Hugh Jackman might be flexing his muscles and popping on a pair of adamantium claws once again to play Wolverine in the MCU for Deadpool 3, but beyond that, fans are rightly asking what's next. Now, Zac Efron could be practising his push-ups and throwing his hat into the ring to take over as the clawed Canadian.

Jackman came onto the superhero scene with his massively coiffeured hair for 2000's X-Men. Since then, he's become synonymous with the role - playing Wolverine across nine movies (including his X-Men: First Class cameo). Although 2017's Logan was pitched as his final farewell, Ryan Reynolds shocked Tinsel Town by confirming he's teamed up with Jackman for Deadpool 3.

Will Zac Efron Play Wolverine In The MCU?

Ever since Jackman said he was hanging up his claws, the internet has been awash with fan casting on who should replace him. A name that's come up time and time again is Zac Efron. The 34-year-old has come a long way from his High School Musical days, and after beefing up for Baywatch, he's also had main roles in The Greatest Showman and led his own Netflix series for Down to Earth with Zac Efron. 

The star himself has tip-toed around the idea of playing Wolverine in the MCU. Speaking to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Efron explained, "I think Hugh's still doing that pretty well, I got to give it to Hugh." Fallon reminded us how the pair starred together in The Greatest Showman, so continuing about whether he'd be up for the chance to play Wolverine in the MCU, Efron joked, "I guess I had my foot in the door on that one, I should go talk to him."

Whether Efron is in the know or not, he definitely has the star power and physique to pull off Wolverine in the MCU. In other corners of the internet, fans are championing Efron to play Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, in the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. To be honest, we'd be happy if he played either. No matter what, there are always going to be those who hate as you cast as Wolverine after Hugh Jackman.

Is Hugh Jackman Wolverine In The MCU?

For the time being, Jackman still has his claws in the role of Wolverine. Deadpool 3 is something of a big deal, as it's the first time the Merc with the Mouth is officially part of the MCU. We've seen the odd Easter egg in the likes of She-Hulk, but as a rare survivor of Disney swallowing Fox, Deadpool's arrival has everyone guessing what's going on.

Remembering back to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we had fellow X-Men alumni Patrick Stewart delivering a jaw-dropping cameo as Charles Xavier. We know the X-Men at least exist in the Earth-838 universe, but that doesn't mean our Deadpool and Wolverine are from the same one. Bascially, we're expecting more dimension-hopping madness.

Either way, a cryptic tease that the pair will be in their prime also suggests the Wolverine we meet in Deadpool 3 isn't the one we buried in Logan - at least that clears up that convoluted canon. Then again, with it being seemingly impossible to lure Jackman back in the first place, we're also not expecting the 53-year-old to extend his role beyond Deadpool 3. Still, we hope there could be more because he'd be right at home in the upcoming Secret Wars movie. 

Will Tom Hardly Play Wolverine In The MCU?

With Jackman presumably bowing out (again) and Efron keeping quiet, let's look at who else could join the party. Bringing back a forgotten casting from yesteryear, Peaky Blinders' Tom Hardy was once supposed to squeeze into the black and yellow suit for Fox's X-Men movies. Speaking to ComingSoon.net, X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn explained his grand plans for a sequel that would've cast Hardy as Wolvie. 

Vaughn said he stepped away from the project because he wasn't allowed to do his version of a trilogy that would've continued with Apocalypse and then ended with Days of Future Past: "When I finished the 'Days of Future Past' script with it ready to go I looked at it and said, 'I really think it would be fun to cast Tom Hardy or someone as the young Wolverine and then bring it all together at the end.'" Instead, the studio said Days of Future Past was too good, fast-tracked it, and lost Vaughn. 

Casting Tom Hardy as Wolverine in the MCU is arguably even less likely than Jackman continuing, mainly because he plays Eddie Brock/Venom in Sony's Spider-Man spin-offs AND entered the main MCU canon as the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Although not quite on the level with casting the new James Bond, replacing Jackman as Wolverine is a tall order - ironic that at 5.3 ft, Wolverine is one of the shorter Marvel heroes. Will Zack Efron play Wolverine in the MCU? Well, maybe if he ducks down.