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It's impossible to predict what Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will be up to in Deadpool 3 just yet. Judging by the Merc with A Mouth's previous movies – and Ryan Reynolds' amusing real-life relationship with Jackman – it's bound to be a bit silly. Yet, we said farewell to Wolverine in James Mangold's moving, emotional, serious, and Oscar-nominated Logan, and bringing him back for a funny adventure could potentially take something away from that.
After decades of being the gruff relief in a bunch of campy, colorful X-Men movies (and spin-offs we won't get into), Jackman was finally able to flex his acting muscles in Logan. Wolverine went dark – and in doing so, became one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. Set in a world where mutants are basically extinct, Professor X's unstable powers having wiped several out years before, it sees the titular hero stumble across a young girl who shares his abilities. Turns out, the "mute" youngster, Laura, is being hunted by a menacing scientific organization, which sets Logan on a bleak and bloody mission to protect her.
Rated R, Logan revels in Wolverine's savagery in a way we'd not seen previously, yet the movie also finds time to explore themes of mortality, guilt, dementia, and even suicide. His quest to get Laura to the fabled sanctuary, Eden, not only pushes his mind to the limit as he learns to care for Laura, and accept himself through her, but also his ailing body. And, well, in the end, Logan finally gives up the fight for good. It’s heartbreaking but there’s a beauty to his sacrifice and its finality – something that’s so uncommon in the genre.
Superhero movies have always struggled to establish stakes when good almost always triumphs over evil. Deadpool 2 is a prime example: it kills Wade Wilson's girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) early on to set up the story, before a post-credits scene sees Wade manipulate Cable's time-travel tech to bring her back (and "kill" the X-Men Origins: Wolverine version of Deadpool). In one way, the reversal somewhat combats the accusations of fridging (where female characters are killed in order to motivate a male lead) levelled at the flick, as it hints at more to come from Vanessa, but it simultaneously undercuts the spiritual journey Deadpool goes through. What was the point if he no longer has to face his grief and actually apply what he has learned?
Technically, Wolverine can be alive in Deadpool 3 without any such retcon gimmicks; Logan takes place in 2029 while the Deadpool movies, presumably, are set in the present day. But just because it makes sense within the timeline doesn't mean it makes sense artistically. How can you go from Wolverine's last "scene" being Dafne Keen's Laura tilting the cross on Logan's makeshift grave so that it makes an 'X' to him bantering with Deadpool on a road trip? The emotional whiplash would be wild. He might not have lived through the events of Logan yet, but we have.
It reminds me of similar issues with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which "rewrote" Otto Octavius's Spider-Man 2 fate. In Sam Raimi's film, Otto ends up overpowering his own maniacal, mechanical arms through sheer force of will, saving the city and having one last moment of redemption. The crossover sequel sees Peter Parker dampen the tentacles' murderous thoughts with a new computer chip – and supposedly, when Otto's put back into his original timeline, lets him live.
At least Mangold's not worried about Deadpool 3, which is somewhat soothing. After the news of Wolverine's return broke, the filmmaker took to social media to argue: "Logan will always be there. Multiverse or prequel, time warp or wormhole, canon or non-canon or even without a rationale, I cannot wait to see what madness my dear friends [Ryan Reynolds] and [Hugh Jackman] cook up!"
It's hard to look at the idea of more 'Hugh Jackman as Wolverine' as a bad thing. He has such brilliant chemistry with Reynolds and it's sure to be a fun a ride for them as actors as us as viewers. But why must comic book movies always be fun? I just hope that whatever Jackman's role in Deadpool 3 ends up being, it's a substantial part that adds to the Logan mythos – and not some glorified cameo.
For more on the future of the MCU, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and show heading your way soon.
