See Tom Hardy As Wolverine
Fans have long been clamoring for Tom Hardy to step in the role of Wolverine, and now a fan has taken it upon themselves to show what that would look like via deepfake technology.
It isn’t hard to imagine a better marriage than the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Wolverine. The X-Men franchise has the distinction of assembling the building blocks for superhero movies in the newest generation. Along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Fox’s X-Men movies revitalized the interest in superhero movies. Without them, Iron Man, and the rest of the two dozen films since may never have happened. One of the primary aspects of the X-Men movies that drew audiences was the character of Logan, AKA Wolverine. Hugh Jackman played the character of Wolverine for 17 years, beginning with 2000’s X-Men and ending with 2017’s Logan. Even though rumors continue to fly about his return, he has denied returning to the claws. There have been many names rumored to wear the claws in the MCU; Tom Hardy is the biggest. Thanks to one deepfake video, we get a glimpse of that.
When fans want something, they use the internet to make it happen. Whether signing petitions, begging official accounts, or starting fake rumors to drum up interest, few are more dedicated than fans with a mission. One of the ways that have worked in the past is creating artwork surrounding fan casting. John Krasinski had long been fan cast as Reed Richard/Mr. Fantastic before showing up in Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Stryder HD, a YouTube creator with nearly 300 thousand subscribers, is doing his best work with a deepfake video to convince those at Marvel that Tom Hardy is the man to fill the void left by Jackman.
In the video, he uses a scene from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Stryker (Danny Huston) finds Logan hiding in the Pacific Northwest as a lumberjack, trying to live a normal life. Of course, he turns down his attempts to recruit him in his usual gruff manner and goes about his business. Stryder HD uses deepfake technology to remove Hugh Jackman’s face and replaces it with Tom Hardy’s. Even though the dialogue is still Jackman’s voice, it is eerily effective. Hardy’s intense scowl and penetrating gaze would work wonders as the mutant and would undoubtedly fill the need for a Wolverine in the MCU.
He may be too late to get Marvel to cast Tom Hardy as Wolverine, though, as another name seems to be showing up. We reported recently that Taron Egerton of The Kingsman franchise confessed to being in talks with Kevin Feige to wear the claws. As amazing as it would be to see the former Bane actor portray Wolverine with the kind of intensity he is known for, his age must be a factor. Wolverine is likely to be a staple of the MCU moving forward, and at 44 years old, one must wonder how many movies Marvel could get out of Hardy. Egerton, however, is only 32 years old, and that 12-year difference could be all he needs to edge out the fan-favorite.
Even still, the deepfake video gives fans a fun look into what the world would have been like with the incredible Tom Hardy as Wolverine. You never know; the multiverse makes anything possible, so we could get the best of both worlds.
