ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

New Wolverine: who should be the next Wolverine?

Who should play Logan once Hugh Jackman finally lets the character go?

New Wolverine: who should be the next Wolverine?
13 February 2024

After initially hanging up his claws for good after Logan, Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine, playing the character once more in upcoming MCU movie Deadpool & Wolverine.

Now, we can see Jackman taking on a bit of a Samuel L Jackson role in the MCU going forward, recruiting new X-Men and the like for future movies. But if that doesn't happen then the role of Wolverine will have to be finally recast. If that is the case, then we have the best actors who we reckon could all be the new Wolverine.


UPDATE: We've just seen a new trailer for the upcoming 2024 movie Deadpool & Wolverine. It only features a short glimmer of Wolverine, who once again will be played by Hugh Jackman. But could this also be his last stint in the role? He's 55 and, true to his name, is still a jacked man. Everyone has their limit, though, and next year will be his 25th since first being adamantium-injected. New faces for the next Wolverine below include Rahul Kohli, Leo Woodall and Jack Bowden.


Now, there have been many rumours about who might be in talks to play the role of Logan, as well as lots of speculation about which actors have the build, gravitas and looks to play the iconic comic book character. As is also always the way, it's almost impossible to please everyone, so we've selected the names of some of the top contenders for you to have your say.

With each entry we've suggested a TV series or movie that we think shows off the actors at their best. You can then vote for your favourite, as well as suggesting your own Wolverine of choice in the box below.

Who should be the next Wolverine?

Who should be the next Wolverine?

1. Tom Hardy

Yes, we know - you’ll find Hardy on pretty much any of these shortlists, no matter the role being debated but let’s be honest, he’d probably be pretty good at them. Mad Max: Fury Road clearly showed that Hardy had the silent, broody and rather violent characteristics of Wolverine down. He is 5ft 9 though (if you care about the height debate).

Image credit: Mad Max: Fury Road / Warner Bros

740
659
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

2. Karl Urban

Stream The Boys

Given that he is a mere two years younger than Hugh Jackman, Karl Urban probably isn't in with a shout when it comes to playing Wolverine. But if they were looking to replace Jackman for a like-for-like grizzled actor then he would be perfect. He's stint in The Boys has proven that he is at home in comic book lore and his facial hair growing more and more like Logan's daily.

Image Credit: The Boys / Amazon

263
198
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

3. Jensen Ackles

Stream The Boys

Supernatural star Jensen Ackles certainly knows how to strike a “staring off into the distance” manly pose, and can infuse just about anything he does with a hint of comedy. But would he fit Wolverine? He’s currently taking his career in a superhero-themed direction, starring in The Boys as Solider Boy. That character already has some shades of Wolverine, so perhaps this one isn’t as bad an idea as you might think.

Image Credit: The Boys / Amazon

55
61
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

4. Jack Lowden

Stream Slow Horses

Scottish actor Jack Lowden has proved he can do earnest seriousness in Slow Horses, Apple’s great original TV series. He’s been touted as a James Bond contender by some, but how about Wolverine? He hasn’t played any action star roles to date, but lock him in a gym for a few months and he’d surely be able to look the part. Much like Jackman, Lowden is too tall to give a comic-accurate representation of the character at 6 ft 1, but we can certainly picture his hair teased into a classically messy Wolverine quiff.

Image Credit: Apple TV Plus

7
14
Thanks for voting

Definitely not as well-known as many on this list but the English actor has had the honour of being in not one, but two, Guy Ritchie films - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (in which he played the king himself) and more recently, The Gentlemen. The latter of which clearly proved he could deliver quips with sensational timing - a must for any actor taking on the sarcastic, dry humour of the Wolverine. The only thing that makes it difficult to picture him as the Wolverine is his blonde locks - an easy enough thing to fix.

Image Credit: King Arthur / Warner Bros

559
568
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

6. Leo Woodall

Stream One Day

Having starred in One Day, Citadel and the White Lotus, it has been a good couple of years for Leo Woodall. Born in 1996, Woodall would be a few years younger than Hugh Jackman was when he first played Wolverine in 2000. But would he actually be a good fit? Marvel purists would say he’s too tall at 5 feet 11, given the character is meant to be 5 foot 3, but then again Jackman is well over six feet tall and has nailed the job for almost 25 years.

Image Credit: Netflix

4
14
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

7. Jeremy Allen White

Stream The Bear

You may know him as the lead in the brilliant The Bear TV show, but Jeremy Allen White is about too prove he too can be a meat popsicle. He is to star in The Iron Claw, a wrestling movie that also features Zac Efron. He's bulked up for the role, showing off Wolverine-grade arms. White hasn't shown much interest in being a Marvel superhero but this is still a collaboration we can picture.

