Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Summary

• Deadpool & Wolverine sets up the perfect path for the MCU's new Wolverine.
• Dafne Keen's X-23 is the ideal choice as the MCU's new Wolverine, offering a fresh take without recasting Jackman.
• The MCU could use Laura (X-23) instead of Logan for the X-Men reboot, with Jackman potentially ing the baton to Keen, who is already a fan-favorite.

Deadpool & Wolverine's star-studded ensemble to play Logan at least once in the MCU.

I love Jackman's Wolverine, having been a fan of the character since watching him for the first time in X-Men. With the years, Jackman has only gotten better in the role, with Wolverine being a wonderful case of a character whose actor just becomes more of a perfect fit the older they get. The MCU movie features another Jackman masterclass, and Deadpool & Wolverine's ending sets up possibly the only answer to recasting Wolverine.

Dafne Keen’s X-23 Should Be The MCU's New Wolverine

The Logan Star Returned In The MCU

Contrary to expectations, Deadpool & Wolverine ends with the two heroes together in the Fox universe, not the MCU's Earth-616. Aside from them, the movie's final scene features many of Wade Wilson's friends from the first two Deadpool movies, as well as Dafne Keen's X-23, who debuted in Logan and returned now older for an emotional role in Deadpool & Wolverine. Based on that ending, I'm sure all three heroes will come back.

Marvel Studios has announced two movies that could feature the trio, which are 2026's Avengers: Doomsday and 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. As the Fox universe remains after Deadpool & Wolverine, I believe the MCU's idea is to use actors from those Marvel movies in the next two multiverse Avengers films, with Avengers: Secret Wars' ending rebooting the MCU and introducing the new X-Men. I think Dafne Keen's X-23 should continue in the MCU as Wolverine after that.

Marvel Has Consistently Said That Recasting Hugh Jackman As Wolverine Is Impossible

Deadpool & Wolverine Even Showed It

Over the years, multiple Marvel characters have been recast, with Fox's X-Men movies recasting several high-profile roles. However, Jackman has stood the test of time as Wolverine, playing the role to this day. Executives and creatives involved in Jackman's Wolverine movies, as well as Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds himself, have no rush thinking someone else could take on the role. At a Berlin fan event for Deadpool & Wolverine (via@DeadpoolUpdate/Twitter), Reynolds even claimed "no one can do it except" Jackman.

I do think that we will inevitably have to recast Wolverine, as Marvel's rumored reboot after Avengers: Secret Wars could then have the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men exist in the MCU together from the start of the new version of the franchise. At 55, Jackman can't keep playing Wolverine eternally. That said, the task is incredibly hard, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige saying a new actor has to be very different from Jackman for it to work.

Why Henry Cavill Wouldn't Work As The MCU's Wolverine

The Actor Had A Cameo In The MCU

I loved Henry Cavill's Wolverine cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, with the actor looking pitch-perfect in the role and behaving similarly to Jackman's Logan. That last part is why I sadly think Cavill will not be the MCU's Wolverine. Feige said it would not work if the next actor who took on the role was trying to do what Jackman did in the role. As such, Cavill should be out of the race.

In fact, I don't think he was ever really considered to play the MCU's Wolverine. John Krasinski was the fan-favorite to play Reed Richards in the MCU, with the actor playing a variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That was done as a nod from Feige to the fans. Since Cavill was also a very popular fancast for the MCU's Wolverine, I think his cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine was equally done to give fans what they wanted just once. At 41, Cavill might also be too old for the age range of the next Wolverine.

X-23 Is The Perfect Solution Due To 2 Factors

Deadpool & Wolverine's Ending Teases Laura's Return

Dafen Keen becoming the MCU's Wolverine would be the perfect move for Marvel. I believe that because X-23 offers a way to introduce a new Wolverine while also not recasting Jackman. The MCU could choose to use Laura instead of Logan for its X-Men reboot. Jackman could play the role in a few more movies after Deadpool & Wolverine, later ing on the baton to Keen's X-23 at either the end of Avengers: Secret Wars or the start of the MCU's X-Men movie.

Another reason that makes Keen the perfect Wolverine replacement is her history in the franchise. Keen's X-23 is already a fan-favorite who has a deep bond with not one but two versions of Jackman's Wolverine, including the one who died in Logan and the actor's new Wolverine variant from the MCU's Deadpool & Wolverine. As such, Keen's X-23 would likely have a more positive reception if announced as the MCU's Wolverine than if a new actor were chosen to replace Jackman as Logan. After Deadpool & Wolverine, X-23 is set up to appear again in the MCU.