AVENGERS: ENDGAME Director Joe Russo Shares His Take On How Wolverine Should Be Added To The MCU

AVENGERS: ENDGAME Director Joe Russo Shares His Take On How Wolverine Should Be Added To The MCU

We know that Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo is keen on bringing Wolverine into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the filmmaker has now elaborated on how exactly that introduction should be handled.

By JoshWilding - Feb 11, 2021 03:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Wolverine
Source: Lights, Camera, Barstool

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are keen to see the Russo Brothers return to that world, but they're extremely busy, and that might not happen for quite a few years. We know the filmmaking team is keen on adapting Secret Wars, and it would be nuts for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige not to make that a reality. 

For Joe Russo, however, it's Wolverine who seemingly remains a priority. 

Talking on the Lights, Camera, Barstool podcast, the writer and director once again expressed his love for the character before acknowledging that following what Logan star Hugh Jackman did with the clawed mutant will be no easy task.

"To realize him on screen, it’s very hard because Hugh Jackman's performance is definitive," the Avengers: Endgame helmer said. "It’s like Batman; you have to really think of a way to, you have to really find the right actor to come in and give a really different take to that character. But I would really love to see him on screen."

Joe was quick to point out that Wolverine's reintroduction is one Marvel Studios should be taking its time with.

"I think the best thing is to take a break, without question," he added. "You need a [palate cleanser], you need to rinse the towel a little bit, let everyone enjoy what was, and then come up with something new. But I’d love to take a crack at Wolverine at some point."

We're bound to see James "Logan" Howlett back on the big screen before too long, and the filmmaker makes some compelling points here. It may all depend how Marvel Studios handles the introduction of mutants!

We also spoke to Joe about his interest in Wolverine last year. You can find that by clicking here


Click on the "Next" button below to see 10 mutants
we think should be a priority for Marvel Studios!

10. Emma Frost

Emma-F

January Jones didn't receive the warmest of responses for her performance in X-Men: First Class, but the movie did a good job of portraying her powers and the Mad Men star certainly had the right amount of sex appeal for the Hellfire Club’s White Queen. Jean Grey's story has played out multiple times now, so if Cyclops is returning, a new love interest would obviously be no bad thing.

Hopefully, she’ll use an English accent this time, while having her join the X-Men after serving the Hellfire Club is a storyline with a lot of potential (that group definitely needs to be revisited).

There are a lot of different ways Emma can be reinvented for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and her powerful psychic abilities and ability to turn into diamonds would bring a lot to this shared world. 
 

9. Siryn

Siryn1

Played by Shauna Kain, Siryn made a cameo appearance in X2: X-Men United when her damaging sonic scream saw William Stryker’s men forced to take her down with a tranquillizer. She was saved by Colossus (another mutant who made frequent, forgettable cameo appearances before Deadpool), and showed up briefly at the funeral of Professor X in X-Men: The Last Stand.

Given what a limited role she played in Fox's X-Men Universe, it would be easy for Siryn to be overhauled, and she could even take the place of her father, Banshee, in an early iteration of the team.

Perhaps the best use for the character, though, will be using her as a love interest in the next Deadpool movie. Their dynamic is one that definitely deserves to be explored sooner rather than later. 
 

8. Multiple Man

MM

Multiple Man is a great character, something which makes it all the more frustrating that he was squandered in X-Men: The Last Stand (then again, so was every other mutant unfortunate enough to be sandwiched in for a cameo). In that film, he played a very minor role as a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood, but the movie at least gave us an idea of Jamie Madrox's potential. 

With the ability to create almost countless duplicates of himself, recent comic books have actually seen some of those doubles take on a life and personality of their own, a dynamic we'd love to see explored. That was likely the plan for the movie James Franco was set to star in before Disney acquired Fox, and an idea Marvel Studios could very easily borrow for the MCU. 

If this sets the stage for X-Factor Investigations on Disney+, we would be 100% on board with that.
 

