Could Daniel Radcliffe Follow In Hugh Jackman's Footsteps As The Next Wolverine In The MCU?

After 17 years of playing Wolverine, Hugh Jackman's time as the character finally came to a close in 2017's "Logan." Fans have since considered several actors who could adequately fit into the vast gap Jackman left behind and portray Wolverine as he should be.

One of these actors is Daniel Radcliffe, the "Harry Potter" franchise star. Radcliffe shared that he is very flattered his fans think he would be a more comic-accurate Wolverine but doesn't think he could be as good or better than Jackman. Read to find out what he said.

With Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox, it looks like the X-Men will be joining the MCU. This immediately led to a lot of speculation on what actor would best portray Wolverine in any potential MCU features of films.

There are no signs or announcements of an X-Men project, but Shawn Levy was recently confirmed to direct "Deadpool 3" while Patrick Stewart has a feature as Professor X in the upcoming "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

Most Wolverine fans would prefer Jackman reprise his role as the clawed superhero, but it's very unlikely considering the events of "Logan." Another popular option is Radcliffe, who would be a closer incarnation of the comics' character.

In the Wolverine comics, the character's height is 5ft 3. This was an issue when the 6ft 3 Jackman was cast as the character in the 2000s "X-Men." His height eventually became irrelevant when he won audiences over and held the role for 17 years.

During the SXSW premiere of "The Lost City," which Radcliffe featured in, Comicbook.com asked the "Guns Akimbo" actor about his opinions of the online support from fans for him to play Wolverine.

Radcliffe shares that he appreciates the sentiment that he would be a perfect shorter version of the character, but he doubts Marvel would follow up with him after Jackman's exit. He also mentioned how the online speculation has people thinking he's gotten the role already.

He said, "So many times, people come to me like, 'hey man, heard the Wolverine news, that's pretty cool.' No, I don't know anything about it. Like, I appreciate that somebody is clearly going like 'Wolverine's actually short in the comic books, you should get like a short guy to do it!' But I don't see myself, I don't see them going from Hugh Jackman to me. But who knows? Prove me wrong, Marvel."

After ten years of playing Harry Potter in the "Harry Potter" franchise, it seems that Radcliffe ran far away from all franchise roles. Instead, he has featured in a handful of smaller projects like the comedy film "Swiss Army Man" and the romantic comedy "What If." He was also recently cast as Weird Al Yankovic in an upcoming biopic.

Interestingly, his career path has fans excited and hopeful that he might be the next Wolverine. This is because it's the same trajectory that Radcliffe's one-time co-star Robert Pattinson took before he recently featured as Batman in the box office smash hit "The Batman."

Wolverine is one Marvel character that has never lost its relevance in Marvel, even decades after it was created. However, it has become more popular over recent years, likely due to Disney's acquisition.

Marvel Comics is currently running a Wolverine comic event series with two comics titled "X Lives of Wolverine" and "X Deaths of Wolverine." The comics focus on most of the crucial moments from the character's past and life. There is also a Wolverine video game currently in development but no confirmed release date.

2024 will be the 50th anniversary of Wolverine's creation, and there is strong hope amongst fans that Marvel will use the opportunity to debut the character in the MCU. Radcliffe would be a great option as he would be a bold direction for the character.