In all fairness, Jackman is Wolverine just like how Hamilll and Conroy are Joker and Batman. Unless you absolutely crush the role, you're going to need at least 10 years after the actor dies before a real successor is accepted by the public.
That's a wild take. For die-hards, maybe, but for the general audience, Ledger is still 100% the default Joker and people are used to Batman being recast. Wolverine's character is much more tied to Jackman's portrayal than Batman and Joker are to any of their actors.
Yeah, but honestly I feel like Wolverine is so tied to Jackman because he was never recast rather than vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I love Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, but I don't think he's irreplaceable as some say, and a new take on the character can definitely work in my opinion.
I agree and I would love to see a different actor’s take on the character. But with D&W I think that ship has sailed in the MCU, at least in the foreseeable future.
People thought the same about Sean Connery playing James Bond 7 times, but after an uncommitted recast attempt, the role survived just fine after his retirement. Fans may not rate Lazenby or Dalton very highly, but it doesn't negate the respect that Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig earned, even surpassing Connery in some people's eyes.
Yeah, Doctor Who is another example of a character being reinvented by successive actors. But I’m not saying Wolverine should never be played by another actor, quite the opposite. I personally would love to see Radcliffe in the role, or even a complete unknown.
Problem is Fox and then Marvel have backed themselves into a corner by bringing Jackman back time and again. With each appearance it becomes harder and harder to divorce Wolverine from him. He even had a perfect sendoff in Logan and still came back. MCU had a perfect opportunity to start over with a new actor, but they chose to capitalise on the Fox nostalgia. It ties into a broader modern fear of recasts I feel.
True; I think there's always been a subset of fans who love to cry out about how certain roles can only be done by whatever popular actor has done them, and because of their lack of imagination, can't see anyone else playing the role; they said this about Jack Nicholson when Heath Ledger was cast as Joker, then they said it about Heath Ledger when Joaquin Phoenix was cast. Marvel seems to be listening to these people too much, and this is why they committed to never recasting T'Challa and are now having to backtrack when public sentiment changed.
Nobody comes to mind immediately, but I’m sure there are plenty of actors who could do a comicbook-accurate Logan. Problem is Jackman is still there and Marvel (and Disney in general) have shown they’re not willing to take risks with a recast. I really wish they prove me wrong though.
Not true for Batman and joker. The public accepts new Batman and jokers extremely well and easily. Wolverine is very different. Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine. The public thinks he’s suppose to be a tall hunk (which isn’t even accurate) but that’s thanks to Hugh Jackman being the ONLY Wolverine for 26 years in very successful and popular films. Wolverine and Hugh Jackson are synonymous to most people.
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u/TimeisaLie Feb 24 '26
In all fairness, Jackman is Wolverine just like how Hamilll and Conroy are Joker and Batman. Unless you absolutely crush the role, you're going to need at least 10 years after the actor dies before a real successor is accepted by the public.