Image Credit: Disney Plus

27
38
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

8. Rahul Kohli

Stream House Of Usher

We’ve enjoyed Rahul Kohli an awful lot in his recent performances as part of the ensemble casts of Mike Flanagan shows like The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher. His characters often have a softer, sympathetic side. But does he have the chops for a superhero role? We believe in his acting. But the American accent might need work, as his own attempt in Midnight Mass is less stable than you might hope for.

Image Credit: Netflix

4
19
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

9. Dacre Montgomery

Stream Stranger Things

This 28-year-old actor has a few things on common with Hugh Jackman. He’s Australian. He’s proved he can get in serious shape for a role, having played the Red Ranger in 2017’s Power Rangers. Dacre Montgomery is not as tall or broad as Jackman, at 5 foot 9, but there’s more to his look than the curly mop he sported in Stranger Things as Billy Hargrove.

Image Credit: Netflix

22
59
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

10. Luke Evans

Stream The Alienist

Having played everything from Gaston in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty in the Beast to Girion in The Hobbit movies, Evans has a superb range. He’s one of those actors that seems to move from role to role with ease - his furore as Gaston clearly shows he can have fun with a character, while his stint in The Alienist demonstrates a darker, more complex side - and the fact he can do a decent American accent.

Image Credit: The Alienist / Warner Bros Television

525
566
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

11. Zac Efron

Stream Baywatch

Do we think Zac Efron has the grit, grim and gristly-ness necessary to play Wolverine? Not so much. But multiple Reddit threads about the topic have thrown him into the ring. He can definitely get into the shape that's needed to play the character – as the Baywatch movie proves – but it's the depth, the history and the personality we're not sure this chiselled, handsome man mostly known for his role in comedies would really convince us of. Then again, he has surprised us as an actor a few times, so we'd be happy to see where it takes the role if he was ever given the chance.

Image credit: Paramount Pictures

42
86
Thanks for voting

Frank Grillo is already in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Crossbones, starring in Captain America films Civil War and Winter Soldier as well as Avengers Endgame. This means it's unlikely he'd return as Wolverine, but not impossible. We know Grillo can get in great shape for the roles he plays, has the right look for Wolverine and often brings a lot of intensity to his roles that make him a really formidable joy to watch on the screen.

Image Credit: Marvel/Disney

20
77
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

13. Steven Yuen

Stream Beef

One actor you might not immediately consider is Steven Yuen. But he’s recently demonstrated an ability to really drive home being angry in Netflix TV show Beef. He doesn’t also have the facial hair thing down. But perhaps Wolverine can make do with a neat goatee. There’s a more pressing issue, though. Yuen was set to star in another Marvel-owned property, Thunderbolts, as The Sentry but this fell through due to conflicting schedules.

Image Credit: Netflix

10
80
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

14. Scott Eastwood

Stream Snowden

Eastwood (yes, son of Clint) has a whole roster of films under his belt including Suicide Squad, Pacific Rim: Uprising and Snowden (in which he plays Snowden’s boss at the NSA). He may not have found ~the~ role yet, and had some bad luck with some box office flops (we’re looking at you, Suicide Squad) but his performances are always solid. And, while he’s usually very clean cut, many fans already convinced he’s the right choice for Logan.

Image Credit: Open Road Films

502
597
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

15. Dafne Keen

Stream Logan

As the only contender on this list to have already played a version of Wolverine (X-23 in Logan), she has certainly proved she’s capable of pulling off the claws. Keen is also the youngest contender so Marvel would be to tackle the Wolverine timeline from any direction they fancied. Her role as X-23 saw her nominated for a plethora of awards so it would be the fans she would have to win over, not the critics. But, if her portrayal as protagonist Lyra in the recent His Dark Materials adaptation proves anything, it’s probably that she would ace any challenge you put in front of her.

Image Credit: Logan / Fox

489
613
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

16. Taron Egerton

Stream Rocketman

Egerton is definitely the frontrunner when it comes to being the next Wolverine - the critics love him. Not only was he a strong lead as ‘Eggsy’ in the Kingsman franchise (featuring Colin Firth), he won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elton John in Rocketman. Any Wolverine he played would definitely not have the same gruffness we’ve come to expect from Jackman, but Egerton does have a smaller stature (like the original comics). He would certainly allow Marvel to take Logan in a newer, less angst-y direction.

