Director of ‘What If…?’, Bryan Andrews recently explained what went wrong during the creative process for the show. While Marvel Studios was eager to explore Wolverine’s potential in the show, logistical challenges and timing ultimately caused the idea to fall apart.
This revelation comes after Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. The 2024 blockbuster dominated the box office, earning over $1.3 billion worldwide. So, Marvel’s interest in utilizing him further has only grown. However, despite the excitement surrounding the possibility, the plan never came to fruition.
‘What If…?’ Director Was Not Sure Whether They Could Use Wolverine
During an interview with Phase Hero’s Brandon Davis and Bryan Andrews spoke about the team’s initial excitement to incorporate Wolverine into the show. Marvel’s TV head, Brad Winderbaum, pitched the idea, and everyone involved was on board from the start. “When we were figuring things out, Brad was like, ‘We have to do this!’ And we were all immediately like,” Bryan recounted.
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Andrews explained that ‘X-Men ’97’, opened up new opportunities to feature mutant characters in other projects. However, this realization came too late in the production timeline for ‘What If…?’ Season 3. “But unfortunately, by the time this became clear, we were already too far along in production to make it work,” he revealed.
Additionally, the timing issue stemmed from the uncertain status of Disney’s acquisition of Fox, which officially brought the X-Men rights under Marvel Studios. At the time, the ‘What If…?’ team didn’t even know if the deal would go through. Andrews admitted that this lack of clarity left them unable to integrate the X-Men into the show fully. “By the time everything was finalized, we were like, ‘Ugh, if only we’d known earlier,” he added.
Fans Can Still Hope To See Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Again
Bringing Wolverine into ‘What If…?’ would have been a game-changing moment for the animated series. The show thrives on exploring alternate realities and hypothetical scenarios. Moreover, it’s clear that Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine is universally adored. So, seeing him in animated form could have opened the door to new storytelling possibilities and fulfilled a lot of fan dreams.
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Andrews expressed regret over the missed opportunity. “We were kicking ourselves, thinking about what could have been. Wolverine is such a massive part of Marvel lore, and Hugh Jackman’s portrayal is legendary. To have included him, even in a single episode, would have been incredible.“
While fans may never see Wolverine in ‘What If…?’, it doesn’t mean the character’s future in Marvel’s storytelling is limited. Jackman is already expected to reprise his role in ‘Deadpool 3’ and potentially other MCU films like ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. Additionally, the possibility of Wolverine appearing in other animated projects also remains on the table.
