After bringing Dafne Keen into the MCU as Laura/X-23 in Deadpool and Wolverine, fans have been asking when she might appear next, and now they're debating whether she should stay as X-23, or take over as the new MCU Wolverine.
"Instead of recasting Wolverine right away when they introduce the MCU X-Men, just have Dafne Keen be a version of Wolverine for a while," reads the Reddit post that hosts the discussion. "It makes the most sense to me, that way they can ease the general public into casting a new Logan since studio heads are seemingly so concerned about confusing the audience, and Keen is fucking great in the role"
"She's also young enough to play the character long term, and help create a new iconic legacy character for the MCU," adds another fan.
People are choosing sides in the discussion in a surprisingly good natured way, given how contentious the idea of somehow replacing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine can be. Many fans would like to see Jackman stay on as an Old Man Logan type, mentoring either Keen as Wolverine, or keeping her as X-23 and eventually bringing in a younger Wolverine down the road.
"Keeping Jackman as old man Logan and then later recasting a younger Wolverine could be the wisest choice," reads one of the comments. "Why not embrace what they have with Jackman and Keen and eventually tell your more traditional Wolverine stories too?"
"I want her as X-23 still but not as the main Wolverine. I want a new Wolverine," adds one fan. Another says Marvel should "keep her as X-23 and they can name drop her mysterious dad with a shady past for a bit to build up hype before committing to an actor."
Some comments are far more glib, supporting one person's assertion that "it's completely possible for another actor to play Logan guys."
Speaking for myself, I come down in the camp of seeing Laura graduate to becoming Wolverine as she did in comics for several years while Logan was presumed dead. Even when he returned, he gave her his blessing to continue using the Wolverine name and costume alongside him.
I'm also into the idea of Jackman taking on the role of an older mentor figure as Wolverine. We've seen some passing of the torch between heroes in the MCU, with Sam Wilson becoming Captain America and Shuri taking on the mantle of the Black Panther. But we haven't seen much in the way of an older hero mentoring their own successor.
Maybe the closest is the acting mentor/mentee relationship between Trevor Slattery and Simon Williams in Wonder Man, a show that doesn't much explore the idea of Slattery somehow guiding Simon in using his powers.
Whether she comes back as X-23 or Wolverine (or a secret third thing), I'm definitely hoping to see Dafne Keen continue on as Laura, hopefully as part of the new MCU X-Men that are coming down the pike.
For more, check out our picks for the best X-Men movies, ranked. And stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are currently in the works.
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