The commercial success of MCU movies in the movie industry never seems to slow down one bit. And now, with the confirmed addition of fan-favorite Wolverine into the franchise (one of the most exciting announcements for the MCU world this year), the legacy of the billion-dollar franchise is looking way brighter.
Why so? This is because the Wolverine is a character from the X-Men Universe, another Marvel IP whose characters are yet to be fully introduced into the MCU. But this one important factor, which conflicts with an important material in the MCU, could delay the much-awaited arrival of Hugh Jackman’s character in the franchise, so hold your horses X-Men fans!
Wolverine Might Have To Delay His MCU Debut
The MCU has done well on its part to make sure that the characters from the X-Men Universe are properly introduced into the franchise.
Fans have seen that with the appearance of Patrick Stewart as Professor X and John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, both in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Even Ms. Marvel’s origins being connected to mutants is another sign that fans would have looked out for.
But there’s still a huge question mark over the debut of Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3 movie, and yes, he may not be holding the powers he does in the X-Men Universe, or even be as strong as he is in movies from the same.
Wolverine’s doubtful debut is primarily based on theories regarding how the MCU will decide to utilize the sudden appearance of Tiamut’s body (from Eternals), which is presumed to be lying around in the Indian Ocean.
There’s a theory regarding the possible origins of adamantium- the metal alloy that is bonded to Wolverine’s skeletons and claws- arising from the corpse of the celestial (considering its exotic nature).
Now it’s also important to note that Tiamut’s death as well as the events in Eternals comes around the same time that Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place- which is around the summer of 2024 in the franchise. So what could this mean? Well, the MCU likes to move its stories in movies together at the same time, such is the case with the storyline of the two movies mentioned above.
This is also going to be in line with Deadpool 3‘s timeline, meaning if the theory of adamantium originating from Tiamut’s body proves true, it’s going to take a lot more time to even source adamantium out of the body- effectively delaying Wolverine’s arrival in the franchise since adamantium was never a thing (and vibranium already exists in the franchise).
Is It Going To Be Vibranium Or Adamantium For Wolverine?
The pre-existing “strongest” metal to exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is popularly known as vibranium. So will the MCU be aligning toward Wolverine’s skeletal composition being based on the pre-existing vibranium, or will the franchise wait out the process of synthesizing adamantium, effectively explaining Wolverine’s canon origins?
Well, the MCU will most likely go with the former option, and there are several reasons. First off, Wakanda’s advanced technology is largely explained by the kingdom being built on a crashed meteor abundant in vibranium.
Other than that, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s antagonist, Namor, and his underwater kingdom’s primacy are also based on another meteor. Plus, it’s easier for the MCU to work its way around the pre-existing “strongest” metal in the franchise as it has already documented its origins.
So it’s either the MCU spins the origins of the skeletal composition of Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine as being based on vibranium, or they straight up decided to extract adamantium from Tiamut’s body.
Deadpool 3 is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on November 8, 2024.
