Wait, Didn't Hugh Jackman Retire From Playing Wolverine?
“I had got to the point probably 10 years ago I was like, I'm not enjoying it. It was hurting. It was tough," Hugh Jackman said.
Published July 26 2024, 2:22 p.m. ET
It was all the way back in 2017 when actor Hugh Jackman announced he was done playing his iconic character Wolverine following the film Logan.
But fans are getting another chance to see the character in action in the hotly-anticipated 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine. So what gives? Wasn't Hugh done with this role?
Apparently the star was so not done with portraying the much beloved superhero — and fans aren't done with Wolverine either. Here's what Hugh said about reprising the renowned character opposite Ryan Reynolds.
So, if Hugh Jackman retired his Wolverine role, what changed?
Hugh first played Wolverine in the 2000 flick X-Men. Back then, the Australian actor was only 30 years old.
Flash forward to the movie Logan 17 years later, and Hugh felt exhausted from the very physical demands of the role.
“I had got to the point probably 10 years ago I was like, I'm not enjoying it. It was hurting. It was tough," the beloved star said in May 2024.
So, what happened to make him reconsider? In part, it had to be Ryan's extremely strong powers of persuasion. (After all, we'd switch to Mint Mobile. Wouldn't you?)
Hugh also said about the reprisal, “But I've had a break, and I've been doing a lot of dance. I've been doing stage shows. And so when I came back to it, it was really fun.”
But no matter how convincing Ryan may be, or how much Hugh wanted to come back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one big question remains: How in the multiverse can Wolverine appear in a new film if he died so spectacularly at the end of Logan?
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds had some explaining to do about Wolverine's reemergence.
Fans clearly needed an explanation after Wolverine was killed off and then it was announced that he would be appearing in the film Deadpool & Wolverine.
Happily, Ryan and Hugh made a hilarious video to answer fans' questions, posting their response in September 2022 upon the announcement that the film was a go.
"How is Wolverine alive?" Hugh acknowledges as a confusing piece of the puzzle.
Well, as Ryan notes, Logan takes place in 2029. "Not touching Logan," the entrepreneur jokes.
Then, the two actors hilariously try to share what happens in their film, but a song plays over the explanation so we don't actually hear anything.
Meanwhile, it seems that Hugh's return to the role of Wolverine is being very well received, with USA Today calling the turn, "a reminder how much an unleashed Jackman rules now, and always did."
Forbes calls Deadpool & Wolverine "box office gold," while fans on social media are freaking out about the movie.
It's worth noting that at time of writing, the movie had just debuted, and already raked in record breaking numbers, with ABC News reporting the film sold $38.5 million worth of tickets from preview screenings alone.
Meanwhile, by Sunday, July 28, 2024, the movie could make as much as $160 million.
