Still wondering about Wolverine in the MCU? Hugh Jackman’s D23 message just stirred the pot

Well, here we go again — Hugh Jackman and the ongoing saga of whether or not Wolverine is sticking around in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just when you thought Marvel was finally giving us some clarity with their big X-Men reveal at D23, Jackman’s gone and stirred the pot. And honestly, the whole situation is just getting more baffling.

At the centre of the drama is Jackman himself, who popped up in a recent social media video with a tongue-in-cheek plea to Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige: 'Hey, D23. Hope you're all having a great time. I just wanted to check in. Just totally unprompted and uh…Just wondering if you might need some help.'

Not one to leave it at that, Jackman went on to suggest he could be a bit of use 'rounding out the cast' and even hinted he might talk Ryan Reynolds into turning up for Avengers: Doomsday. Classic Jackman. All the while, Reynolds is in the background, egging him on, whispering away — honestly, it’s like a panto, and they both know exactly what they’re doing to us.

The X-Men, but Where’s Wolverine?

This has properly got fans’ attention, not least because the news comes hot off Kevin Feige’s big D23 announcement, in which Marvel rolled out the fresh faces of their new X-Men team. For those keeping score, we already had Sadie Sink (Jean Grey), Samara Weaving (Emma Frost), and Kit Connor (Cyclops) locked in. Now we’ve got Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Christopher Abbott playing Professor X, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Adam Driver tackling Mister Sinister. It’s a stacked line-up, really — but, absolutely no mention of who’s putting on the claws.

Marvel's omission of Wolverine from their new X-Men line-up at D23 has set fan speculation into overdrive — the notable silence is either deliberate tease or genuine uncertainty.

Here’s the kicker: quite a few familiar faces from the old Fox X-Men films are popping up in the various multiverse stories. But Marvel’s pretty clear that this bunch of new actors is going to be the backbone going forward, not the old lot. With no announcement about Wolverine, everyone’s now wondering if that’s it for Jackman in the role, or if they’re cheekily leaving the door open for one last go. It’s hardly helping matters that Marvel’s still sticking Deadpool & Wolverine on their essential viewing list ahead of Avengers: Doomsday — which, if nothing else, suggests Jackman’s probably not done yet, timeline-wise.

• Hugh Jackman makes playful plea to Kevin Feige online about returning as Wolverine
• Marvel unveils new X-Men cast at D23 without any word on Wolverine
• Sadie Sink, Samara Weaving, Kit Connor, Inde Navarrette, Christopher Abbott, Maya Boyd, and Adam Driver all confirmed for core roles
• Deadpool & Wolverine still listed as must-see ahead of Avengers: Doomsday