Whether we like it or not, unless Hugh Jackman goes back on his word and decides to grow out his mutton chops and strap on the claws for one more round, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will inevitably recast the role of Wolverine when the X-Men reboot officially enters active development. Of course, with the multiverse in play, there’s still a chance that Jackman could drop by for a surprise cameo, but in terms of playing the character full-time, the actor is as good as done.
We’ve already had thirteen X-Men movies, with Wolverine positioned as the focal point for over half of them, and there are so many names that haven’t even been seen in live-action yet that Marvel don’t need Logan to make their version of the mutants a success. The MCU as a brand is big enough to draw in audiences regardless of who’s part of the cast, and anyone brave enough to step into Jackman’s shoes could be setting themselves up for a fall based on the intense level of scrutiny that comes with replacing an icon.
One name regularly linked with the part, though, is Stranger Things‘ breakout star Dacre Montgomery, and some fan art from BossLogic imagines how he could look as the cigar-smoking, adamantium-boned fan favorite, which you can check out below.
Montgomery is literally half Jackman’s age at 26 years old, but the latter was 31 when he first appeared as Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s X-Men, so by the time the MCU’s take on the property actually makes it to the big screen, the two Australians would be roughly the same age. Of course, the actor has also been rumored for Fantastic Four’s Johnny Storm, which feels like a much better fit than taking on the daunting task of playing one of 21st Century cinema’s most iconic figures, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.