Fans are understandably divided on Ryan Reynolds' recent announcement via a promo teaser that Hugh Jackman will be reprising his role as Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3. Even after Reynolds and Jackman released a follow-up video explaining that Jackman's return would respect X-Men cannon and not undo the dignified death Wolverine met in 2017's Logan, many still see Jackman's return to the character as a low form of fan service given his emotional send-off just five years ago. In short, some fans feel that after seventeen years of Jackman playing Wolverine, the role has fulfilled his purpose to satisfaction, leaving little to be desired from the character.
That being noted, though, there still is one crucial Wolverine element that the X-Men franchise is yet to make happen across its long list of movies. In total, there have been 13 X-Men films in the current franchise, including the original trilogy, the four prequels, and the various spinoffs. Almost all of them have featured Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to some extent, either as a central character or in a brief cameo. However, throughout all of those appearances, none of them have dared depict Jackman in Wolverine's signature super suit from the comics. This is one of the last untapped pieces of Wolverine that fans direly want to see come alive on screen, and considering how simple and fitting it would be, Deadpool 3 would be sorely remiss not to deliver on it.
Wolverine's Comic Book Suit Is Iconic
While young fans who grew up with 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies might associate Wolverine with the hardscrabble aesthetic of jeans and a white tank top (or no shirt at all) complimenting an exposed, side-burned face, those who grew up on the comics know him best in his unmistakable yellow suit. Sometimes, the suit is accented with blue, other times with black, and often a wide-winged cowl wraps the hero's head to top it off. Whatever variation it is, it is the character's most recognizable look in the comics. Like Superman's red cape or Spider-Man's mask, Wolverine's suit feels inseparable from the character on the page, for he has been sporting it since his debut in 1974's Incredible Hulk #180— at which time the cowl also included some whiskers to accentuate the hero's face. This iconic image persisted into the 1990s, as the character consistently wore a modern incarnation of the yellow suit during Fox Kids' X-Men: The Animated Series.
The X-Men Movies Ditched Camp for Cool
For those brought up in the 21st century, though, this suited-up version of Wolverine might not be the first thing that comes to mind. When the first X-Men movie debuted in 2000, superhero movies were not nearly as mainstream or accepted as they are today. Coming off the nineties' live-action superhero outings such as Joel Schumacher's juvenile Batman films and some truly embarrassing Marvel adaptations (excluding Wesley Snipes' Blade), X-Men had to be careful not to buy too heavily into comic book-style camp. In an effort to appear more serious, none of the heroes wore comic-accurate suits in the first X-Men, unless one counts Magneto's helmet. Instead, all of the X-Men, including Wolverine, wore tight, black, leathery suits when they geared up for combat. Heralding in superhero cinema for the new millennium on the heels of The Matrix's cyberpunk aesthetic, X-Men made comic book characters look sleek, sinister, ultramodern, and cool.
This aesthetic caught on and persisted as the superhero genre developed. Even in The Avengers, Marvel forwent Hulk's signature purple shorts or Hawkeye's colorful suit in favor of more subtle fashion. However, now that it has been over two decades since X-Men first debuted and superhero movies are a dominant force in popular culture, the genre does not have to be as cautious about its comic book mimicry. Many successful superhero movies have actually found success leaning into their campy origins, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Shazam!, Thor: Ragnarok, and, perhaps most notably, Deadpool.
Deadpool 3 Is the Perfect Movie to Debut Wolverine's Suit
2016's Deadpool was in many ways a watershed moment for superhero movies, as the quippish, fourth-wall-breaking, irreverent movie became an unexpected hit. Not only did it secure a trend towards comedy for the superhero genre, but its self-aware humor that poked fun at other superhero blockbusters demonstrated that the genre and its tropes had become so familiar that they could be openly mocked without losing the audience. Despite existing in the same universe, Deadpool is a far cry from 2000's X-Men and it showed that superhero films did not have to separate themselves from superhero comics.
It would thus be incredibly appropriate for Hugh Jackman to finally don the Wolverine costume in Deadpool 3. On the one hand, it would be a satisfying image for longtime fans of the character, and on the other, it would feel like a self-referential comment on X-Men's cinematic evolution, and if there's one thing Deadpool excels at, it is self-referential commentary. One can already imagine Wade Wilson both laughing and celebrating alongside fans as Hugh Jackman appears in the tragically never-before-worn iconic look. For some, it could be beautiful. For others, it could be hilarious. But for all, it would be memorable and fun.
Despite the superhero genre's newfound sense of comfort when it comes to comic book camp and humor, though, Wolverine's suit does not need to be introduced as a jest. The X-Men franchise even considered introducing the suit back in 2013, as it was hinted at and even glimpsed at in an alternate ending to The Wolverine. That scene sadly ended up on the cutting room floor, much to the chagrin of many fans. Clearly, Wolverine devotees have wanted to see Jackman in the character's suit for a while now. Deadpool 3 might have audiences divided on the choice to bring back Wolverine, but they have an easy opportunity to satisfy on this front. For their sake, and for the sake of all the skeptical but loyal moviegoers who are eager to see how the X-Men universe blends into the MCU, they should break out the yellow and blue.