Marvel Studios intends to reboot the X-Men franchise in the not too distant future, and you have to believe Wolverine will be part of those plans. Understandably, many fans are hoping Hugh Jackman will be convinced to reprise the role of the clawed mutant, but after starring in Logan, it seems the Australian actor remains content to leave the role behind.
The subject came up during a recent interview with The Daily Beast which saw Jackman look back at his time playing the hero, and what could come next for the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I knew it was the right time for me to leave the party - not just for me, but for the character," he said of the 2017 movie which killed Wolverine off. "Somebody else will pick it up and run with it. It's too good of a character not to. It's kind of like, you're on your way home and your friend rings you and goes, ‘Oh, dude, a new DJ just came on and the music is awesome, are you going to come back?'"
"And you say, Sounds good but…no," Jackman concluded. "They're fine with someone else."
In other words, he's moved on from Wolverine, and has made peace with not playing the character when he arrives in the MCU. Despite a silly rumour pointing to Man of Steel star Henry Cavill taking over the role, we've heard nothing concrete about what Marvel Studios has planned for this character or any of the mutants they gained when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox's assets.
Are you ready to see someone else suit up as Wolverine on the big screen?
Click on the "Next" button to find out which characters we
think should be rebooted in the MCU during Phase 4 and 5!
10. The Leader
Played by Tim Blake Nelson in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, Samuel Sterns was introduced as an ally to Bruce Banner, but clearly wasn't quite all there. By the time all was said and done, he had started undergoing his transformation into The Leader, and a tie-in comic would later reveal that he had been taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Since then, he's been M.I.A., but Marvel Studios has the chance to do the villain justice - at last - in the planned She-Hulk TV series which is on its way to Disney+ a few years from now.
One of the Jade Giant's greatest enemies, The Leader has come up with all manner of plots to take down his foe thanks to his superior intelligence. While we would like to see Tim Blake Nelson back in the role, there may be other characters better suited to playing him this time.
9. Crossbones
Poor Brock Rumlow. After getting his ass handed to him by The Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he was killed off in short order by the Scarlet Witch in Captain America: Civil War, and that was the end of his story. He did briefly pop up in Avengers: Endgame, of course, but that was in the past, and Crossbones never got to live up to his full potential.
Well, that has to change as we move into the next couple of Phases in the MCU, as there's plenty more to be done with the character. We're not entirely sure how he would have survived that explosion, so perhaps he could have a son who inherits the mantle in his absence?
Decked out in a comic accurate costume, seeing him track down the new Captain America (Sam Wilson) for revenge would make for a memorable moment and one heck of a fight.
8. Odin
Anthony Hopkins was an amazing Odin, but he stepped down from the role in Thor: Ragnarok, and that appeared to be the end of the character's story in the MCU. That's just not good enough.
In The Mighty Thor comic books, Odin frequently clashes both with his son and Jane Foster, and the fact we're not going to get to see that on the big screen is a real shame. With that in mind, why not find a way to bring him back from the dead? After all, Asgardians do frequently die and later return.
If that's not going to work for Marvel Studios, then there is another way to "reboot" the character. Introduce the future King Thor character from Jason Aaron's run and give him Odin's role!
7. Cosmo
Introduced as an Easter Egg in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmo was certainly amusing, but he was also just a dog in a space suit! There was no sign of his personality from the source material, but that could change if he were to be brought back in the not too distant future.
It wouldn't even be that hard to reboot the telepathic Russian space dog who serves as the Head of Security of Knowhere. He has proven to be an invaluable ally to the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the team meeting up with him back on Knowhere while they track Gamora does add up.
Marvel Studios could even cast an A-Lister to voice the unlikely hero and have some real fun with this!
6. Red Skull
The Red Skull was finally brought back to the MCU in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, albeit as the "Stonekeeper" watching over the Soul Stone on Vormir. It was a cool moment, but not one that culminated in him coming face to face with Captain America, unfortunately.
