The Avengers: Infinity War directors reveal the X-Men character they wish could have made it into the movie

Avengers: Infinity War has a smorgasbord of superheroes to choose from, we know that already. But there were some (for one reason or another *cough* hurry up, Fox *cough*) which couldn’t make it into the movie. Which ones would the directors have loved to have seen make an appearance? I put that exact question to the Russo Brothers when we spoke about the upcoming Avengers 3 – and got an interesting response.

“Let’s open it up to favourite Marvel characters,” begins Joe Russo, at once wanting to be diplomatic to my teasing question and also (probably) mindful of not giving away any future plans. 

“It would probably be Wolverine,” says the elder Russo. When I remind him that, with a Fox deal potentially on the horizon, we could be getting it sooner rather than later, Anthony swoops in and says “Yeah, maybe one day…”

“We could be close,” says Joe Russo firmly, setting the resting heartbeats of the collective fandom just a little higher. Does he know something we don’t?

The looming spectre of a potential Fox deal has led many to believe that X-Men or Fantastic Four could be showing up in the MCU at some point in the near-future. Having Wolverine in Infinity War would have been brilliant, though. A powder-keg of a mutant being thrown into an already fractious group? Sign me up. Mostly because I want to see if Wolvie could do any damage to Thanos’ purple chrome dome.

From there, Joe Russo turned to his childhood for a second pick. “My joke answer is always Groo the Wanderer,” he says. “Frankly, I used to collect Groo as a kid.” Groo is an extreme deep cut so I’ll forgive you for not knowing the 1980s take on a cartoonish Conan the Barbarian type figure who spent his days foraging around Medieval Europe.

Wolverine might just be the more likely pick, but if you see Groo show up in a post-credits scene then you know who to blame…

If you're falling behind before Infinity War launches then this is the shortcut for you: the only 5 films you need to watch in preparation for the third Avengers movie.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Latest in Marvel Movies
She-Hulk on Disney Plus
Tatiana Maslany canceled a Comic Con appearance due to "filming commitments", and it could mean She-Hulk is in the next Avengers movie
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Daredevil star Charlie Cox says keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo a secret for two years was a "nightmare"
Avengers: Doomsday directors admit it's a "difficult" movie to make but tease some great Marvel collaborators "old and new"
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The Russo Brothers say Robert Downey Jr. "tried to talk us into" doing another Avengers movie but they "said no" until they heard the pitch for Doomsday: "That story has to be told"
Amanda Seyfried in Mamma Mia!
Mean Girls star Amanda Seyfried was offered the role of Gamora in the MCU, but turned it down because she thought Guardians of the Galaxy would be "Marvel's first bomb"
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
Kevin Feige was behind the decision to bring Robert Downey Jr. in as Doctor Doom, and the conversation was had "a while ago"
Latest in News
Dune Awakening
Dune Awakening launches for $50 without a stay in early access, and while the survival MMO "will not have a monthly subscription" it will have "optional" paid DLC
Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton in Hawkeye
Linda Cardellini cast as Jason's mom, the original Friday the 13th killer, for Crystal Lake prequel series
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red won't make survival games just because they're popular, but Netflix's Edgerunners anime is fueling dreams bigger than RPGs
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe actor was terrified to perform until her first mocap scene earned "a standing ovation" on set: "Maybe I can do this mocap thing"
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel may have just sneakily confirmed one of the biggest Daredevil: Born Again fan theories
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke actor says that Naoe could beat his samurai in a fight: “Especially with that big a** helmet of mine”