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Tom Hardy, an Academy Award-nominated actor with a striking presence, has already made his mark in two superhero films. He first appeared as Bane in DC’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012), followed by his portrayal of the lead character in Marvel’s 2018 hit, Venom. Interestingly, he was also considered for a third comic book role, one that would have seen him step into the shoes of one of Marvel’s most legendary figures.
In a recent interview with ComingSoon, Matthew Vaughn, the director of 2011’s X-Men: First Class, shared his unrealized vision for the series. Among his many disclosures was his desire to cast Tom Hardy as a younger version of Hugh Jackman's iconic Wolverine.
"After completing the script for Days of Future Past, I thought it would be exciting to cast someone like Tom Hardy as a young Wolverine and then tie everything together in the finale," Vaughn explained, as reported by ComicBook.com. "Fox loved the script and immediately decided to move forward with it. I warned them, 'What’s your next step? Trust me, you’ll hit a wall.' They went on to make Apocalypse, and it felt like a misstep. If they had reversed the order, it might have worked better. Hollywood often struggles with pacing—executives are speeding ahead while only looking backward, and then wonder why things fall apart."
Vaughn cites creative disagreements with Fox as a key factor in his departure from the X-Men franchise. “My vision was to start with First Class, introduce a younger Wolverine in the 70s for the sequel, and develop those characters further. The grand finale would have been Days of Future Past,” he explained.
With Hugh Jackman officially stepping away from Wolverine after his final appearance in the Oscar-nominated Logan (2017), fans have been eagerly debating who could take on the iconic role next. Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg recently told GamesRadar that he envisions Game of Thrones star Richard Madden or Tom Hardy as potential candidates. Adding to the intrigue, Jackman himself endorsed Hardy for the role back in 2015.
Although Hardy is currently tied to Sony’s Marvel universe as Eddie Brock/Venom, it’s worth noting that this character exists outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Disney’s acquisition of Fox, the next iteration of Wolverine, whenever it happens, will likely debut in the MCU. Fans would undoubtedly embrace Hardy wielding adamantium claws.