The moment for that has passed, so how can he return to this shared world? Well, if he's been freed from his "prison" in outer space, then the Red Skull could be back on Earth now. If so, we're bound to see him target the new, African-American Captain America given his racist nature and what you have to believe would be a desire to destroy anyone who wields the shield.
Another alternate way to reboot the character is to introduce Sin, the Red Skull's daughter (probably granddaughter in the MCU) who is every bit as evil and hideously deformed as the original.
5. Malekith
Christopher Eccleston played Malekith the Accursed in Thor: The Dark World, and it's fair to say that based on comments he's made since 2013, he won't be reprising the role...ever!
We didn't technically see Malekith die in the divisive sequel, and there are plenty of ways his resurrection could be explained. However, there needs to be a new actor playing him, especially as Eccleston's version wasn't all that great (this new take would have to be closer in personality to the one from Jason Aaron's critically acclaimed run on the Thor line of comic books).
Malekith would be an excellent addition to Thor: Love and Thunder, and Jane Foster's transformation into the new God of Thunder arguably won't be the same without him. We're sure Taika Waititi can find a good replacement, though, and wouldn't say no to Christian Bale taking over.
4. Doc Samson
Just like The Leader was wasted in The Incredible Hulk, so too was Leonard Samson. Introduced as a love rival to Bruce Banner, he did pretty much nothing in the movie, and is another major character from the comic books who had a few minutes of screentime before being forgotten.
Originally played by Ty Burrell, there are arguably actors better suited to playing him in the MCU now (especially if he undergoes a heroic transformation), and his return would nicely expand the Green Goliath's corner of this shared world. Once again, She-Hulk seems like the most logical option.
A Gamma-irradiated friend, rival, and psychiatrist for Bruce, he once possessed the superhuman strength equivalent to a relatively calm Hulk, but is now more powerful than ever as his darker alter-ego Samson. If that doesn't sound like a cool idea to explore, we don't know what to say!
3. Betty Ross
Another character from The Incredible Hulk who has been missing ever since, Betty Ross has been forgotten by Marvel Studios, and that's a downright awful move on their part (especially when they cast the talented Liv Tyler as Bruce Banner's comic book love interest).
There's now time to change that, though, as we're sure this new Smart Hulk can reunite with his old flame whether that's in the She-Hulk TV series or somewhere else. It's certainly looking like General "Thunderbolt" Ross is going to play a big role in what comes next, and if he's destined to transform into Red Hulk, perhaps Betty can also undergo a similar Gamma transformation?
That's what happened in the comic books anyway, and while we would be happy seeing Tyler back in the role, it might not be a bad idea to have a fresh start and cast someone brand new.
2. Black Widow
We're not suggesting a new version of Natasha Romanoff, but there's really no reason for the Black Widow mantle to have died alongside her in Avengers: Endgame. The character is, of course, set to return in her own solo outing this November, and it's there we would like this to happen.
Despite often being portrayed as a villain in the comic books, Yelena Belova becoming the new Black Widow seems like the most logical choice for the MCU, and this passing of the mantle has plenty of potential, especially as she no doubt struggles to live up to the legacy of her "sister."
Florence Pugh is one of the most talented stars in Hollywood today, so the MCU taking full advantage of her talents to deliver a "new and improved" Black Widow just makes perfect sense.
1. Quake
Yes, Chloe Bennet does a great job playing Quake in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it would be naive to think that Kevin Feige has any plans to bring characters from Jeph Loeb's TV shows to the big screen. He'll want to put his own stamp on them, and while we might be waiting a while for a new version of Daisy Johnson, it's definitely something that could happen down the line.
Bear in mind that "Skye" was retconned into being the comic book character, so it honestly wouldn't be all that tricky to use to the "real" version of this superpowered S.H.I.E.L.D. agent elsewhere.
The comic book version of Quake is quite a bit different to what we've seen on ABC anyway, so this particular reboot is likely to go unnoticed by many, especially when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has such a dwindling audience as it enters its final year on television. We'll miss Bennet, but this would be cool to see as the hero deserves to be spotlighted on the big screen.