Ever since the X-Men franchise kicked off in 2000, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has been a vital part of the ongoing series. He has appeared in every movie so far, including a tiny cameo role in 2011's X-Men: First Class. But when filming started on X-Men: Apocalypse, the actor was nowhere to be found. A cryptic exchange between director Bryan Singer and Hugh Jackman at last year's Comic Con seemed to hint that Wolverine will show up in this latest adventure, which closes out the prequel trilogy that also includes X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Yesterday, the final trailer was unveiled, confirming Wolverine will have a presence in the sequel after all, although it may not be just a throwaway cameo as some think.
The trailer ended with a shot reminiscent of X2: X-Men United, with several dead bodies in a corridor. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) come upon Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) remarking that they've been busy. Cyclops responds, 'We had a little help,' before Wolverine's iconic adamantium claws fill the final shot of the trailer. Empire caught up with director Bryan Singer, who wouldn't necessarily confirm that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is in the movie, although he did state that it's not nearly as simple as it appears to be.
"Make of that what you want. I will say, it's not simple. There's something more pivotal that occurs with that. It hints to a sequence that again fits within the canon of all six movies, and the birth of a new direction. It's not insignificant, nor is it simply just a throw-in. It's not the only shot you're gonna see, let's put it that way."
We know that Hugh Jackman will give his final performance as industructable mutant Logan in Wolverine 3, which starts shooting soon and is set for release on March 3, 2017. Patrick Stewart will also return as the present day version of Professor X, with Boyd Holbrook recently signing on to play the main villain. Not much is known about the story thus far, and it isn't known how the events of X-Men: Apocalypse will tie into Wolverine 3, if they will at all. Still, the presence of Wolverine in X-Men: Apocalypse is certainly exciting for fans.
Bryan Singer is directing X-Men: Apocalypse from a script by Simon Kinberg, based on a story the director and screenwriter crafted together with X2: X-Men: United writers Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty. There have been rumors that Bryan Singer has signed on to direct another X-Men movie, with production reportedly starting next year in Montreal, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. It's possible that this cryptic Wolverine scene could hint at what the future will bring for the X-Men franchise, including this rumored new movie. But we'll have to wait and see. In case you missed it yesterday, check out the X-Men: Apocalypse trailer below, and chime in with your thoughts about Wolverine's presence.