The best thing that the MCU did with Spider-Man was giving us a version that combined elements from a few previous versions from the comics that hadn’t been adapted for the screen yet. So, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man felt completely different from Tobey Maguire’s and Andrew Garfield’s incarnations.
Whoever plays Wolverine next (when the character joins the MCU, eventually), their take on the character should probably be completely different from Hugh Jackman’s version. Jackman is so iconic in the role that the only way to compete with him is to differentiate this manifestation of the character from his.
Updated on September 8th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: With more hints of the mutants arriving in the MCU popping up, fans continue to speculate about which of their favorite mutants will appear. Perhaps the most difficult casting decision that remains is who will succeed Hugh Jackman and play this new version of Wolverine. While there are endless names thrown around for the role, there are still some interesting choices for actors to play the iconic X-Men hero.
Jared Keeso
There are a number of fans who would like to see this new version of Wolverine embrace his Canadian roots. As such, having a Canadian actor take on the role would be a big thrill and Jared Keeso seems to be a great choice.
Keeso is the creator and star of the hit Canadian comedy series Letterkenny and its recent spinoff Shoresy. He is terrific at playing the gruff tough guy with a hard exterior while also having the ability to bring some humor to the role.
Anthony Starr
Some fans would also like to see another Australian actor follow in Hugh Jackman’s footsteps for the role of Wolverine. Anthony Starr is becoming one of the fan-favorite television actors with his villainous role as Homelander on The Boys.
While he has shown he can play a truly evil superhero, it is not hard to see him pulling off a more heroic role like Wolverine. Starr’s previous series Banshee showed how well he can play those anti-heroes.
Zahn McClarnon
One idea that has come up with the new version of Wolverine is reimagining the character as an Indigenous Canadian. It could be a fascinating way to make the character feel new and explore his backstory in some interesting ways.
Zahn McClarnon has already appeared in the MCU with a small role as Echo’s father in Hawkeye. But with Marvel showing a willingness to cast actors more than once, he would be a great fit for Wolverine. He is the kind of actor who can bring so much presence with very few words.
Logan Marshall-Green
Logan Marshall-Green is an actor who always seems as though he is one role away from becoming a big star but has yet to find that perfect breakout part. He has appeared as the lead in intense horror thrillers like Upgrade and The Invitation as well as supporting roles in blockbusters, including a brief role as the first Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Marshall-Green has a gruff but charming quality about him that could work quite well for Wolverine. He would also fit into an ensemble effectively if the MCU decides to keep Wolverine as part of a team rather than in the spotlight.
Walton Goggins
Walton Goggins has also appeared in the MCU already but was criminally underused as the villain Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp. But he has just the right wild man persona that could work great for Wolverine.
He has played the charming yet dangerous character in Justified and has shown off his comedic abilities in projects like The Righteous Gemstones. He even has the hair and the stature that a lot of Wolverine fans would be hoping for in an actor.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe has been a popular fan casting for Wolverine, and his grizzled performance in the little-seen survival thriller Jungle, paired with the unbridled rage he displayed in the more recent Guns Akimbo, proves he’d probably nail the role.
Radcliffe is an actor who is inseparable from his iconic character of Harry Potter. But for him to take on another icon role like Wolverine could allow fans to see another side of Radcliffe and allow him to take on more diverse projects.
Brad Pitt
When Deadpool 2 was in pre-production, Brad Pitt was under consideration for the role of Cable. He ended up playing the Vanisher instead, in a two-second cameo appearance, but he could instead play a different grizzled, ass-kicking X-Man.
Pitt’s Oscar-winning turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood proved he could show a range of emotions through a cool-as-ice, hard-as-nails, lethal badass. If Logan’s success has Marvel searching for an older Wolverine, Pitt could be a solid pick.
Ben Affleck
An outside-the-box choice might be Ben Affleck. There’s little chance that Affleck will take another comic book role, especially with him still playing his Batman role in the DCEU. But Affleck’s darker performances in films like Gone Girl and The Town prove that he could definitely play a great Wolverine.
The best thing about Batfleck was his rage, either shown physically in his brutal aggression as the Bat or simmering silently in quieter scenes as Bruce Wayne. That conflict is transferrable to the role of Wolverine.
Justin Theroux
A large part of playing Wolverine is in depicting the character’s inner turmoil. This can be tricky to pull off, as it requires an actor to be well-versed in non-verbal communication.
However, as shown in his performances in HBO’s short-lived, underrated gem The Leftovers and David Lynch’s surreal films Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, Justin Theroux is terrific at this kind of acting.
Joel Edgerton
Over the past few years, Joel Edgerton has emerged as one of the finest contemporary actors. All he needs to do is grow out his beard to have the Wolverine look.
And his engrossing performances in recent gems like It Comes at Night, The Gift, Warrior, Loving, and Black Mass have proved that he can convey the wide range of grizzled emotions required to play Wolverine.
