X-Men: 20 Actors Who Could Play The MCU's Wolverine (2024)

Summary

  • MCU is gearing up to introduce a new Wolverine, and fans are speculating on who could fill the iconic role.
  • Hugh Jackman's 24-year tenure as Wolverine set a high bar, making it a tough act to follow for the new actor.
  • Choices like Jared Keeso, Antony Starr, and other actors are being considered to bring their own twist to the beloved hero.

It's only a matter of time before the MCU gets its own version of the adamantium-clawed Wolverine, which, of course, raises the question of who could play the iconic mutant. The X-Men made their big-screen debut in style with 2000's box office hit X-Men. Though other movies - notably Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and its sequels and the Blade movies - also played a role, X-Men is important for its role in kickstarting the modern age of superhero blockbusters. While the visual spectacle helped get people in seats, it's the wonderful cast that turned X-Men into a 13-movie franchise.

However, as iconic as Hugh Jackman is as Wolverine, there were initial doubts about him in the role. The Australian actor was largely an unknown, and his tall, handsome look stood in stark contrast to the short, burly Wolverine of Marvel Comics. Any doubts were sternly proven wrong, and Jackman's 24-year tenure in the role (continuing in 2024 with Deadpool and Wolverine). Now, the pressure is on for a new Wolverine to step out of Jackman's shadow and put their own twist on the famous hero.

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20 Jared Keeso

Best Known For Letterkenny (2016-2023)

There are a number of fans who would like to see this new version of Wolverine embrace his Canadian roots. As such, having a Canadian actor take on the role would be a big thrill and Jared Keeso seems to be a great choice. Kesso has the look and the talent to pull it off.

Keeso is the creator and star of the hit Canadian comedy series Letterkenny and its recent spinoff Shoresy. He is terrific at playing the gruff tough guy with a hard exterior while also having the ability to bring some humor to the role.While Wolverine is often a serious character, he's also not above a quick joker or moment of levity.

19 Antony Starr

Best Known For The Boys (2019-Present)

Some fans would also like to see another Australian actor follow in Hugh Jackman's footsteps for the role of Wolverine. Antony Starr is becoming one of the fan-favorite television actors with his villainous role as Homelander on The Boys. While he has shown he can play a truly evil superhero, it is not hard to see him pulling off a more heroic role like Wolverine.

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Starr's previous series, Banshee, showed how well he can play those anti-heroes. One way the MCU could differentiate its Wolverine is by leaning more toward this side of Logan. While Wolverine is undeniably a hero, he sometimes finds himself at odds with other X-Men due to his penchant for extreme violence.

18 Zahn McClarnon

Best Known For Longmire (2012-2017)

One idea that has come up with the new version of Wolverine is reimagining the character as an Indigenous Canadian. It could be a fascinating way to make the character feel new and explore his backstory in some interesting ways. Zahn McClarnon has already appeared in the MCU with a small role as Echo's father in Hawkeye. But with Marvel showing a willingness to cast actors more than once, he would be a great fit for Wolverine.

He is the kind of actor who can bring so much presence with very few words. McClarnon's trimmer physique doesn't match Wolverine's traditional look, but that hasn't proven to be a problem in the past. Jackman was relatively slim in X-Men and subsequently bulked up significantly for future appearances.

17 Logan Marshall-Green

Best Known For Upgrade (2018)

Logan Marshall-Green is an actor who always seems as though he is one role away from becoming a big star but has yet to find that perfect breakout part. He has appeared as the lead in intense horror thrillers like Upgrade and The Invitation as well as supporting roles in blockbusters, including a brief role as the first Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Marshall-Green has a gruff but charming quality about him that could work quite well for Wolverine. He would also fit into an ensemble effectively if the MCU decides to keep Wolverine as part of a team rather than in the spotlight. There's also little doubt that he has the physicality and look to pull off a perfect Logan.

16 Walton Goggins

Best Known For Justified (2010-2015)

Walton Goggins has also appeared in the MCU already but was criminally underused as the villain Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp. But he has just the right wild man persona that could work great for Wolverine. He has played the charming yet dangerous character in Justified and has shown off his comedic abilities in projects like The Righteous Gemstones.

Goggins even has the hair and the stature that a lot of Wolverine fans would be hoping for in an actor. The biggest drawback is, of course, whether he could put on suitable bulk to become a convincing mutant bruiser. While some heroes can get away with differing body types, Wolverine needs to look intimidatingly strong.

15 Daniel Radcliffe

Bets Know For The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)

Daniel Radcliffe has been a popular fan casting for Wolverine, and his grizzled performance in the little-seen survival thriller Jungle, paired with the unbridled rage he displayed in the more recent Guns Akimbo, proves he’d probably nail the role. Radcliffe is an actor who is inseparable from his iconic character Harry Potter. But for him to take on another icon role like Wolverine could allow fans to see another side of Radcliffe and allow him to take on more diverse projects.

