James Mangold on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the MCU

This is one of those topics we hear about a lot. What if the FOX-owned Marvel Comics characters from the “X-Men” and subsequent “Wolverine” films found their way into the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe that Disney and Marvel Studios have so carefully crafted?

We know that it’s on the table, as Kevin Feige has mentioned numerous times. The question has become more a matter of timing than anything else, as Marvel has several projects in various stages of development already in place in jam-packed release line up.

“Logan” director James Mangold recently spoke with ComicBook.com during their most recent #QuarantineWatchParty about his reactions IF, (again a really big if) Hugh Jackman were to return to the Wolverine role to join the MCU.

“I’d be startled that Hugh was strapping it on again. The thing that I always want to know when I hear this is obviously, on the web, everyone trades in rumors. So, the nugget or the headline becomes the clickbait in the trade so that it would be, ‘Downey’s back,’ or ‘Jackman’s back,’ would be the headline, which people would then debate. What I’d be curious about if any one of these things happened would be, what are they doing with it? Meaning, I would have no qualm about it if someone had a good idea. If it’s basically, ‘I ran out of money and I needed a big paycheck, and I’m doing an empty film that cheapens the quality of the previous.’ Well, that would be its own sadness.

The reality is that, if you have a good idea for a character, then there’s nothing wrong with doing anything.

I don’t make these rules. For me, I’m always just asking that someone do something imaginative that doesn’t just seem like you’re taking all these assets and throwing them on a screen again, just to make dough. That seems to me to be, or to satiate a kind of hunger people have to see more, when the hunger they have to see more is what a movie supposed to leave you with. Meaning that you’re supposed to love the characters and that just like a good meal, there is such a thing as too much. Just because it tastes good, if I keep filling your plate, at some point you’re going to be like that guy in the restaurant in the Monty Python movie. There’s just a limit.”

It’s not like the character WON’T be introduced at some point, but it is highly unlikely we’ll be seeing the Aussie don the claws again.

Would you even WANT to see Logan return? Let us know in the comments.

If you need to complete your “X-men” and “Wolverine” film collections, look no further than this GIANT box set, and this beautiful 4k of the Academy Award nominated “Logan.”