Okay, so here’s the thing about Fantastic Four (2005): it’s not exactly a masterpiece, but it managed to gain a soft spot in some Marvel fans’ hearts, mostly due to the charismatic cast and the sheer, campy charm. But what you probably didn’t know is that there was almost a bonkers moment in the movie where Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine made a “cameo” … sort of? Buckle up, because this story gets strange.
Wolverine in Fantastic Four? Well, Kind Of
Picture this. Ioan Gruffudd’s Reed Richards (you know, the guy not played by John Krasinski) is in the middle of a conversation with Jessica Alba’s Sue Storm. Mid-chat, Reed shapeshifts his face into Wolverine, complete with the trademark Hugh Jackman mutton chops. Sounds wild, right?
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), this bizarre homage to Jackman’s Wolverine never made it past the cutting room floor. And looking at the rough CGI from that deleted scene, it’s pretty clear why. Reed’s transformation into Wolverine is about as convincing as the rubber Thing suit Michael Chiklis spent hours sweating in. Yikes.
Ioan Gruffudd reflected on this delightful oddity in an interview years later, describing it as “paying homage to the great Hugh Jackman,” while also admitting that he doesn’t really know why it got scrapped. Honestly, Ioan, we’re also scratching our heads.
Fox’s Attempt at a Shared Marvel Universe
Here’s where things get interesting. Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born in 2008 with Iron Man, Fox was clearly toying with the idea of creating their own connected universe. This deleted scene could have technically bridged the world of the X-Men with the Fantastic Four. Can you imagine Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm roasting Cyclops while The Thing challenges Colossus to an arm-wrestling match? Chef’s kiss.
But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite the success of “The Wolverine and X-Men movies up to that point, Fox never quite pulled the trigger on a proper crossover. After a couple of campy Fantastic Four flicks and a Wolverine origin movie we all try to pretend didn’t exist, Disney swooped in with their big bucks and bought the Fox properties in 2019. Goodbye, Fox Marvel Universe. And good riddance to some of it (seriously, Fant4stic, we’re looking at you).
A Pub Quiz Fun Fact
Here’s the silver lining, though. For one glorious second, Ioan Gruffudd can technically claim he’s played both Reed Richards and Wolverine. Imagine whipping that tidbit out at trivia night. “Who’s the only actor to play both Mister Fantastic and Wolverine? Oh yeah, it’s the guy from Harrow!”. Reed Richards morphing into Wolverine is the kind of chaotic energy we didn’t know Fantastic Four truly needed until now.
Did We Dodge a Bullet?
Now, was this deleted scene the crossover goldmine it could have been, or would it have been yet another reason for critics to roll their eyes at Fantastic Four? Tough call. On one hand, the idea of a pre-MCU Marvel mash-up is enticing. On the other hand, if this deleted scene is any indication, maybe we’re better off with Logan hanging out in the superior X-Men movies instead of awkwardly cameoing via low-budget CGI.
Closing Thoughts
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine meeting the Fantastic Four may not have made the final cut in 2005, but it’s a fascinating “what could have been” moment in Marvel movie history. Did Fox miss their chance to cash in on a shared universe, or did scrapping this scene save us from a cringeworthy cinematic misstep? Either way, it’s a fun little piece of trivia to keep in your Marvel knowledge arsenal.
And hey, who knows? Maybe now that Marvel Studios has the X-Men and the Fantastic Four under one mouse-eared roof, we’ll finally see a proper crossover in the MCU. Until that happens, we’ll keep laughing at the pure madness of Reed Richards impersonating Wolverine.
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