Fans around the world rejoiced after Ryan Reynolds announced that Hugh Jackman would be coming back as Wolverine. This was despite some concerns that Deadpool 3 might take away from Logan's tragic ending, which many felt was a definitive end for Jackman's Wolverine. However, a bigger potential problem is that Wolverine may take too much of the spotlight in a Deadpool film, especially in his first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Deadpool 3 will mark Hugh Jackman's tenth appearance as the rage-filled, adamantium-infused mutant. Although nothing has been confirmed on how Deadpool meets Wolverine, fans have taken to the internet with various theories on how he could return. Some claim that Deadpool will use his new abilities to travel to a different universe and meet a Wolverine who's still alive.
Wolverine May Outshine Wade Wilson in Deadpool 3
While it will be a joy for fans to see Jackman as Wolverine again, perhaps in a comic-accurate suit, and share the screen with Deadpool and maybe other mutants or X-Men, it's also highly risky from a filmmaking standpoint. That is by having two extremely likable and major characters on screen simultaneously. This could spell doom for Deadpool 3, much like how The Book of Boba Fett slightly faltered due to the presence of Din Djarin and Grogu in the final episodes of the Disney+ series.
With Jackman's Wolverine present alongside Reynolds' Deadpool, fans may feel like they're watching a Wolverine film under the guise of a Deadpool film. Having a successful Deadpool movie means having Deadpool be the most interesting or best-known character on screen, hence why the first and second films mostly used lesser-known mutants and villains. Since Wolverine is such a popular character, it might distract audiences from Deadpool's screen presence. This isn't helped by the fact that Jackman's screen charisma rivals that of Reynolds and that fans have been waiting for Jackman's Wolverine to debut in the MCU for years.
What Deadpool 3 Can Do to Keep Wolverine at Bay
To prevent Wolverine from upstaging the Merc With a Mouth in Deadpool 3, director Shawn Levy could simply limit Wolverine's screen time. However, that might only anger fans if Wolverine is not in the film for a sufficient amount of time. Instead, Levy could go the Spider-Man: No Way Home route by featuring Wolverine as a major character but only introducing the mutant in the second half of the film, much like how No Way Home brought back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men. This would be a better direction instead of the Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness route of giving Wolverine a glorified cameo.
Another option is to have Deadpool find and attempt to recruit Logan's help, only for the mutant to tell him off. That way, Hugh Jackman can share more screen time with Reynolds while not stealing the spotlight from Deadpool as a character. This can be used as a sort of running gag throughout the film that would fit with the overall tone of a Deadpool movie, which could culminate with Logan jumping in to save the day with Deadpool in the third act. Not only would this be the necessary fan service MCU fans have been looking forward to, but it also would be an epic form of payoff.
To see how Wolverine's return is handled, Deadpool 3 crashes into theaters on November 8, 2024.