Stranger Things Star Reportedly Being Considered For MCU's Wolverine
Once again, it's time to fire up the Mighty Marvel rumor mill.
Pop culture website We Got This Covered is reporting that its wily, ever-anonymous sources have knowledge that Marvel Studios is eyeing Dacre Montgomery, who portrayed Billy Hargrove on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, to fill the role of Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Before we go any further, we feel compelled to make a few things clear. First, WGTC is typically not a super-reliable source of inside information. While the website has fielded accurate rumor reports in the past, it has also reported its share of absolute malarkey, and since no other media outlets are reporting that Marvel wants Montgomery for the role of Wolverine, the report can and should be taken with a grain of salt the size of a basketball.
Second, this isn't the first time Montgomery has been connected to a Marvel role by the fandom. As recently as last summer, the same website reported that he was being considered for the part of Adam Warlock in James Gunn's upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, for example. We'll leave it to you to decide whether this indicates that Marvel Studios is trying super-hard to find the right role for the talented actor, or that the internet's rumor mongers stepped on their own feet with this one.
Third: if indeed Marvel is considering Montgomery to take on the role of Wolverine, we could not be even a little bit more on board. Ever since we got our hands on the actor's insane Stranger Things audition tape, we've wanted to see him land a major role in a superhero franchise, and we literally can't think of a better fit for him than everyone's favorite cigar-chomping, adamantium-infused mutant.
Could Hugh Jackman return as Wolverine in the MCU?
As psyched as we would be to see Montgomery take over as Logan in the MCU, WGTC's alleged inside sources also put forth a small addendum to the rumor which makes us doubt its veracity. According to them, Marvel brass are still hopeful that they might be able to coax Hugh Jackman, who held down the role for almost 20 years in the Fox Studios-produced X-Men movies, to return. Failing that, the sources say, the studio would then be interested in talking to Montgomery.
Pardon us for saying so, but this doesn't make a lick of sense. When the X-Men — and especially Wolverine — finally join the MCU, Marvel is going to want them to be cast with actors who are capable of playing their respective roles for as long as possible. At 51, this would in no way describe Jackman, who in any event has stated plainly that he is done with the role.
Montgomery is only 25, so if this rumor is true, it indicates that Marvel just isn't sure whether they want to go with an older or a younger Logan. We ask you: does this sound like Marvel Studios, like, at all? This is the studio which has a rough sketch of its shared universe mapped out through 2028, according to head honcho Kevin Feige. We're pretty sure that plans are well underway for the introduction of the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that no actors of Jackman's vintage will be sought for the primary roles, Charles Xavier notwithstanding.
Say... perhaps Jackman should return, to play the MCU's version of Professor X. How crazy would that be?
What are the chances Dacre Montgomery will actually be cast as Wolverine?
It's worth mentioning that Montgomery has previously expressed trepidation toward appearing in comic book movies in general. In a 2019 video for GQ's "Actually Me" series, in which the actor went undercover on social media to take part in discussions about himself, he encountered a fan who suggested that he'd be perfect for the part of Jason Todd/Red Hood, the iconic Batman sidekick turned lethal villain. (For the record, we can see that, too.)
Montgomery's response wasn't dismissive of the idea, but was rather thoughtful. "I would really like to play outside of the world that's so prominent, I guess, in cinemas at the moment," he said, "which is just origin stories of amazing superheroes that we love. I'd love to dive into a different world that we don't know, that we aren't... given a lot of."
We can certainly understand that, but we do feel the need to offer a counter-argument by way of one of our favorite digital artists, BossLogic. Way back in March 2018, he created a pair of stark, black-and-white images featuring his rendition of Montgomery as Wolverine. After taking a look at them, if you can honestly tell us that you feel Montgomery doesn't quite look the part, we will personally hand you a crisp ten-dollar bill.
Of course, we'll be keeping both ears to the ground for any news regarding the future of the X-Men in the MCU, and we'll keep you informed.