7. Rogue

Rogue

This fan-favourite mutant was a focal point of the original X-Men trilogy, but has been sidelined in the years which followed. Considering the fact she's one of the most powerful mutants on the planet, Rogue is a character who needs to be a massive priority for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rogue's history with Captain Marvel is well-worth exploring, and it would be nice to finally see her romance Gambit (which wasn't even planned for that hero's now cancelled solo movie). 

It would be pretty cool to introduce Rogue as an antagonist before she sees the error of her ways, and if Marvel Studios takes a slow burn approach, her story could play out over several years.
 

6. Lady Deathstrike

LD

Of all the characters listed here, it could be argued that Lady Deathstrike was perhaps handled better than them all. However, the fact that she was little more than Stryker’s mind-controlled pawn meant that she had little to no personality, despite that downright awesome fight scene with Wolverine at the end of X2: X-Men United

It’s hard to say where Deathstrike could show up; a Wolverine movie is certainly one option, though there’s a risk that will feel like a retread of old ground. The Deadpool franchise could do something fun with her, but having the villain given some much-needed personality as a big bad and having her face off with the X-Men would ultimately be just as good.

Whatever the case may be, this is definitely one villain who shouldn't be overlooked. 
 

5. Juggernaut

Juggernaut

Arguably one of the greatest X-Men villains of all time, the Juggernaut was handled in a predictably appalling fashion when he showed up being played by Vinnie Jones. Deadpool 2 made up for that X-Men: The Last Stand appearance to some extent, and rightly portrayed him as a CGI creation.

He had no personality, though, and that's something we'd like to see change in the MCU. 

An interesting fact about Cain Marko is that he actually became a member of the X-Men for a time, but ended up leaving when it became apparent that his teammates would never view him as a hero. That could be worth exploring should Marvel decide against heading down the route of using him as a villain. It would certainly be an unexpected, less predictable, decision. 
 

4. Wolverine

Wolvie

Honestly, this should be a given. We know that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to revisit Madripoor, and Marvel Studios can lay the groundwork there for Wolverine by mentioning Patch. That was the persona Logan took on during the time he spent on that fictional island nation. 

Regardless of whether that happens, Wolverine should again be a focal point of whatever happens with the X-Men, but hopefully not in a way that completely overshadows them as Hugh Jackman did. 

This Wolverine really needs to be the star of his own solo franchise, and like Spider-Man with the Avengers, only make supporting appearances in the core X-Men series of movies in the MCU.
 

3. Iceman

Iceman

Say what you will about X-Men: The Last Stand, but it was the first instalment in that franchise which portrayed Iceman in a way that comic book fans recognised when he fully "iced up."

In recent years, comic books have seen Iceman use his abilities in inventive new ways, growing to the size of a skyscraper and basically being portrayed as one of the most powerful mutants in existence. That's something Marvel Studios can explore with the hero, differentiating him from what's come before. 

As a founding member of the X-Men - and an openly gay man these days - there's a lot Bobby Drake can bring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we'd like to see him from the start. 
 

2. Deadpool

Wade

It's thought that Deadpool 3 is happening at Marvel Studios, but complicating that is the fact the Merc with the Mouth can't really be introduced in the MCU until mutants finally make an appearance.

The casting of actors like J.K. Simmons and Jamie Foxx in the Spider-Man franchise proves that Kevin Feige and company have no issues with bringing back familiar faces as new versions of characters they played before, so the door definitely isn't closed on Ryan Reynolds reprising the role. 

Unfortunately, the door may be shut on R-Rated adventures featuring Deadpool. Once Upon a Deadpool proved the franchise can work without F-Bombs and crude humour, though, so we'll see. 
 

1. Sabretooth

Sabre

Bryan Singer handled Sabretooth very poorly in the first X-Men movie, and while X-Men Origins: Wolverine was pretty terrible, Liev Schreiber’s awesome take on this villain proved he has potential.

Logan could have made great use of the character - instead, they went with "X-24" - but the fact he didn't appear there no doubt makes it more likely he'll show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner rather than later. Whether it's as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants or as the big bad in Wolverine's next solo outing, Sabretooth deserves another chance. 

