You may have heard that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be hitting the big screen next week, and now there is some news floating around that Doctor Strange 2 is being used to set up a potential Wolverine return. With everything that had been going on with the MCU in recent times; the development of the multiverse and the introduction of former characters, the scope that this upcoming Doctor Strange movie has is pretty limitless.
The X-Men franchise ran alongside the MCU for years, with the two of them going toe to toe over who could represent a better, more engaging, and likable Marvel universe. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was synonymous with the X-Men series, and we haven’t seen the fan-favorite character since 2017’s brilliant Logan. And now could be the perfect moment to reintroduce the character in some form or another, it has already been confirmed that Patrick Stewart’s Professor X will appear in Doctor Strange 2, so why not bring back his old former mentee as well, giving us the reunion of a lifetime.
It was the trailer for Doctor Strange 2 where all this hearsay first originated, as we see the sorcerer falling from an animated universe with animation that is reminiscent of the canceled X-Men: The Animated Series from 1997. Could this be the perfect method to rebirth those famous mutton chops? This could be the perfect return for Wolverine, the legacy that Jackman left behind could well and truly carry on once again in animated form and would also serve as fun fan bait that would feel at home in this movie.
The potential for future animated interpretations of the X-Men could be truly special; really harnessing all that nostalgia that the animated series comes with, and then throw into the mix the possibility of part live-action as well, and you might just have a big hit on the cards. Furthermore, Doctor Strange 2 would empower one of its main characters to cameo, and allow Jackman to return his voice to a role that he fused himself with for all those years.
Although Marvel shouldn’t rush the idea of reviving such an iconic character/actor combo, they should let it evolve naturally – if it ever does that is – bearing in mind the character had such a poetic arc culmination that it would be rude to spoil that with something forced. But let’s see what happens when Doctor Strange 2 does come out, only time will tell us if we are due a Wolverine return or not.