Hugh Jackman may not have been the first actor cast as Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s ambitious 2000 comic book adaptation X-Men (that honor goes to Dougray Scott, who was forced to drop out over scheduling issues with Mission: Impossible II), but the then-unknown Australian actor certainly made the character his own. In fact, it’s hard to think of Wolverine and not instantly conjure images of Hugh Jackman going berserk. Over the course of seven different films, Jackman’s portrayal of the mutant has now become positively iconic.

But as the actor closes in on 47 years of age, he’s decided that the next standalone Wolverine movie will be his last time playing the character. Steve spoke with Jackman yesterday who gave us plenty of updates on that new Wolverine movie, and through the course of their discussion it was clear that going out on a high note is very, very important to Jackman.


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Image via Marvel Comics

However, just because Jackman is hanging up his claws doesn’t mean 20th Century Fox is ready to retire such a popular character. A reboot will come sooner or later, which means someone will have the unenviable task of following in Jackman’s footsteps. The actor himself told MTV News recently that he thinks Tom Hardy would do a fine job, which got us thinking—who should be the next Wolverine?

Jackman’s casting caused fan uproar in 2000 because at 6’2”, he’s a far cry from the comics-accurate 5’3” stature of Wolverine. With a clean slate, might Fox hem closer to the source material this time? Or does Jackman’s casting set a precedent that physical resemblance isn’t as important as the ability to genuinely inhabit the character?

We’ve put together a poll of potential candidates to pick up the claws after Jackman’s tenure comes to an end, though it's also entirely possible that Fox repeats Jackman's path and goes with an unknown. So vote away and let us know who you think should be the next Wolverine. Don’t see your favorite candidate listed? Sound off in the comments with your write-ins.