Taron Egerton
Part of what made Hugh Jackman such a great Wolverine was his versatility as an actor. He could play the many facets of this complex character and Taron Egerton has that quality as an actor as well. He has played the action hero in The Kingsman as well as a music icon in Rocketman.
If the MCU is looking for a younger take on the character Egerton could be an excellent choice. And despite his young age compared to some other choices, it is easy seeing Egerton carrying such a high-profile role.
Jon Bernthal
Though it looks like his version of the Punisher could show up in the MCU, some fans think Jon Bernthal is right for a different Marvel role. The actor has impressed audiences in a number of projects over the years, but he could really shine as Wolverine.
Bernthal has always nailed characters who have a rage problem and a penchant for brutal violence that get in the way of their drive to do the right thing, like The Walking Dead’s Shane Walsh (before his villainous turn), Fury’s Grady Travis, and of course, Marvel’s Frank Castle. Bernthal can play intense, morally questionable characters who do violent things, but are ultimately likable.
Charlie Hunnam
With roles in big blockbusters like Pacific Rim and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Charlie Hunnam seemed poised to be a big Hollywood player. But when those movies underperformed, he was left searching for that A-list role.
He carried one long-running serialized narrative as a complex and deeply flawed antihero when he played Jax Teller in FX’s biker drama Sons of Anarchy. He’s a really great actor, and it’s a shame that on the big screen, he’s never been given the material that he deserves. With his physicality and gruffness with an undercurrent of sweetness, Hunnam would make an ideal choice to play Wolverine.
Dafne Keen
If the MCU decides to go a different route with its version of Wolverine, then the producers might make Logan canon and bring back Dafne Keen’s X-23. It would be a little bit like how the MCU’s Ant-Man is the second incarnation of the character.
With the MCU’s current focus on diversity and bringing in younger heroes like Kate Bishop and Ms. Marvel, perhaps Laura would be a better choice for the MCU’s Wolverine. Keen was very popular and likable in the role and many fans wanted to see her return to the role.
Jason Momoa
As unlikely as it is that Jason Momoa would have time to play one of DC’s most popular superheroes and one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, everyone’s favorite tattooed badass would make an awesome Wolverine and, perhaps more importantly, a very different Wolverine than the Hugh Jackman incarnation. He could combine Aquaman’s easy charm with Khal Drogo’s intimidating presence.
Momoa’s role in the series See also shows how he could nail this part. He plays a blind warrior whose skill in combat often makes him seem animalistic at times. It is a quality that could be great for Wolverine.
Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy can do brooding intensity in his sleep – just look at Locke, Bronson, Mad Max: Fury Road, and any Christopher Nolan movie he’s been in – and last year’s Venom proved that he can bring a comic book-y eccentricity to that kind of role that would make him more suitable to be featured in the MCU.
Hardy isn’t the tallest actor, but then Wolverine isn’t the tallest superhero. Hugh Jackman may be over six feet tall (6’2”), but the Wolverine of the comics is actually more on the short side (5’3”), so it would make sense for Marvel Studios to seek out a shorter actor for the reboot. Their greatest success so far has been faithfulness to the comics, and casting a shorter actor would also go a long way towards differentiating this version of Wolverine from the previous one.
Andrew Lincoln
After a lengthy tenure of playing one rage-filled comic book antihero in a popular TV series, perhaps Andrew Lincoln would be interested in starting another one.
There are a number of primal similarities shared by Rick Grimes and Wolverine, like their unchecked aggression and the fact that they’re tormented by their past. But there are also a lot of big differences that it would make it a fresh challenge for Lincoln. Rick is a born leader, whereas Wolvie prefers to work alone and has to learn to begrudgingly join a team.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix was close to being in the MCU at one point as one of the actors considered for Doctor Strange. He then went on to make a very different comic book movie with Joker, but there are still some who feel he has a superhero role in his future.
Still, if there’s any chance he would be interested, since he’s a very complex character and would present an intriguing acting challenge, his role in Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here proved he could play a terrific Wolverine.
Oscar Isaac
Fans may have seen Oscar Isaac in Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse playing the titular villain, but that role didn’t do his talents as an actor anywhere near justice. His best-known role is Star Wars’ lovable rogue Poe Dameron, who’s a lot more upbeat than Wolverine, but as his role in Ex Machina proved, he can play a really intense character who isn’t necessarily likable and is unpredictable due to a drinking problem with considerable gusto.
This would make Isaac one of the greatest casting choices for Wolverine if he’s willing to give the X-Men property a second chance. Of course, his recent prominent role as Moon Knight in the MCU makes that very unlikely.
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is an actor who seems to get talked about a lot with various superhero characters. He has been brought up as a possible casting choice for the likes of Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the past. But the idea of Reeves playing Wolverine is an exciting choice.
Fans know that Reeves can do action roles in his sleep with enough commitment to the stunts and choreography to sell every fight scene, but it’s his burning intensity that would make him an ideal Wolverine. Imagine the rage and fighting skills of John Wick with the adamantium claws and emotional trauma of Wolverine – he’d be unstoppable!