See Who Nearly Played Wolverine - Hugh Jackman Competed With 7 Actors (Someone Else Was The First Choice!)

Hugh Jackman started playing Wolverine nearly 25 years ago, and he is still projected to win awards for the role in 2025. In fact, he is widely considered to be one of the first amazing casting decisions for a Marvel hero.

Knowing that, you’ll be shocked to learn that he very nearly wasn’t cast in the role!

The actor emerged as a fan-favorite star in the franchise for his portrayal of the clawed hero in 2000′s X-Men. Since then, Hugh has saved the day in so many movies over the years.

He seemingly bowed out of the franchise with 2017′s Logan. That all changed with 2024′s Deadpool & Wolverine. The newest blockbuster officially introduced his character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and potentially sets the scene for even more projects in the future.

He and his costars are also predicted to have an impressive awards season, which kicks off with the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday (January 5).

It’s impossible to think of Wolverine now without picturing him as Hugh, but another big star was actually cast in the role and had to drop out, which led to the casting switch-up.

Now, we all know how things worked out. But with the new movie, we got curious and did some digging to see who else was in the running for the role.

The list includes the big actor who had to back out, one who brought his son to the audition and another who ultimately recommended Hugh, which led to the final casting decision!

Scroll through the slideshow to see all of the actors who were in the running to play the iconic mutant…