As the Marvel Cinematic Universe approaches the promised reintroduction of the X-Men, fans have speculated and expressed their own opinions on who should play arguably the most iconic mutant of all, Wolverine. The Boys star Antony Starr has been part of that fan casting and recently expressed his thoughts on playing the character.
In response to detailed fan art depicting Wolverine with Starr's face, the Boys actor wrote, "Ooofff,- my bones ache just thinking of the stunt work!" The artist had captioned the image with, "Wolverine casting rumors have started circulating the internet. My pick will forever be [Antony Starr]."
Following Disney's acquisition of Fox, audiences have wondered when and how the X-Men -- whose film rights reverted to Marvel Studios -- would be introduced into the MCU. There have been several hints at teases, though at least one of them was ultimately proven to be false. This was the appearance of actor Evan Peters as a version of Quicksilver in WandaVision. This Pietro was shown shortly after to be a completely different, non-mutant character.
However, Marvel Studios has announced at least one X-Men-related project is coming to the MCU: Deadpool 3, featuring the return of star Ryan Reynolds. The film is currently in development with writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick attached. The pair recently discussed the long-awaited sequel and the current approach, given the tone of Fox's film and the overall tone of the MCU. Reese teased, "It’s a wonderful opportunity for fish-out-of-water [comedy]... Deadpool is a lunatic at the center of a movie... To drop a lunatic into a very sane world, it’s straight butter. It’s going to be really fun."
Starr is predominately known for his performance as Homelander in Prime Video's The Boys. The series is currently in its third season, with at least one more and several spinoffs currently planned. While the character remains a fan-favorite, the latest season has seemingly removed some audiences from the fandom, owing to the clearer satirical takes on real-world events. Specifically, exploration of law enforcement and racial bias, as well as the similarities between Homelander and former President Donald Trump.
Showrunner Eric Kripke recently confirmed Trump has inspired many of Homelander's qualities on the show, stating, "[Homelander has] always been a Trump analogue for me. I'll admit to being a little more bald this season than I have in past seasons. But the world is getting more coarse and less elegant. The urgency of our team's writing reflects that... We're angrier and more scared as the years go on, so that is just being reflected in our writing. But part of it is where Homelander's story naturally goes."
Source: Instagram