Top 10 Actors Who Should Become The New Wolverine

Aside from being almost indestructible, Wolverine is a deeply traumatised character whose emotional scars run deep. Who better to bring out the wounded and primal side of this animal more than General Zod himself. Not known for playing upbeat and civil of characters, Michael Shannon’s roles in Man of Steel and 99 Homes show he can pull off ruthless and rage-filled, ideal when your character needs to go berserk on a moment’s notice. However, the real appeal comes from how well he captures pain and loss, something integral to Logan just as much as his brutality.

While he’s better known as a supporting actor in large-scale features like Fury, Gran Torino and Suicide Squad, this son of legendary actor Clint Eastwood could provide a fresh face for the character, providing Logan with a more youthful look. We’ve seen hints that he can play a rather beaten and violent individual in smaller roles, but given the chance we think he could reinvigorate the aged X-Man. He’s young enough to play Wolverine at almost any point in his life, so he an be brought into any timeline with relative ease.

He made us all fall in love with Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones, why not give him a shot at Wolverine? As Daario Naharis he showed that he was very much at home with effortless charm and kicking all kinds of ass, which is what Wolverine does on a minute-to-minute basis. We have no doubt he could also bring the more sombre aspects of the character to life, but in all honesty we’d just love to see him breaking heads, letting out snide remarks and more than likely end up bedding one of his fellow X-Ladies before the day is done. Besides, he’s already got the hair down!

The majority of this actor’s filmography tends to lean towards the B-Movie side of things, his most well-known role being that of Russian fighter Yuri Boyka in “The Undisputed” franchise. Why would we thrown him into the ring for the chance to take on Wolverine’s title? Because the man is an absolute beast! His fighting prowess and physique can’t be denied, you need look no further than his fight scenes to show that he could easily bring out the Canadian death machine’s more violent side. Throw in a set of claws and we think Adkins would rack up quite the cinematic body count.

As Jax in Sons of Anarchy, we were presented with a deeply flawed human being who despite his bad decisions and tendency to find himself on the wrong side of the law was willing to do anything for his family. As Raleigh in Pacific Rim, we were given a natural lead whose determination and charisma never felt out of place despite the light-hearted feel of the movie. All in all, Charlie Hunnam knows how to portray broken characters and also knows how to have fun! That’s a recipe for Wolverine if we’ve ever heard one!

He already breathed new life into one iconic badass, why not another? Urban has certainly shown his talent in cinematic masterpieces like the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as reboots like the Star Trek series, we have to shine the light on his interpretation of Dredd, the role that finally gave the gritty, futuristic Judge the respect it deserved. The darkness of the character, his stone-cold approach to killing, his ability to respect the source material, Urban just keeps ticking the boxes in what would make a great Wolverine. In fact he’s one of the few that we thick could actually pull of the character’s classic costume!

This actor has more than proved he’s a Hollywood heavyweight with roles in Black Mass and The Gift, reflecting that he can play a tormented soul lurking on the fringe of society. Fully encapsulating the lone wolf element Wolverine is known for, the role that really brings him to the forefront is that of Brendan Conlon in Warrior, where he showed that not only could he bulk up to an obscene degree, but also that even the nicest of guys can be a badass. It’s pretty much assured that if he were to slip into Logan’s shoes that we would get a character just as likely to reflect on past pains as he is to snap a man in half.

You might know him for his towering performance as the short statured Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit trilogy, and while that showed he could easily channel the flawed hero archetype, his work on the small screen is where he really shines. He fluctuated between sinister and sympathetic as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood and was downright terrifying as Francis Dolarhyde in Hannibal. As far as portraying men with shattered psyches trying to contain their inner monsters, he has quite the extensive list of qualifications, and we’d be more than happy for him to let the Wolverine out of the cage.

Charles Bronson, Bane, Max, the Kray Twins; this man has brought them all to life and put his own stellar spin on each of these real-life and fictional icons, and we feel his take on the Wolverine would be no different. We’ve all seen just how intense he can be physically, look no further than The Dark Knight Rises and Warrior where he broke all kinds of bones. Of course he’s got the charm to match, and seeing Tom Hardy with a pair of adamantium claws would be truly epic.

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

Jon Bernthal

Liam McIntyre

Gerard Butler

Seriously though, fuck all those other guys, Hugh Jackman IS wolverine. Are we cheating here? Absolutely, it’s just that we’re not prepared to see our favourite actor from down under give up the crown just yet. For over a decade he’s been tearing bad guys apart and setting the trend for other superheroes to follow. He is one of the people we have to thank for the current explosion of quality superhero films, it’s criminal to see him go right as the genre is beginning to peak, especially now that Deadpool has finally entered the arena.

Do you agree with our list? Which actor named Hugh Jackman do you think would make the best Wolverine? With new top tens published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.