Wolverine’s Role In Deadpool 3 Might Be Very Different Than We Were Expecting

Deadpool 3 (or rather Deadpool & Wolverine) is headed into theatres around the world this summer, and the new trailer for the movie might suggest that Logan’s role as Wolverine in the MCU multiverse mash-up might be markedly different than what many have been expecting. 2017’s R-rated dystopian Western Logan was marketed heavily as Hugh Jackman’s swan song to the character that made him a star, and Logan indeed was an emotional farewell for millions of fans of Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine, with the movie culminating in his death while also finally delivering on the R-rated bloodbath his adamantium claws had never been able to unleash before.

Fast-forward a few years, and Jackman is not only popping his claws again but is doing so in Wolverine’s comic book accurate suit and with the Merc with a Mouth by his side as both venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine.

The first trailer for Deadpool 3 (or Deadpool & Wolverine) finally landed in time for 2024’s Super Bowl, and with the trailer having already amassed an astonishing 365 million views in just its first day (breaking the record previously held by Spider-Man: No Way Home), that seems to indicate Deadpool and Wolverine’s team-up is likely to be quite the summer movie season hit when it arrives on July 26, but the trailer also features surprisingly little of Wolverine himself.

Essentially, Wolverine only appears in silhouette at the very end, standing above Deadpool and unsheathing his claws before reaching down to pull Wade Wilson up as the trailer ends. Set photos have shown much better looks of Hugh Jackman in costume as Wolverine, but both these and the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer could hint that the superhero comedy might not be as much of a buddy movie as many have been expecting.

Wolverine’s appearance in the trailer and the set photos of Jackman in costume both seem to take place in the same location, which is apparently a desert setting. With nearly every set photo showing Wolverine in this setting, the timing of his appearance in the trailer also looks very much like it takes place in the movie’s third act and likely during the movie’s final showdown.

Given that all of the currently revealed Wolverine images and footage from Deadpool & Wolverine are from one specific setting and time in the movie, that suggests that Logan will not be teamed up for the duration of the film.

By the same token, a comeback as heralded as Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine seems extremely unlikely to be one relegated to a mere last-minute cameo, so Deadpool & Wolverine’s marketing is probably hiding the bulk of Jackman’s role in the movie from being showcased until the movie is closer to its release. That, in turn, could suggest the role of Jackman’s Wolverine is a fittingly mercurial one for the kind of gruff but honourable loner he has always been.

Within the context of a Deadpool movie, there will also surely be plenty of laughs involved in how Jackman’s Wolverine makes his much-anticipated return, and that could shed some light on how he will do so.

With Ryan Reynolds having been so persistent in developing the third Deadpool film into a Deadpool-Wolverine double-header, Deadpool & Wolverine might apply Wade Wilson’s famously meta nature to the story of their team-up in the film. With Wade on his new mission to save the multiverse, he might turn to Wolverine as an ally to help him pull it off, with Wolverine repeatedly turning him down (and likely doing so in a similar manner as he not-so-politely declined Charles Xavier and Eric Lenscherr’s recruitment offer in X-Men: First Class.)

Deadpool & Wolverine could turn this into a running gag of sorts, with Logan, a supporting player whom Wade continually tries to bring into his inner circle, with Wade only finally succeeding in doing so just in time for the movie’s finale. Deadpool & Wolverine might not be a road trip comedy with two regenerating superheroes like its title suggests, but Wolverine being a reluctant ally in Deadpool’s latest mission would certainly fit the duo just as well.

What do you think Wolverine’s role in Deadpool 3 will be? Also, read our articles on Kang possibly appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine and Henry Cavill’s surprising role in the film.