Here’s the real reason why Deadpool & Wolverine star Hugh Jackman deserves an Oscar nomination for his role in the film.
Deadpool & Wolverine may be winding down its billion-dollar box office run in theaters, but the race for major awards acclaim is just beginning! A recent feature on Disney and Marvel Studios’ plans for various Deadpool & Wolverine awards consideration campaigns came with the eye-raising note that Marvel Studios is aiming for an Oscar nomination for Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, in the major category of “Best Supporting Actor.”
For a lot of cinephiles, the idea of Hugh Jackman getting Oscar considerations for a Deadpool may seem outrageous. However, there’s actually a lot of deeper subtext to Jackman’s performance in Deadpool & Wolverine that makes it wholly deserving of an Academy Award nomination. Let’s break down why.
There Were Levels to It
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan at the X-Men’s Graves in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
– Marvel Entertainment)
In Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman plays a variant of Logan/Wolverine from a universe (of no specific designated number) where he was out getting drunk when anti-mutant forces launched a major surprise attack, slaughtering the entire X-Men team and scores of other mutants. In retaliation, Wolverine went berserker and killed scores of the guilty and innocent alike, finally becoming a pariah on his world, stuck in a deep well of depression. The story of Deadpool & Wolverine sees Wade Wilson/Deadpool dragging Logan of his broken state and giving him a new purpose as the would-be savior of Deadpool’s universe, Earth-10005.
During the film, Jackman’s Wolverine has to confront the entire onscreen legacy of his character, from the initial pulpy glory days of X-Men films to the more serious later stories in the franchise, like Logan. In addition to talking about Wolverine’s history onscreen, Deadpool & Wolverine operated on another level, paying homage to the entire 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies and Jackman’s Wolverine as its iconic mascot (or “anchor being”). The film contains several moments – both big and small, dramatic and humorous – that directly reference Jackman as an actor and real-life person instead of his onscreen character, delving deep into the personal cost of his Wolverine performances, and perhaps some deeper insecurities about his superhero movie legacy and value to cinema.
The Fox-Marvel era never achieved the level of prestige or box office success as its successor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Jackman’s efforts as Wolverine resulted in as many misses (X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as it did hits (X-Men (2000), X-Men: Days of Future Past, Logan). It’s easy to imagine the years of frustration and/or envy that Jackman experienced watching the MCU rise to dominance, while the Fox-Marvel Universe became increasingly ridiculed and mocked, in comparison. His performance in Deadpool & Wolverine is arguably a sort of therapeutic journey meant for Jackman to work through that angst, and prove his Wolverine was worthy enough to play in the MCU sandbox (and subsequently, so is he).
Why Hugh Jackman Deserves An Oscar for Deadpool & Wolverine
It’s no secret that the Oscars often show favor to films that examine the artist and the creative process they endure in creating their art. The last few years alone have brought us a slew of Oscar nominations for artist-focused films like Bradley Cooper’s Maestro (2023), and A Star Is Born (2018), American Fiction, Tar, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Speilberg’s Meet the Fablemans, David Fincher’s Mank, Sound of Metal – and more.
Just because Deadpool & Wolverine wrapped itself in the pulpy colorful fantasy of a comic book movie, and had the beats and tropes of a raunch-comedy, the deeper meta-narrative about Jackman’s acting career as Wolverine shouldn’t be overlooked. Even after nearly a quarter-century as Logan, Jackman still managed to break new ground and push himself physically and emotionally for his Deadpool & Wolverine performance, while also providing humor and action, to boot. How many other Supporting Actor nominees put in that kind of multi-faceted effort this year?
Logan Deserved It
Finally, there’s the not-so-proud tradition of the ‘Conciliation Oscar’ to consider. A lot of Marvel fans have been upset since the 2018 Oscars that Jackman didn’t get a “Best Actor” nomination for his performance in Logan. A lot them think he’s owed one, and that a performance in Deadpool & Wolverine that only builds on the performance of Logan is the best way to do it.
