Marvel Studios not casting Wolverine in the first X

Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97 Season 2, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel

The casting of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universehas been discussed heavily by fans of comic books, TV, and movies. People have hoped that their favorite performers like Jayme Lawson would join the MCU to take the franchise to new heights. Thankfully, after years of waiting, more of Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants have been cast.

First, Sadie Sink was revealed to be Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Soon after that movie’s release, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) was announced to be playing Emma Frost. The news of people playing X-Men continued during the D23 Expo, while Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and the aforementioned Sadie Sink and Samara Weaving were on stage. Together, they brought out the next X-Men. 

Kit Connor (Heartstopper) will be playing the mutant field leader, Scott Summers. Christopher Abbott (2025’s Wolf Man) is bringing his talents to play the founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier. Continuing her momentum from her incredible role in Obsession is Inde Navarrette as Rogue. And then there’s the Broadway performer, Maya Boyd, who has the important job of playing one of the most talked-about castings, Storm. Not to be outdone was Adam Driver, who chimed in via video saying he’s playing Nathaniel Milbury (aka Mr. Sinister).

There were a lot of other heroes and villains in the mutant world that weren’t announced, but one name that was most notable was Wolverine. He’s among the most popular characters in all of comics and is someone important to the lore of the X-Men. Logan is also someone who’s known by people who’ve never picked up a comic book. With all of that being said, I’m happy that he hasn’t been announced yet, and I hope we don’t see him for a while.

Wolverine is not needed for Marvel’s first X-Men movie

It should be mentioned that I am one of the biggest fans of Wolverine there is. I love that he has depth that has yet to be explored in the movies and the cartoon, despite having some amazing creators behind his projects. However, as important he is to the franchise (and he is), Logan isn’t the star of the X-Men and shouldn’t be the focus.

One of the many mistakes that the original X-Men movies made was making Logan the focal point and leader of the team. This was rectified in the James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender projects, where they led the way. Yes, Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix were obvious missteps, but one of the positives was the focus on mutants that weren’t Wolverine. Having seen the mistakes of their predecessors, it’s not shocking that Disney is slow-rolling Logan’s arrival.

Eventually, Wolverine will make his debut in the MCU, and everyone will love it. He’ll pop his claws, yell at the top of his lungs like a wild animal while he kills a bunch of people, and eventually find his way to Xavier’s school. But that’s not needed any time soon. I’ll go as far as to say that Logan should have his own Disney+ show before he makes an appearance in an X-Men movie.

Plenty of things haven’t been highlighted in Wolverine’s life that lead many to not understand who he is. Normally, even the novice fan knows about Weapon X experimenting on him and his time as a wild man in the woods. But his experiences in Madripoor, learning martial arts, and teaming with Captain America in World War 2 haven’t been explored in depth. Bringing these things to light will make him a more well-rounded character in the MCU and avoid the common fans not understanding who he is. It will also make him more relatable and, in turn, more profitable.

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