If anyone can get him right on the big screen, though, it's definitely going to be Marvel Studios. 
 

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Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 2/11/2021, 3:24 AM
Make him a part of an ensemble instead of the focus of every story.

That will solve 90% of the Jackman hangover.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2021, 3:32 AM
@Spock0Clock -
I'm expecting MCU's portrayal of the X-Men to age them down a lot, as in we'd be introduced to them as teenagers to justify the 'School' aspect of Xaviers school for mutants. Then could see them interact with each year having a different character in the same setting so we see the characters age and grow old together.

This seems to be what they are implying with the idea of dropping 'X-Men' as a title, no real team of mutant heroes, at least not initially. Just mutant students learning or adapting to powers and tackling lower level threats or rivalries among themselves
GwenLantern
GwenLantern - 2/11/2021, 3:54 AM
@Scarilian - You could still call them X-Men I think. Names have power and that's a powerful name.
tripttwe
tripttwe - 2/11/2021, 5:07 AM
@Spock0Clock - Could you imagine the X-Men version of "The Empire Strikes Back"? The first class goes out and get there ass handed to them becoming prisoners with Xavier barely escaping. He goes global searching for a second string team that supercede the originals. That'd be pretty cool.... penny, penny.
YonnyLayna
YonnyLayna - 2/11/2021, 9:14 AM
@Scarilian - Pretty much like a mix of Harry Potter and Grant Morrissons X-Men, with Prof X being like Dumble dore(important but not a focus), the X-Men being the School Staff and the having the scond generation mutans some mutans for each group with more importance than others.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/11/2021, 3:25 AM
Ayooo someone check-up on Nomis or that Godzillaguy! :P
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2021, 3:26 AM
He's pretty much saying nothing - other than the desire to take a break in the hopes the population ages or forgets Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the character.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 2/11/2021, 3:33 AM
>Ever forgetting 2 f*cking decades worth of acting given by Hugh f*cking Jackman


You guys will never learn. :)
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/11/2021, 4:04 AM
@Doomsday8888 -
We will remember... the modern day Marvel audience and the current audience that have grown up with the MCU won't.

MCU's X-Men is probably about 5/6 years down the line - by then the Logan film will be almost 10 years old. Most the new generation of fans will have grown up only knowing the MCU.
LongMayHeReign
LongMayHeReign - 2/11/2021, 5:34 AM
@Doomsday8888 - When will you learn...



or any of us on this site for that matter.
Fogs
Fogs - 2/11/2021, 2:10 PM
@Doomsday8888 - Multiverse is the key here.

They're explaining any recasting with this.
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 2/11/2021, 3:29 AM
Have an Alpha Flight movie where they have to take down the Hulk in the Canadian wilderness. Put Logan on the team and have the post credits stinger be Charlie recruiting him.

Set after the first X-men movie of course, which tells the story of the First Class. Then it becomes a direct lead in to All New All Different.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 2/11/2021, 3:38 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - it’s a little too late to do the take down the hulk story especially since he’s professor hulk now. That only works imo with the regular hulk who’s more brute than brain
ScaryTerry
ScaryTerry - 2/11/2021, 3:43 AM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - BUT! Let’s have the Leader be the one who makes him savage again! Boom!
ScaryTerry
ScaryTerry - 2/11/2021, 3:46 AM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - Or, Wolverine is the one going through a tear in Canada after breaking out of Weapon X and Professor Hulk is the only available Avenger who can help.
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 2/11/2021, 3:51 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - With the right cast, Marvel could push Alpha Flight on its own merits and keep Wolverine in the third act (fresh out of an old repurposed Hydra brainscrubbing chair). Under normal theatrical circumstances, if they could keep it at all under wraps, it would cause incredible hype.
Repian
Repian - 2/11/2021, 3:55 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - Tony Cox to play Puck.
GwenLantern
GwenLantern - 2/11/2021, 3:59 AM
@Repian - No, no, no... Tony Cox is all wrong for Puck. Puck's a white Canadian, not a black American.

Ryan Reynolds.

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