Kevin Feige Promises Deadpool & Wolverine Won't Mess With Logan's Story

Arguably the most anticipated movie of the year is just around the corner as Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" gets ready to roll into theaters later this month. A full six years after "Deadpool 2," Ryan Reynolds is back as Wade Wilson, only this time he brought a friend with him. Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine seven years after retiring as the character. It was Jackman himself who made the phone call to pick the claws back up, but given how 2017's "Logan" ended, many have wondered if this will dampen what that movie accomplished. We have assurance from the top of the food chain that it won't.

On the inaugural episode of "The Official Marvel Podcast," Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed a number of topics but, as one can imagine, "Deadpool & Wolverine" came up a fair amount. It is, after all, the next Marvel Cinematic Universe movie due to hit theaters — and the only one on the calendar for 2024. Speaking about Jackman's return, Feige stated that they worked to maintain the integrity of "Logan" in bringing the actor back for one more go-around:

"'Deadpool & Wolverine' is just –- I hope –- is going to be an amazing example of how you can still, you know, going 25 years on that Hugh's been playing this character, to new places and to surprise people with characters that they've seen many times before, and in cases like Logan, think they've said goodbye to once, in an excellent movie that we also had nothing to do with called 'Logan' that we are very conscious about maintaining the integrity of that movie in what we've done with 'Deadpool & Wolverine.' But it's very exciting to see how we can continue with the same actors in new incarnations, which is great and I think is a peak into the future as we continue to bring these comic book stories to life."

Two things can be true at once. It is certainly true that people are excited about the prospect of Reynolds and Jackman getting a proper team-up after the disaster that was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" all those years ago. To that end, "Deadpool & Wolverine" has already been breaking box office records well ahead of its official release. Few actors are as beloved in a single role as Jackman is as Wolverine. That said, it's also true that fans may be concerned because "Logan" was the perfect send-off for that version of the character. Can this MCU team-up truly exist while preserving what director James Mangold accomplished with his film?

That question is impossible to answer until we see what Feige and Co. have cooked up. That said, the multiverse has opened up all sorts of possibilities, and there is evidence to suggest that the Wolverine we're going to see in this movie isn't the same one we've seen before. Yes, it's the same actor, but it may not be the same Wolverine. Whether that's enough to preserve the integrity of "Logan" is another question entirely but, at the very least, all involved seemed to know how important it was to tread lightly on that ground.

Shawn Levy ("The Adam Project") is in the director's chair for the film. The cast also includes Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. Reynolds and Levy wrote the screenplay alongside Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" hits theaters on July 26, 2024.