Marvel Boss Kevin Feige Admits He Warned Hugh Jackman “Don’t Come Back” For ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is ready to f--king go in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is ready to f--king go in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment

In a move borne out of either genuine stupidity or a broken-clock-moment of genuine respect for the well-lauded conclusion to the hero’s story, Marvel Studios boss has admitted that he initially advised Hugh Jackman to avoid returning to the role of the titular mutant berseker in Deadpool & Wolverine out of fear that the outing would completely invalidate his character’s ending in Logan.

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) refuses to lend his help to Deadpool's (Ryan Reynolds) in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) refuses to lend his help to Deadpool’s (Ryan Reynolds) in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment

RELATED: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Director Says Marvel Sequel Respects Canon, But Doesn’t Require “Homework” To Enjoy: “This Movie Is Built For Entertainment”

The baseball-clad head of the MCU recalled his hesitation towards Wolverine’s return during a recent interview given to Empire Magazine in promotion of the multiverse-hopping franchise entry’s upcoming cinematic release.

Providing insight into a previous conversation he had with the mutant’s Australian actor, Feige told the publication, “I said, ‘Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don’t come back. You had the greatest ending in history with Logan. That’s not something we should undo.'”

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) says good-bye to X-23 (Dafne Keen) in Logan (2017), Marvel Entertainment
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) says good-bye to X-23 (Dafne Keen) in Logan (2017), Marvel Entertainment

Interestingly, the issue of Jackman popping his claws yet again was not the only roadblock the film faced in receiving the green light from Feige.

According to the studio boss, Deadpool & Wolverine almost didn’t happen because he simply had no idea how to properly bring the Merc With A Mouth into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“The truth is, I wasn’t even sure how to incorporate Deadpool yet,” he revealed to Empire. “I was very much thinking about how to bring mutants and the X-Men into [the MCU], and I thought it needed to be more than just playing the hits.”

“But the truth is, Ryan is an idea machine,” So he may have pitched that to me, but he also pitched 25 other thoughts and ideas.”

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to recruit Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to help him save the multiverse in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to recruit Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to help him save the multiverse in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment

RELATED RUMOR: Marvel’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ To Feature Henry Cavill As Variant Of Mutant Berserker

Speaking to the publication himself, Reynolds explained that his original pitch was akin to a “Rashomon story about Wolverine and Deadpool and something that they got into together, but told from three completely different perspectives.”

“It was a way to make a large-scale movie in a very small way,” he noted.

To this end, Reynolds himself explained to the publication that when faced with this rejection, “I went back to the drawing board, and I wrote up about 18 different treatments.”

“Some of them almost like a Sundance film, a budget of under $10 million, sort of using the IP in a way that they previously hadn’t used, and I pitched bigger movies, and I pitched things in-between,” said the Deadpool actor.

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) shows his appreciation to Dogpool in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) shows his appreciation to Dogpool in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment

However, as those of us living in the future now know, not only did Jackman agree to reprise arguably his most popular cinematic role, but Reynolds was also eventually able to deliver a version of the film’s script that Feige could get behind.

As a result, Deadpool & Wolverine was eventually given the go ahead – and following a few years of work and the filming of an extensive amount of cameos, the film is finally ready to hit theaters on July 26th (and it might be the actual, genuine last hurrah of the MCU, as if the leaks and first looks at Captain America: Brave New World are anything to go by, the franchise’s future is looking more bleak than ever before).

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) make the literal leap to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) make the literal leap to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Marvel Entertainment

NEXT: ‘X-Men: First Class’ Director Matthew Vaughn Excited For ‘Deadpool 3’, Says Sequel Will Bring The Marvel Cinematic Universe “Back To Life”

Mentioned In This Article:

More About: