Kevin Feige once advised Hugh Jackman not to play Wolverine again

Comic fans weren't the only ones hoping Hugh Jackman would retire after Logan. It turns out Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also tried to dissuade the Wolverine from returning.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) mastermind spoke to the magazine about Jackman's return for Deadpool and Wolverine. Feige said he was as moved as everyone else when Wolverine brought Jackman's mutant hero to a close in 2017.

Feige added: "I said to him, 'Hugh, let me give you a piece of advice, don't come back. You got the best ending ever in Logan, and that's not something we can just erase.'"

At the time, many would have agreed with Feige's suggestion. Jackman first played the leather-clad Wolverine in "X-Men" in 2000, and has played the character many times in sequels and standalone films over the years. "Logan" attempted to cap off the franchise with an R-rated film that focused on an older version of Wolverine, which many felt was the perfect sendoff for Jackman and his fans.

Jackman seemed to agree, but when the opportunity to star alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool came his way, he knew the role was too good to turn down.

"I drove for about an hour and the question popped into my head: 'What do I want to do?' And as soon as I asked the question, I wanted to be in Deadpool and Wolverine," he recalled. "I knew it. I drove for another hour and couldn't stop thinking about it. Then I got out of the car, called Ryan and said, 'Ryan, if you're willing, I'm in.'"

Feige noted that the Wolverine we see in Reynolds' third Deadpool movie isn't exactly the same as the character Jackman has played in any of 20th Century Fox's previous X-Men films, which hopefully leaves enough room for the MCU to both maintain Wolverine 3's positioning as a perfect sendoff while still giving audiences another wild adventure with the beloved clawed mutant.

"Deadpool vs. Wolverine" will be released on July 26, 2024, when the two protagonists will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.