One of the staples of the ongoing soap opera that is Marvel’s X-Men comics is the love triangle between Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine. This storyline has served as the soapy, melodramatic center of Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men comics run, X-Men: The Animated Series, and the original Fox-era X-Men movies. Scott and Jean, the destined “forever couple,” with the angry and heartbroken Logan, simmering off in the sidelines, forever sad that his great love is with someone else. And as great as that storyline is, when the MCU introduces its Logan, we think it’s time to skip that story altogether.
Wolverine Should Be the Younger X-Men’s Mentor, Not in a Love Triangle
Right now, there are rumors floating about that Marvel Studios is already meeting with actors to play the new Wolverine. Some think it might even be The Bear star, Jeremy Allen White. Who, at 5’7, would probably be a far more comics-accurate Wolverine in terms of height than Jackman. There are also rumors that Hugh Jackman might survive the multiversal events of Doomsday and Secret Wars, and he might be incorporated into the 616 timeline. But whatever happens, we think it’s time Logan took a backseat from the main mutant romantic soap opera of Xavier’s students, and instead, served as a mentor figure.
The X-Men Brand Needs Wolverine, But in a Different Capacity
The character of Wolverine definitely needs to be in the X-Men at some point. He’s too important to just leave off the table entirely. He’s basically the team mascot to mainstream audiences. But he hogged so much of the spotlight in the original X-Men films, it left major characters like Cyclops and Storm as secondary players. We can’t have that a second time. So how do you reconcile Wolverine being on the team in the MCU, but in a secondary role? You make him an instructor at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. But not just any teacher. We think Logan’s job should be that of a combat trainer/drill sergeant. Someone who whips these mutant kids into shape in the Danger Room.
The X-Men: Evolution Version of Wolverine Was Faculty at the Xavier School
There’s precedent for this in X-Men media, both in the comics and animation. The first time we saw Logan in this capacity was in the animated series X-Men: Evolution. In that 2000s animated series, Wolverine was a mentor figure to the students. Jean, Scott, Kitty, and the rest were all of high school age, and he was their teacher and combat instructor. (Storm was also an adult instructor.) This animated show skipped the love triangle portion entirely, focusing on Logan as a mentor figure. Many fans who grew up with this series prefer this dynamic. After all, even in the comics, Logan was born at least a century before Jean Grey, whether he looks it or not.
In the Comics, Logan was the Headmaster of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning
But even the mainline comics have done this version of Logan. In the 2013 series Wolverine and the X-Men, he is the headmaster of the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. This was during one of the many eras when both Professor Xavier and Jean Grey were dead. In that series, he served as headmaster of the school. Now, we don’t want him to displace Xavier as the person who runs the school in the MCU. But this series showed him teaching younger, time-traveling versions of the original five X-Men. So even in the comics, Logan taught younger versions of Jean Grey and Scott Summers, and it wasn’t weird.
Whether It’s Hugh Jackman or Someone New, an Older Wolverine Teaching Young X-Men Is the Way to Go
Whether it’s a new actor playing Wolverine or Hugh Jackman, we think this is the proper MCU role for Logan. As a combat instructor, he’d still play a vital role in the story. What is Luke Skywalker without his Obi-Wan, or Daniel LaRusso without Mister Miyagi? He just won’t be the lead character anymore. And it’ll allow characters who were sidelined in the original films to have their moment in the sun. As fans of the comics, we are dying to see both Scott and Jean on film without being relegated to being love interests or romantic obstacles for Logan. We think this is an idea whose time has come.