Two things can be true at once. It is certainly true that people are excited about the prospect of Reynolds and Jackman getting a proper team-up after the disaster that was “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” all those years ago. To that end, “Deadpool & Wolverine” has already been breaking box office records well ahead of its official release. Few actors are as beloved in a single role as Jackman is as Wolverine. That said, it’s also true that fans may be concerned because “Logan” was the perfect send-off for that version of the character. Can this MCU team-up truly exist while preserving what director James Mangold accomplished with his film?

That question is impossible to answer until we see what Feige and Co. have cooked up. That said, the multiverse has opened up all sorts of possibilities, and there is evidence to suggest that the Wolverine we’re going to see in this movie isn’t the same one we’ve seen before. Yes, it’s the same actor, but it may not be the same Wolverine. Whether that’s enough to preserve the integrity of “Logan” is another question entirely but, at the very least, all involved seemed to know how important it was to tread lightly on that ground.

Shawn Levy (“The Adam Project”) is in the director’s chair for the film. The cast also includes Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. Reynolds and Levy wrote the screenplay alongside Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” hits theaters on July 26, 2024.