Ryan Reynolds Called It: Inside Hugh Jackman’s Avengers: Secret Wars Retirement Plan
Deadpool’s jab may be turning prophetic: after bringing Wolverine back, Marvel is reportedly keeping Hugh Jackman in play for future projects — an anti-retirement plan that could keep the claws out for years.
Deadpool joked about it, and now the universe might be making it happen: Hugh Jackman may not be done with Wolverine anytime soon. After un-retiring for a 2024 victory lap, the word is Marvel wants to keep him in play long after the multiverse dust settles.
'Fox killed him. Disney brought him back. They're gonna make him do this till he's 90.'
So is Marvel keeping Jackman around?
That's the rumor. Industry tipster Daniel Richtman posted on X that Marvel is planning to hold onto Jackman beyond the big Avengers: Secret Wars showdown. Treat it like what it is right now: informed speculation, not an official announcement. But given how the last movie performed, it tracks.
Why Disney won't quit Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds has been ribbing his buddy about the dangers of coming back for 'one last time' for years. Jackman did it anyway, and the result was Deadpool & Wolverine pulling in a monster $1.338 billion at the box office. That kind of haul is the industry's equivalent of a flashing neon sign that says: keep this going. Fans love these characters, and they print money. Kevin Feige knows what he has.
What that could mean after Secret Wars
Marvel hasn't revealed its post-Secret Wars slate yet, but the breadcrumbs are there. The general expectation: the Avengers step back from being the only game in town as the Fantastic Four and the X-Men get folded into the main MCU timeline. If Secret Wars plays out the way most people think — with incursions and possibly a Battleworld scenario featuring Doctor Doom — it's a clean-slate opportunity to relaunch teams and rosters.
That reset could make Wolverine the connective tissue between eras: the familiar face who bridges Fox's X-Men and the next-gen MCU. The chatter even suggests he could pop up across early X-Men projects after 2026 — maybe cameos, maybe more — just to help stitch the new status quo together. It's a savvy move, and yes, kind of hilarious given how loudly Jackman retired after Logan. For context, he led Fox's X-Men era for years, including X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, before this very un-retirement tour.
Quick stats: Deadpool & Wolverine
- Jackman's official MCU debut as Wolverine
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Writers: Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Matthew Macfadyen
- Runtime: 128 minutes
- Budget: $200 million
- Box office: $1.338 billion worldwide
- Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
- IMDb: 7.5
- Streaming: Deadpool & Wolverine is now on Disney+
If Marvel really wants Jackman to keep the claws handy until he's 90, I wouldn't bet against them. We'll see how loud the rumor gets as Secret Wars draws closer.