Summary
- Deadpool & Wolverine featured a hilarious Wolverine montage with multiple Easter eggs celebrating Marvel's comic history.
- One such Easter egg was a callback to criticisms of Hugh Jackman's initial Wolverine casting because he's much taller than the character.
- Hugh Jackman's comics-inacccurate height as Wolverine was finally acknowledged, paving the way for a potential shorter actor in the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine's ending, it's unclear when Deadpool will return to the MCU, but the movie's success makes it all the more likely.
The promise of a vast number of Deadpool & Wolverine featured multiple Easter eggs that celebrated Marvel's comic history. One Wolverine in particular highlighted a major trait of the character that has been ignored throughout his cinematic appearances.
Every Wolverine Variant In Deadpool & Wolverine Explained
Several Wolverine variants pop up in Deadpool & Wolverine, celebrating the character’s history both on-screen and in the pages of Marvel Comics.
Deadpool & Wolverine Includes Hugh Jackman As Wolverine With His Comics-Accurate Height
The comic book version of Wolverine is a short man, standing at 5 feet, 3 inches. In contrast, Hugh Jackman is 6 feet, 2 inches, almost an entire foot taller than he should be if going by comic accuracy. Deadpool & Wolverine pokes fun at how much taller Jackman is than the traditional Wolverine by having Wade Wilson enter a universe where Hugh Jackman is much shorter than usual. Of course, the scene is played for laughs, as Deadpool is aware that a live-action Wolverine's height is finally accurate.
It looks silly seeing Hugh Jackman like that, but the scene shows that a shorter version of the character can work in live-action if it channels that small guy energy that Logan usually exudes in the comics.
It's an absurd scene where a CGI-shortened version of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine barely reaches the height of the bar once he stands up. Upon seeing the shorter Logan, Wade Wilson condescendingly jokes about his height, eventually calling him a "comics-accurate short king" before quickly leaving the universe in search of another Wolverine. It looks silly seeing Hugh Jackman like that, but the scene shows that a shorter version of the character can work in live-action if it channels that small guy energy that Logan usually exudes in the comics.
- Created By
- Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita Sr.
- Cast
- Hugh Jackman
- Alias
- James "Logan" Howlett
- POWERS
- Retractible claws and Adamantium skeleton. Superhuman senses, stamina, and strength. Healing factor and longevity.
- Age
- 197 (in the MCU)
- Height
- 5'3”
Hugh Jackman's Height Has Long Been A Point Of Contention For His Wolverine
To some, it might seem like a silly thing to complain about, but Hugh Jackman's height compared to how tall Wolverine is supposed to be has been a point of contention since X-Men in 2000. Comic book films over the years haven't always been the beacon for comic accuracy regarding suits and character traits. Jackman came in at a time when it wasn't clear just how big comic book films would get, and something like a character's height didn't seem to matter that much in the grand scheme of things.
Like Robert Downey Jr. with Iron Man or Chris Evans with Captain America, Jackman now feels synonymous with the character. For so long, fans have seen a Wolverine that is over six feet tall, and it begins to warp the perception of what the character has traditionally been since his inception. Jackman has given his all to Wolverine over the years, but sometimes it does feel like he is a bit too tall to be portraying Logan, missing out on how his stature in the comics informs who he is as a character.
Marvel Has A Chance To Cast An Actor To Fix This Particular Wolverine Mistake
Though Hugh Jackman's Wolverine finally appeared in the MCU, it is unlikely that he will remain the main Wolverine once the X-Men become a major part of the universe. If Wolverine does eventually get a new actor for the MCU, it would be the perfect opportunity to cast someone who is closer to the height the character is in the comics. It's a fundamental part of who Wolverine is as a character, and it could also be a good way to separate the MCU's new iteration from Jackman's legacy as Logan.
Of course, the actor who will eventually play Wolverine doesn't need to be the exact same height as his comic book counterpart, but anyone 5 feet, 9 inches or shorter would be enjoyable to see in the role. Anything approaching 6 feet should be off the table for Marvel. Whoever they choose to go with will have big shoes to fill as Jackman has been playing the character for over two decades. Still, getting a shorter actor who can channel that small guy energy could really work wonders for the character in the MCU.
Daniel Radcliffe is a popular fancast to play Wolverine, and is only 5 feet, 5 inches tall.
Having Jackman come back for Deadpool & Wolverine just felt right for the story the film wanted to tell. Having him cameo as a comic-accurate version of the character height-wise was a fun little wink to the discourse surrounding his casting since he first played the character over 20 years ago. Even though Jackman has played the role valiantly, it seems like the right time for the MCU to finally have a true short king version of Logan. By itting that Jackman is way taller than Wolverine should be, it seems like the MCU might feel like it's the right time too.
One X-Men Legend Wanted Bob Hoskins To Play A More Comics-Accurate Wolverine
While Wolverine was created by Len Wein and John Romita Sr, it was X-Men legend Chris Claremont (along with Dave Cockrum and John Byrne) who would play the most significant role in developing him as the character we all now love. That version, in Marvel Comics, is, of course, dramatically different to Hugh Jackman's Hollywood version, and Claremont was very public on his own pick for the role. He said several times that he wanted 5'4 Who Framed Roger Rabbit star Bob Hoskins to play Logan.
Claremont spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, and cited the movie Lassiter as one of the inspirations for his left-field casting pick:
"In one scene, Selleck comes to the door of [Hoskin's] house and Hoskins takes one look at him and hauls off and shoves Selleck back down the drive, yelling 'You come to my house?' and just repeating it over and over as he shoves Selleck back down the path and through the fence out onto the street. And the expression on Selleck's face is "Holy Sh*t!" and I thought, bingo. That is Logan. That instant rage."
Whether Hoskins could have nailed the Canadian accent required for Wolverine would have been a different matter, but he did offer a able American lilt for Roger Rabbit. There was also something of Logan's trademark rage in his Eddie Valiant. While Claremont conceded that the decision to replace Dougray Scott with Hugh Jackman proved inspired, there is a lot to be said for his general assessment of Hoskins:
"...the image I had of Hoskins was from the films he made in England where they emphasized, in of his character, the harshness, the Cockney, the brutality of him."
Sadly, Bob Hoskins died in 2014, so the world was robbed of the opportunity to see him fulfill Claremont's dream casting in Deadpool & Wolverine. But just imagine how much more fun the scene showing the diminutive version of Logan in the bar would have been if it had been possible...
Deadpool & Wolverine
- Release Date
- July 26, 2024
- Runtime
- 127 Minutes
- Director
- Shawn Levy
Cast
Deadpool
Wolverine
WHERE TO WATCH
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
- Writers
- Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Shawn Levy, Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza
- Franchise(s)
- Deadpool, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Studio(s)
- Marvel, Maximum Effort
- Distributor(s)
- Disney
- Main Genre
- Action
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