Radcliffe has proven successful with a wide range of smaller, unique projects since Harry Potter, but he may be interested in another franchise soon. Moreover, he may be drawn to one so markedly different than his first iconic role. Moreover, Radcliffe's general build - particularly when he's bulked up a bit - is much closer to comics Wolverine than Jackman ever was.

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14 Brad Pitt

Best Known For Fight Club (1999)

When Deadpool 2 was in pre-production, Brad Pitt was under consideration for the role of Cable. He ended up playing the Vanisher instead, in a two-second cameo appearance, but he could instead play a different grizzled, ass-kicking X-Man. Marvel Studios may want at least one or two of their X-Men to have A-List star power, and Pitt certainly has it.

Pitt’s Oscar-winning turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood proved he could show a range of emotions through a cool-as-ice, hard-as-nails, lethal badass. If Logan’s success has Marvel searching for an older Wolverine, Pitt could be a solid pick. Despite the actor's history with action-heavy roles, he's yet to predominantly start in a Marvel or DC project.

13 Ben Affleck

Best Known For The Town (2010)

An outside-the-box choice might be Ben Affleck. There’s little chance that Affleck will take another comic book role so soon after what seems to have been a tumultuous time as the DCEU's Batman. But Affleck’s darker performances in films like Gone Girl and The Town prove that he could definitely play a great Wolverine.

The best thing about Batfleck was his rage, either shown physically in his brutal aggression as the Bat or simmering silently in quieter scenes as Bruce Wayne. That conflict is transferrable to the role of Wolverine. Moreover, building a relationship with Affleck could lead to the acclaimed director taking an MCU role behind the camera as well as in front of it.

Affleck already played the titular Marvel hero in Daredevil (2003), though the film's poor reception meant it was a one-time part.

12 Justin Theroux

Best Known For The Leftovers (2014-2017)

A large part of playing Wolverine is in depicting the character’s inner turmoil. This can be tricky to pull off, as it requires an actor to be well-versed in non-verbal communication. Fortunately, Theroux has shown this ability in spades.

However, as shown in his performances in HBO’s short-lived, underrated gem The Leftovers and David Lynch’s surreal films Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, Justin Theroux is terrific at this kind of acting. It's easy to imagine Theroux's version of Logan getting a more introspective look at his past with more tangible answers than what was given in the Fox movie franchise.

11 Joel Edgerton

Best Known For The Gift (2017)

Over the past few years, Joel Edgerton has emerged as one of the finest contemporary actors. All he needs to do is grow out his beard to have the Wolverine look. Edgerton is equally proven in smaller dramas and action-heavy projects, both of which are likely essential for the X-Men.

Moreover, his engrossing performances in recent gems like It Comes at Night, The Gift, Warrior, Loving, and Black Mass have proved that he can convey the wide range of grizzled emotions required to play Wolverine. Logan may be a bruiser, but his character arc and inner turmoil are complex. Edgerton is among the best actors around at portraying this specific blend of character traits with subtlety.

10 Taron Egerton

Best Known For Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Part of what made Hugh Jackman such a great Wolverine was his versatility as an actor. He could play the many facets of this complex character and Taron Egerton has that quality as an actor as well. He has played the action hero in The Kingsman as well as a music icon in Rocketman.

If the MCU is looking for a younger take on the character, Egerton could be an excellent choice. Despite his young age compared to some other choices, it is easy to see Egerton carrying such a high-profile role. He's shown in movies like Kingsman that he does action wonderfully and smaller projects like Eddie the Eagleshow that he's a legitimately great actor, to boot.

Egerton previously expressed interest in taking on the role of Wolverine but more recently clarified that "I’m not going to be the guy to play Wolverine. There’s no signs pointing towards that being the thing." However, stranger things have happened.

9 Charlie Hunnam

Best Known For Sons Of Anarchy (2008-2014)

With roles in big blockbusters like Pacific Rim and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Charlie Hunnam seemed poised to be a big Hollywood player. But when those movies underperformed, he was left searching for that A-list role. Wolverine could perfectly fill that gap.

He carried one long-running serialized narrative as a complex and deeply flawed antihero when he played Jax Teller in FX’s biker drama Sons of Anarchy. He’s a really great actor, and it’s a shame that on the big screen, he’s never been given the material that he deserves. With his physicality and gruffness with an undercurrent of sweetness, Hunnam would make an ideal choice to play Wolverine.

8 Dafne Keen

Best Known For Logan (2017)

If the MCU decides to go a different route with its version of Wolverine, then the producers might make Logan canon and bring back Dafne Keen’s X-23. It would be a little bit like how the MCU’s Ant-Man is the second incarnation of the character.

With the MCU’s current focus on diversity and bringing in younger heroes like Kate Bishop and Ms. Marvel, perhaps Laura would be a better choice for the MCU’s Wolverine. Keen was very popular and likable in the role and many fans wanted to see her return to the role. Moreover, X-23 could be the perfect bruiser for the MCU's newly forming Young Avengers team.

