The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, with thrilling new projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Folks who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are always looking to the future, and fans are especially interested to see who will play the X-Men in upcoming Marvel movies. Some people want to see Daniel Radcliffe play Wolverine, but he recently described taking on the mantle after Hugh Jackman as a "cursed chalice".
After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the door was finally open for mutants to join the MCU. While the OGs of the X-Men movies are back for Avengers: Doomsday, new actors are expected to take on their roles in future projects. Radcliffe has been a popular online choice for Wolverine, and in an interview from ScreenRant's TikTok he addressed the ongoing chatter. In his words:
The classic one has always been Wolverine. I still get people coming up to me and being like, ‘Is that gonna happen?’ I’m like ‘Dude, no.’ Look, somebody will prove me wrong and do a great job.
This isn't the first time Radcliffe has laughed off those rumors, and it sounds like he doesn't have much of an interest in actually playing Wolverine. But given his ongoing popularity from the Harry Potter movies, as well as his status as a short king, fans are likely going to keep the discourse going until another actor is officially named as the next Logan.
This chatter about him playing Wolverine has been going on for years now, especially once Radcliffe put on some muscle. But later in the same interview, he shared why he really isn't interested in taking on the role so famously played by Hugh Jackman. In the actor's words:
I think it’s a bit of a cursed chalice to be the person that follows Hugh Jackman in Wolverine. I’m not sure I would want that job. I’m sure somebody out there will and will do it wonderfully. But he’s made it pretty definitive, so I don’t know that I would even want to do that.
He's not wrong. Jackman has been playing the clawed mutant for decades, so whoever tried to take on the mantle will have some very big shoes to fill. That's seemingly a big reason why Daniel Radcliffe isn't entertaining the idea of playing Wolverine; it's too daunting of a task given how synonymous the Greatest Showman actor is with that role. So, while "cursed chalice" was an unexpected way to describe all this, it does make a lot of sense.
In the years that have passed since playing Harry Potter, Radcliffe has established himself as an accomplished and versatile star of movies, TV, and Broadway. It's been fascinating to see his choice of projects, even if some fans still want him to play Wolverine in the MCU.
The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Radcliffe, he can be seen in the new NBC show The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.