Image Credit: Rocketman / Paramount

473
612
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

17. Daniel Radcliffe

Stream The Woman in Black

One of the more unlikely names in this list, but Radcliffe has proved time and again that he is capable of playing more than everyone’s favourite wizarding saviour. In the film adaptation of classic horror novel, The Woman in Black, Radcliffe was praised for his role as the tormented Arthur and he’s even smaller than Egerton, which may please fans who would prefer the character to be a more canon height (5ft 3. However, Radcliffe does now prefer to star in obscure indie dramas and plays, so re-entering the limelight in one of the world’s biggest universes may not be his cup of tea.

Image Credit: The Woman In Black / Momentum Pictures

496
691
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

18. Jon Bernthal

Stream The Punisher

If you want an actor that pulls off pure ferocity, then there is none better than Jon Bernthal. The Punisher proved he can play 'man with issues' perfectly and he's rather handy when it comes to packing punches. He's already been on the Marvel roster, too, and we could certainly see him do a Chris Evans and swapped characters in the MCU. There is an issue with his age, though. At 43, he might be deemed that little too old for subsequent movies.

Image Credit: The Punisher / Netflix

305
600
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

19. Richard Armitage

Stream The Hobbit

Armitage has been a staple on British TV for the last two decades starring in everything from BBC’s 2006 series of Robin Hood to Spooks. He’s not simply a TV actor, though, having taken on The Hobbit’s Thorin Oakenshield with roaring success. However, he is only four years younger than Jackman at 48, which may not be ideal if the studio is looking for an actor who will carry the franchise for another 17 years.

Image Credit: The Hobbit Trilogy / New Line Cinema

300
613
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

20. Richard Madden

Stream Game of Thrones

Madden is what we’d call a theatre kid. Having joined a youth drama group aged 11, he went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He’s since performed in a number of plays (plenty of Shakespeare), before getting his career-defining moment as Robb Stark in Game of Thrones. Thanks to GoT, he probably knows plenty about handling fans expectations, which will put him in good stead for stepping into the MCU.

Image Credit: Game Of Thrones / HBO

296
644
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

21. Keanu Reeves

Stream John Wick

Reeves knows plenty about what it takes to carry a franchise having taken the lead on several blockbusters including John Wick and, of course, The Matrix. He does turn 56 later in 2020, but Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige previously admitted that they pursue Reeves for nearly every film they make, adding: “We talk to Keanu Reeves about. I don’t know when, if, or ever he’ll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it.” So, who knows?

Image Credit: John Wick / Lionsgate

320
737
Thanks for voting

Best known for portraying everyone’s favourite X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron, Isaac brings characters to our screens with ease and charm. He has already dabbled in the world of X-Men as supervillain Apocalypse but that hasn’t stopped Marvel before. On the height front, Isaac isn’t exactly short, at 5ft8, but he’s nowhere near the imposing height of the likes of Momoa and Armitage.

Image Credit: Star Wars - The Force Awakens / Disney

240
684
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

23. Jason Momoa

Stream Aquaman

Momoa already has experience as a superhero - having almost single-handedly turned Aquaman into DC’s most successful film in a decade. Although the sequel was a damp squib, we can’t help but be excited to see what he could achieve under the helping hand of Marvel. And he’s already said he's up for it, having told an audience at Celebrity Fan Fest last year that he’d love to play Wolverine. He’s certainly got the build for it even if he is a towering 6ft 5.

Image Credit: Aquaman / Warner Bros

289
771
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

24. Scott Caan

Stream Hawaii 5-0

If Marvel is looking for a Wolverine that's about the right height, then Scott Caan is ideal - he's got the bulky frame and is 5 foot 5. He's currently in the long-running Hawaii 5-0 reboot but we reckon if the call came in, he'd be happy to take on Wolverine. He's a little old for the role, at 43 - this didn't stop Jackman but it's rumoured that they are looking to cast an actor in his early 30s.

Image Credit: Hawaii 5-0: CBS

114
670
Thanks for voting
Who should be the next Wolverine?

25. John Boyega

Stream Attack The Block

Already on Disney's radar thanks to, you know, that little thing called Star Wars, Boyega would make a great Wolverine. He's got the acting chops, the action chops and he's a fan of the character, having named his cat Logan. It's unlikely that Boyega would want to jump into another big film franchise but we could definitely see him in the role and it would be good to see him in a role that comes with a little more snark.

Image Credit: Pacific Rim Uprising: Legendary Pictures

135
894
Thanks for voting

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

Tell us about it, and if enough people agree we'll add it in.