Magneto and recently in the MCU with Cassandra Nova.Gorr’s dark and gritty tone would have perfectly suited a confrontation with Jackman’s Wolverine, who thrives in it. A fight between the Necrosword and Adamantium claws would have been thrilling, but Gorr’s death makes his future meeting with Wolverine hard to imagine, especially since Bale is unlikely to do more than one MCU movie.
3The Mandarin
The Source Of Some Of The MCU’s Best Fights
The MCU has a nasty habit of killing off promising villains in their franchise debut. That was sadly the case when Tony Leung finally played the real Mandarin inShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.That movie is responsible for some of the best fight scenes in the MCU, with impeccable choreography for hand-to-hand fights. I would have loved to see Wolverine in that style against the Mandarin.
The two characters have faced each other in the comics, leading to brutal fights.Wolverine has also fought Lady Mandarin, so there is some history there that the MCU could have explored. However, Jackman’s version of Logan would have needed to debut in the franchise sooner, as the Mandarin has already been killed and the MCU shows no signs of bringing him back, with Shang-Chi himself barely used as well.
2Namor
One Of The First Mutants In The MCU
Namor and Wolverine are both mutants in the comics and the MCU. The pages of Marvel Comics feature several fights between the two. Given how they are both violent characters who do not tolerate much, their somewhat similar personalities often lead to a clash. I think seeing that play out in the MCU with Jackman’s Wolverine and Tenoch Huerta’s Namor would be very exciting and fitting for the mutants' cinematic counterparts.
However, the MCU already made Namor’s debut all about him fighting another hero. The character joined the franchise inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, wherehe started a war between Talokan and Wakandaand even indirectly killed Queen Ramonda. With plenty of dark acts under his belt, now that Namor and Shuri have negotiated peace between their nations, I think it is unlikely that the MCU will paint him as a villain again in the near future, ruling out a fight with Jackman’s Wolverine for the time the X-Men actor remains in the franchise.
1Hela
Thor And Loki’s Murderous Sister
Finally, Jackman’s Wolverine in a fight with Cate Blanchett’s Hela would be a delight. The latter is an MCU villain who revels in creating chaos and killing everyone in her path. Since the new version ofJackman’s Wolverine did not help the X-Men of his world while they were killed, I think it would be amazing to see his reaction to Hela, whose actions led to the death of many and the destruction of Asgard.
However, that very destruction is also the reason why their fight looks pretty much impossible.Hela seemingly died at Asgard while fighting Surtur. While Blanchett has returned to voice Hela variants in animation, it currently seems like the MCU has no plans for the character in live-action. As such, Hugh Jackman’sWolverinewould have had to debut in the franchise much sooner to have faced her in the MCU.
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.