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7 Jason Momoa

Best Known For Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

Jason Momoa had a successful tenure as the DCEU's Aquaman, but now that his time with the character is over, he may be open to taking another superhero role for Marvel. Though Momoa broke onto the scene with his memorable take on Game of Thrones' Khal Drogo, the actor has proven since that he's just as effective playing a talkative, charming character as a stoic one.

Momoa's role in the series See also shows how he could nail this part. He plays a blind warrior whose skill in combat often makes him seem animalistic at times. It is a quality that could be great for Wolverine.

6 Tom Hardy

Best Known For Inception (2010)

Tom Hardy can do brooding intensity in his sleep – just look at Locke, Bronson, Mad Max: Fury Road, and any Christopher Nolan movie he’s been in – and last year’s Venom proved that he could bring a comic book-y eccentricity to that kind of role that would make him more suitable to be featured in the MCU. While Hard has done plenty of drama, the actor is also well-prooven with high-action projects. From Inception to The Dark Knight Rises, there's little doubt Hardy would be up to the physical challenge of embodying Logan.

Hardy isn’t the tallest actor, but then Wolverine isn’t the tallest superhero. Hugh Jackman may be over six feet tall (6’2”), but the Wolverine of the comics is actually more on the short side (5’3”), so it would make sense for Marvel Studios to seek out a shorter actor for the reboot. Their greatest success so far has been faithfulness to the comics, and casting a shorter actor would also go a long way towards differentiating this version of Wolverine from the previous one.

5 Andrew Lincoln

Best Know For The Walking Dead (2010-2022)

After a lengthy tenure of playing one rage-filled comic book antihero in a popular TV series, perhaps Andrew Lincoln would be interested in starting another one. There are a number of primal similarities shared by Rick Grimes and Wolverine, like their unchecked aggression and the fact that they’re tormented by their past. But there are also a lot of big differences that would make it a fresh challenge for Lincoln.

ick is a born leader, whereas Wolvie prefers to work alone and has to learn to begrudgingly join a team. Lincoln may not much resemble the short, stocky Wolverine of Marvel Comics, but he does bear a resemblance to Hugh Jackman, the version of the character most popular to many. Like Jackman's later takes on Logan, Lincoln would be a great choice for an older, veteran Wolverine.

4 Joaquin Phoenix

Best Known For Gladiator (2000)

Joaquin Phoenix was close to being in the MCU at one point as one of the actors considered for Doctor Strange. He then went on to make a very different comic book movie with Joker, but there are still some who feel he has a superhero role in his future. The star seems more interested in short-term commitments, but nothing is ever impossible.

Still, if there’s any chance he would be interested, since he’s a very complex character and would present an intriguing acting challenge, his role in Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here proved he could play a terrific Wolverine. Phoenix hasn't done much heavy action, so the opportunity to take on a physical role like Wolverine could be an attractive change of pace.

3 Scott Eastwood

Best Known For Pacific Rim: Uprising

Despite Wolverine starring in several X-Men movies, the "cowboy loner" side of the character is rarely explored. If the MCU wants to let Logan don the stetson hat that he sometimes does in Marvel Comics, someone like Scott Eastwood could fit the bill. Like his father (Clint Eastood), Scott has the rugged cowboy look and has occasionally played the part on-screen.

Moreover, Eastwood is in that sweet spot of popularity that Marvel Studios seems to enjoy mining. He's had a few parts in notable blockbusters like The Fate of the Furious and Pacific Rim: Uprising, but he's never had that breakout part to make him a household name. Wolverine could be that part, finally giving him an iconic action role to ride.

Scott Eastwood is no stranger to comic book movies, having played Lieutenant Edwards in Suicide Squad. However, he did not return for its sequel.

2 Keanu Reeves

Best Know For The Matrix Quadrilogy (1999-2021)

Keanu Reeves is an actor who seems to get talked about a lot with various superhero characters. He has been brought up as a possible casting choice for the likes of Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the past, neither of which happened. But the idea of Reeves playing Wolverine is an exciting choice.

Fans know that Reeves can do action roles in his sleep with enough commitment to the stunts and choreography to sell every fight scene, but it’s his burning intensity that would make him an ideal Wolverine. Imagine the rage and fighting skills of John Wick with the adamantium claws and emotional trauma of Wolverine – he’d be unstoppable. Moreover, Reeves has previously spoken about being interested in Wolverine.

1 Hugh Jackman

Best Known For The X-Men Franchise (2000-2024)

When casting the MCU's Wolverine, it may be best to take an "if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach. Jackman has been the definitive Wolverine for many for over two decades, and he's set to bring his version of Logan to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine. It's unlikely Jackman is looking to continue playing the character long-term, but there are ways Marvel Studios can make that work.

Jackman may be so iconic in the role that it's difficult to replace him. As such, the MCU could take a note from X-Men '97 and treat Wolverine as more of a side character than a main one. Jackman may be open to occasional appearances as Wolverine, or he could even sign a short contract contingent on an early in-universe death.

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