Marvel Should Look to This Podcast When Adding Wolverine to the MCU

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night, available now on all major podcast platforms.

Following 2017's Logan marking the end of Hugh Jackman's time playing Wolverine, as well as the subsequent merger between Disney and 20th Century Fox, the one question that has been on every X-Men fan's mind is, "What's next for Wolvie?"

Marvel Studios has had a pretty great track record when it comes to taking characters previously used by other studios and integrating them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after managing to secure the film rights, as seen with the likes of Spider-Man and the Hulk. Even so, completely reimagining a character as well established as Jackman's Wolverine will be no easy task.

Given how prevalent the character was in Fox's X-Men universe, Marvel is going to have to contend with how synonymous Jackman's name is with the role, as well as go above and beyond to avoid treading old ground. With that in mind, some have suggested that Wolverine not come to the MCU at all. However, if Marvel Studios must adapt Wolverine, and if they want their new interpretation of the iconic mutant be a truly effective one, they already have the perfect place to look to for inspiration: The Marvel podcast Wolverine: The Long Night.

There are numerous reasons why Marvel Studios should take The Long Night's lead with respect to Logan, arguably the most important being that the scripted podcast has done an absolutely impeccable job at restoring the sense of mystery that has historically surrounded Wolverine, something Marvel Studios desperately needs to do if they want their version of the character to distinguish itself from Fox's.

In fact, a big part of the reason why The Long Night is such a fantastic Wolverine story is how little it actually features Wolverine. He's not the famous quasi-leader of the X-Men. He's the short, stocky, enigmatic loner called Logan who, despite desperately trying to escape it, constantly finds himself involved in bloody conflict wherever he goes. Moreover, The Long Night's story is told almost entirely through second-hand accounts, which only adds to the perpetual sense of mystery. Logan is someone who, quite simply, no one really knows much about, but is feared by those who do.

The idea of Marvel finally getting the rights to Wolverine only to keep him in the shadows may seem a bit silly at first, but think about it this way: If Marvel leans into Wolverine's mystique, rather than his star power, they can ease die-hard Jackman fans into the idea of a brand new actor playing the character. The focus will be on the murkier elements of Logan's character and what he represents, rather than the actor playing him. As the old adage goes, less is more.

NEXT PAGE: Logan is Just Getting Started in The Long Night, Which is What the MCU Needs

Furthermore, this approach not only has the potential to aid Marvel's interpretation of Wolverine, but to aid their interpretation of mutants and the X-Men in general. In The Long Night's universe, the X-gene appears to be one of the world's best kept secrets. In fact, it isn't until about three quarters of the way through the series that the word "mutant" is actually used.

Not only that, but Weapon X has also developed highly advanced Sentinels capable of convincingly imitating human beings, both in appearance and in regard to thoughts, actions and feelings. In other words, the kind of Sentinels who could really make things difficult for the mutants of the world, who, again, are only actually known to a select few.

Short of the multiverse coming into play following the events of Avengers: Endgame, retroactively introducing this insane amount of secrecy and hiding in plain sight is probably Marvel's best bet in regards to bringing the mutants to the MCU in a way that doesn't feel, well, like it took them awhile to get the rights back and they're now scrambling to find a place for them in the continuity.

All that said, practicality isn't the only reason why Marvel Studios should look to The Long Night for inspiration, as there are plenty of other reasons why the podcast's version of Wolverine is one they should definitely take notes on. Logan's personality, inner conflict and motivations are also elements that Marvel Studios could use to great effect, should they choose to do so.

The Long Night provides a version of Wolverine we've never really seen before outside of the comics, at least not fully. He's a broken, hermit-like individual who, despite even trying to end it all at one point, desperately wants to do good (of his own volition), even though he's hardwired to be a merciless killing machine.

Sure, this is very close to the portrayal of Wolverine in Fox's Logan (hence why that film is so good.) However, what sets the two versions of the character apart is that, while Logan's Wolverine was nearing the end of his journey, The Long Night's Wolverine appears to be just getting started, which is something else that Marvel desperately needs. They need to leave the character room to grow if they want him to have longevity, and for his endless inner struggle to be used to its full potential.

Regardless of whether or not they necessarily should, the fact of the matter is that once they have the ability to do so, Marvel Studios bringing Wolverine into the MCU is basically an inevitability. When that time does come, however, they do need to look at the bigger picture. By taking their cues from an unapologetically poignant, cloak and dagger and, above all, compelling Wolverine story like The Long Night, they can not only give fans a redefining on-screen interpretation of the iconic character, but also build towards the entire next generation of on-screen mutants in a tight, effective way.

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The MCU's Wolverine Should Take a Page From Marvel's The Long Night

NEXT PAGE: Logan is Just Getting Started in The Long Night, Which is What the MCU Needs