The director of Marvel Studios' What If...? shared insight about an idea to bring Hugh Jackman's Wolverine into the series, but his inclusion never came to pass.
Jackman took the world by storm with his return to the role of James Howlett/Logan in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. The Deadpool threequel became one of the biggest hits of the year, grossing over $1.3 billion at the global box office and earning rave reviews from critics and fans.
Unsurprisingly, Marvel is now hoping to use Jackman's Wolverine in more projects, adding to his legacy as the adamantium-adorned mutant. However, there was one recent show that could have included him before the concept for his casting fell through.
Marvel's Hopes for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in What If...?
Speaking with Phase Hero's Brandon Davis, What If...? director Bryan Andrews addressed Hugh Jackman's rumored role as Wolverine in the animated series.
As Davis touched on Storm's inclusion in What If...? Season 3, Andrews credited Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum for the idea to bring her into the show.
He commented on having access to Storm due to X-Men '97 having already been released, noting that he and his team were "totally kicking [themselves]" over not using those characters on a bigger scale:
"I think it was Brad. I mean, Brad was like, ‘We gotta do this!’ And we’re like, 'F*** yeah, we gotta do that!' But yes. Exactly how it came up, I’m sure it was probably Brad when we were figuring out certain things that I can’t get into. And then it was like, 'Oh, we get to use blah, and that’s awesome.' And what’s funny is, because 'X-Men '97' would’ve been out already, so that gave us access to her, but technically, that gave us access to any of those X-Men if we wanted to. And in hindsight, we’re totally kicking ourselves, because they’re so worried and concerned about making sure things come out when they’re supposed to come out."
Unfortunately, when the episodes for Season 3 were being developed, he and the team "didn’t even know if that purchase had been made," meaning everything was locked in story-wise:
"But we easily could’ve been doing more stuff with X-Men, because we were gonna come out after them, and so it would’ve been great to do…hell, we could’ve even done Hugh Jackman Wolverine, right? I think when we were doing this episode, we didn’t even know if that purchase had been made, and we were too locked in, and now things had been chosen, done, and were in production. Then, that deal came through where now, we finally got all those live-action X-Men back, and we were like, 'Gah!' Because we could’ve used any of that."
Will Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Come to MCU Animation?
While Hugh Jackman is almost guaranteed to have at least one more appearance in the MCU, seeing him in animation would be a major moment for the franchise.
For the time being, X-Men '97 has been confirmed for another season of action, bringing the animated mutants from the '90s back for more epic adventures across space and time. That show's version of Wolverine is still played by Cal Dodd, although the show could utilize the multiverse for a Jackman cameo at some point as well.
Also of note is that What If...? Season 3 is expected to be the show's final season, seemingly ending the multiversal mayhem in animation for the foreseeable future.
That being said, Marvel could bring What If...? back for more episodes at a later date, particularly with how many characters are still left to use in the show. With the mandate that characters appear in other mediums in the MCU before they show up in What If...?, dozens of Multiverse Saga heroes are now on the table.
Fans will be eager to see characters like the Fantastic Four and more X-Men join the fray alongside the MCU's Avengers stars, even in the animated venue. Should the series be brought back later, Jackman's Wolverine would unquestionably be at the top of the wish list for creatives and fans alike.
Hugh Jackman can be seen in Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine, which is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes of What If...? Season 3 debut every day until Sunday, December 29.
