(Credit: Marvel)
future X-Men movie could have a so-called “female Wolverine” and — for once — fans are embracing the change.
After 17 years of Hugh Jackman filling the role of Wolverine on the big screen, X-Men: Apocalypse director Bryan Singer revealed to Fandango this week that he had already spoken to Fox about instead using the character X-23 — a female Wolverine clone — for a future X-Force movie.
“I have discussed that with the studio,” Singer explained. “I actually initially pitched the X-Force and the female.”
According to the Marvel Database, scientists created Laura Kinney — or X-23 — as a clone when they were unable to salvage the Y chromosome from the original Weapon X experiment.
Unlike fans disdain for female Ghostsbusters characters, the idea of a “female Wolverine” was largely met with praise on Twitter.
There are some tweets and more at Raw Story. Many of those supportive of the change have what I feel is a bad reason – they don’t want another male actor to replace Jackman, so a female Wolverine would be easier to take. As someone who has never much cared for Jackman, I wouldn’t care about him being replaced, but I am all for X-23, bring her on!
100% behind this, especially if they can make her a woman of colour.
You think that’s a bad reason? Phew, tough crowd.
Just as long as they make more of her than they did of the criminally underused Deathstrike, I’ll be happy.
Sonofrojblake:
Yes. If it wasn’t for Jackman being replaced, they’d absolutely hate this idea.
Maybe I’m just being pollyanna, but it strikes me as a positive thing. Jackman was going to have to be replaced sooner or later -- he can’t play the ageless Logan forever, no human actor could (what’s depressing me is that he’s too old… and he’s all of eight months older than me). And if they weren’t replacing him, the question wouldn’t arise.
What I’d have expected was for Marvel to pull some bullshit “regeneration”-style thing allowing them to recast a younger man (Jake Gyllenhaal? Ryan Gosling?). What I’d have expected would be for fans to be all Gamergate if it was even suggested that the most badass X-man could be a woman -- whereas it’s been “largely met with praise”. That seems great to me.
They’re looking for a new James Bond. Can you imagine it being “largely met with praise” if they cast Rosamund Pike? (It would be met with praise from me…)
The whole ‘positive’ response rests on people not wanting another man to replace Jackman. It’s a bitter pill, but they’ll swallow it, because it will be a woman. It’s all in the framing, as you brought up -- no one has said this will be the most badass Wolverine ever, it’s more of a “oh hey, you won’t have to get upset about Jackman being replaced.”
This isn’t a happy, positive, “Yes, finally, a woman is going to be one of the main superheroes!” response. This is a “well, it’s easier to take this than another [real male] Wolverine.
I don’t know, maybe you have to be a woman to understand just how lukewarm this ‘positivity’ actually is.
I would have expected that to make it more bitter -- “bad enough they’re replacing the definitive Wolverine, but with a chick???“. As a man, I’m just not seeing how a woman taking over the role is “easier to take” than another man.
If that’s how it works, why didn’t they cast Gal Gadot as Batman? They sure as hell took a lot of flack when they announced Affleck.
And in the X-Men franchise as a whole, Wolverine is front and centre as the main male goodie. Who are the other memorable X-Men in movies? Mystique. Jean Grey. Rogue. Kitty Pryde. Other male X-men (Xavier aside) are mostly forgettable by comparison, at least in the movies.
Maybe you do have to be a woman. /shrug/ I still think it’s pretty cool that fans think it’s a good thing. I won’t bore on any further.
Sonofrojblake:
But that is exactly what most of the positive tweets said -- did you read them? They are in love with Jackman as Wolverine, and would not cope well with a different man playing the part, whereas it’s fine if a woman does it, because a woman doesn’t really count.
The X-23 was a hypersonic reentry test “drone”, last flown back in the 1960s. Wheeling it out again to show these young whippersnappers how things are really done could be amusing. Especially if sliderules and the Engineer’s Handbook are used.
Blf:
That could definitely be amusing.