Now that the X-MEN franchise has officially been a part of the MCU after the Fox/Disney merger, a lot of focus has been put on how they will introduce our favorite mutant heroes and what performers will take on the roles now that Marvel Studios will most likely not use any of the 20th Century Fox performers. The most recognizable character during that Fox run was Wolverine and no one really could've guessed that back in 2000 when the first X-MEN film was released that relative newcomer Hugh Jackman would go on to define the character in such a way that it seems virtually impossible to replace him. Jackman has appeared as the character in ten installments of the X-MEN franchise and its various spinoffs with 2017's LOGAN being his swan song. Jackman has made it clear on multiple occasions that he's finished with the role and it's time for a new actor to take it on and now AVENGERS: ENDGAME co-director, Joe Russo, has chimed in to say that Marvel Studios shouldn't rush trying to bring Wolverine back into the fold.
During an interview with "Comic Book Movie", Russo admitted that he wished he could've used Wolverine in the MCU films that he and his brother Anthony Russo directed but he thinks that as Marvel Studios plans on bringing the X-Men into the MCU, they should wait on introducing the popular character:
"I mean, Wolverine was always one of my favorite characters. Incredible Hulk #181 was one of the first comic books that I remember collecting, which was the first appearance of Wolverine. Hugh Jackman has done an incredible job with that character over the years, and I think they should take a break for a little while before someone else takes a crack at it."
I agree with taking a break on Wolverine for a couple of reasons. It has been a little over 3 years since LOGAN was released and Jackman still is fully associated with the character for most fans. I'm not sure how much time needs to go by before Jackman won't be truly tied to that character but I still think most fans will hold out hope for him to reconsider and return to the role. More time definitely needs to go by so that most will accept that Jackman returning is just not in the cards. Secondly, the Wolverine character dominated many of the past X-MEN films and that pushed a lot of the other characters into the background with very little to do in the process. This was rectified a bit when the franchise took things back to the past with 2011's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS but I honestly would love to see more focus on the original X-Men crew and maybe introducing Wolverine down the line. I know it's hard to resist because the character is popular, especially with casual fans who don't follow the comic books, but I think some of the underserviced characters from the 20th Century Fox run deserve to be front and center when they make their MCU introduction.
Do YOU think Marvel should hold off on introducing Wolverine again?