Dafne Keen managed to keep her appearance alongside Hugh Jackman in Deadpool 3 a secret for a long time. She returned to her role as Laura Kinney/X-23, the biological daughter of Earth-10005’s Logan, in the film. Jackman’s Wolverine variant in the film forms a bond with her and fans eventually get to see a father-daughter relationship forming between them in the climax.
Many Marvel fans speculate that the MCU will probably replace Jackman’s Wolverine with Keen’s character. However, others suggest that the films could still use Jackman in a mentor role to X-23, thus exploring the relationship between these characters more.
Hugh Jackman-Dafne Keen Combo Can Work In The MCU Like Robert Downey Jr.-Tom Holland
Dafne Keen‘s addition in Logan elevated the experience of the film by exploring Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine taking on a father role. She played Logan’s surrogate daughter who was being chased by a secret organization in the Fox film. Fans were moved to tears when Wolverine sacrificed himself to protect her as a final act in the film.
When X-23 appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, fans were excited to see her together with her father once again. Keen’s appearance in the new film also opened up the possibility of her significant future in the Marvel universe. Some fans speculated that she would take over as the Wolverine from Jackman’s character.
However, the final scene in Deadpool & Wolverine is too emotional for some fans who don’t want the duo apart anymore. One fan suggested that Marvel needn’t do any recasting or replacements and just let Jackman and Keen be the MCU’s Wolverines.
Some fans suggested a mentor-mentee relationship between them like Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man and Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man. Fans have even agreed to an arrangement where Logan needn’t do all the heavy lifting in the upcoming movies. Some fans are almost certain that Kevin Feige and Marvel won’t replace the father-daughter duo any time soon. Some of the fan reactions read:
FUCK A RECAST! LET THEM BE THE MCU WOLVERINES! #DeadpoolandWolverine pic.twitter.com/lLe4nWGEga
— ໊ (@wandasattorney) August 2, 2024
True. Kinney can lead and Logan will serve as a mentor, almost like Iron Man to Spider-Man once.
— Alan (@Al__Speaks) August 3, 2024
I've long wanted Laura to be the main Wolverine in the MCU. I'd prefer to have Logan (Jackman or someone else) in a retired/mentor role or off the board. I really like Logan as a character but think they've told his story, and Laura has a lot of story to tell.
— TEN Comics – Click Link in Pinned Tweet (@ten_comics) August 3, 2024
This could honestly work so perfectly cause then we can have them both but obviously focus more on x-23
— sajeel (@SajeelG1234) August 3, 2024
Chances are they might do so, I doubt Disney is going to let Feige take a huge risk with brand new actors as Xmen. Granted yes down the line maybe, but for now Marvel is gonna play it safe with what works and makes everyone happy and money lol
— FineAssNYC (@FineAssNYC) August 3, 2024
The appearance of Henry Cavill as a Wolverine variant in the film has excited many fans. The rumors suggest that Feige would try to get Cavill onboard to play the character in Earth-616. Unfortunately, Marvel Studios did not provide any X-Men update at the recently concluded SDCC.
Dafne Keen Explained Her Reaction When She Got Cast In Deadpool & Wolverine
Dafne Keen shared that her hopes to come back in the X-Men franchise almost ended when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox. When Deadpool & Wolverine was announced, she had a tiny bit of hope that she could reprise X-23. She revealed that her agent negotiated with the makers in secret for a month before she landed the role.
While she was overwhelmed with joy over her casting news, she did feel the pressure of reprising the character when she arrived on set. She doubted whether she could pull off X-23 with the same feral intensity that she did as an 11-year-old kid. Keen shared with EW:
I immediately screamed. I dropped my phone in the bath. I had to put it in rice; it was a whole thing. […] I was a bit freaked out. I was like, ‘I will have forgotten how to play her. She’s not in me anymore.’
When the film started rolling, the His Dark Materials star felt like “we were back doing Logan.” She added, “It was like eight years hadn’t passed.” She shared that she was inspired by Andrew Garfield to lie about her appearance in the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine is currently running in theaters. Logan is now available for streaming on Disney+.
