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Marvel's new release perfectly sets the stage for X-23 to make her first appearance in a project from the studio since the character was last used in Deadpool & Wolverine. Some actors have made their live-action Marvel roles so iconic that it is hard to imagine anyone else taking over their characters. Hugh Jackman has done just that for Wolverine.
Recasting Logan for the MCU X-Men movie is going to be a daunting task. However, if Marvel Studios does not want to risk angering fans by doing so, the MCU movie timeline has already introduced Jackman's perfect replacement. After debuting in Logan, one of the best comic book movies ever, Dafne Keen returned as X-23 in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Different from Jackman, who played a new Wolverine variant, since the original died in Logan, Keen returned as an older version of the character from the James Mangold movie. At the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, not only was X-23 alive, but she was with Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Jackman's Wolverine as they celebrated with friends. X-23 likely has a future in the MCU.
As fans wait to hear more about where the character could show up next in the live-action franchise, the animated X-Men '97 season 2 has just shown how Marvel Studios is keeping the hero in its plans. X-23's perfect return after the character's role in Deadpool & Wolverine is in this standalone Marvel franchise, and her next appearance was set up nicely.
X-Men '97 Season 2 Sets Up X-23's Franchise Debut
Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for X-Men '97 season 2, episode 5.In X-Men '97 season 2, episode 5, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," Wolverine and many mutants from the old Team X come together to venture into an abandoned Weapon X facility. Wolverine had an ulterior motive, as he hid from the others that the mission's true purpose was to ensure that Logan got injected with Adamantium again after Magneto stripped his skeleton of the powerful metal back in X-Men '97 season 1. There, the characters encountered The Brood, Omega Red, and more. At one point, several DVDs bearing the names of mutants connected to Weapon X could be seen.
Among them was one for X-23, confirming her existence in the X-Men '97 world. Laura Kinney, who is a successful Wolverine clone, had not yet been created when the original X-Men: The Animated Series was airing. Instead, the Marvel hero made her debut in another animated show, X-Men: Evolution, first appearing in an episode titled after her, which was part of the show's third season, and was released in 2003. By confirming that X-23 now exists in X-Men '97's continuity, the Disney+ Marvel series could be setting up her first appearance later this season, or in the renewed season 3.
When Dafne Keen's X-23 Could Show Up AgainIn The MCU?
As far as live-action goes, there is a decent chance that Marvel Studios will bring back X-23 this year. After all, both Jackman's Wolverine and Reynolds' Deadpool are reportedly in Avengers: Doomsday, even if Marvel or the actors have never officially confirmed that to be happening. If that turns out to be accurate, then Keen could easily tag along with them, given that X-23 was last seen at the same table where Deadpool and Wolverine are sitting. If not, the character should most definitely play a role in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars.
Before Jackman leaves Wolverine behind for good, which should happen in the Multiverse Saga's final movie, before the MCU reboot, Keen needs to return as X-23 one more time for a final reunion and an emotional goodbye. Avengers: Secret Wars is also expected to be the biggest MCU movie to date, using several characters from all over Marvel's live-action history. After that, Keen's X-23 would be a prime candidate to join the MCU's X-Men team, and by teasing Laura in X-Men '97 season 2, Marvel Studios is showing that it keeps an eye on the character.
