After not hearing anything about MCU alongside Deadpool in Deadpool 3. The film is set to premiere on September 6th, 2024, and will likely be the first major step in ingratiating mutants and X-Men into the MCU.
Funnily enough, Wolverine has already been teased in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it easter egg in X-Men film franchise – or even if he’ll be in the role for the long haul across the MCU. So much is up in the air it’s the perfect time for theorizing, and fans on Reddit have come up with some fantastic and hilarious theories, some of which are so ridiculous, they could come to fruition.
A Fourth Wall Break To Break Reality
Deadpool is beloved for his irreverent sense of meta-humor, constantly breaking the fourth wall like She-Hulk is doing in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. It’s exciting to think about how they could interact in the future, which got u/jayscur10 thinking, “it will turn out that she was talking to him whenever she broke the fourth wall.” That’s fun to think about, but others have gone farther in developing theories on how his meta-humor can bring him into the MCU.
the other great X-Men movies and tv shows, so multiple variants of those characters could come to the MCU.
Deadpool The Time Criminal
Despite the shaky ending to the X-Men franchise, Deadpool was strangely safe ground, but in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yet, tampering with time in the MCU is highly punishable, and Deadpool 3 could focus on that in a way to link the two universes together.
Werewolf by Night. As the Multiverse begins to expand and Kang the Conqueror exacts his plan, this theory has a lot of validity – plus that could mean that Loki will appear in Deadpool 3 too.
Deadpool Kills The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Going through Reddit, there was one major idea many fans agree will likely be the major inspiration for Deadpool 3 – Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. This was an epic storyline from 2012 to 2013 and as its name implies, Deadpool ends up killing the rest of the Marvel Universe. Thankfully, it was a different universe than the main continuity on Earth-616, but some fans think is how he’ll be incorporated into the MCU in a way.
This could have him pining all over the multiverse, fighting and killing “literally every known hero and villain” as u/MrIiams writes, who also thinks, therefore, that “the cameos are out of control.” The big question adapting this storyline begs is how and why he would stop the killing once he reaches the MCU’s Earth-616.
Is Wolverine Even In This?
While hope dwindled that Hugh Jackman would ever appear in the MCU following X-Men: First Class.
Wolverine from his various films and tv shows. All that being said, many fans still don’t think he’ll really be playing MCU’s Wolverine and that he’ll just be there to the torch to someone new.
It's Not Actually Wolverine
Humorously, despite the marketing, some fans have concocted theories that Hugh Jackman won’t actually appear as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. Instead, he’ll just be himself, “and Deadpool is dragging him around all movie saying, ‘come on, you are Wolverine. Pop your claws,” as u/reddobe writes. Again, that would fall in line with the tone of Deadpool and Reynold and Jackman’s friendship.
While that would certainly be entertaining, the bit might run dry quickly and many eager fans could end up disappointed. They’ll still be expecting Wolverine to feature significantly, so the joke could backfire.
Blame Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch
There are plenty of interesting theories for how both Wolverine and Deadpool could come into play, many of which relate to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. u/Chronon_Field posits that Jackman will actually be playing the Wolverine from the Earth-838 version rather than from the X-Men film universe. They claim “Wolverine will be part of the 838 strike force and in particular will want revenge for 838 Charles’ murder.”
X-Men: The Animated Universe with his yellow wheelchair and the iconic soundtrack. In this case, Jackman’s Wolverine could be based on that show too.
Deadpool 3: Multiversal Boogaloo
Incursions were something many fans were thinking about regarding Deadpool’s introduction. Deadpool 3 is the first film in Phase Six and will have to play a big role in moving the franchise along, so having him show up and cause an incursion would certainly set the stage for Fantastic Four, as that film might take place in an alternate universe too.
u/ryanbriggers images a compelling scenario, “seeing Deadpool/Wolveine’s universe dealing with an incursion and actually losing in the end…maybe Deadpool is the only true survivor and slips into the main universe.” Not only would that add some emotional weight to the story, but it could end up involving Doctor Strange, America Chavez, and other multiversal heroes too.
"Every Deadpool needs to stand out, stand apart..."
u/the_dreaming_artist took notice of a specific line from Ryan Reynold’s announcement, finding hidden meaning within it. He said “every Deadpool needs to stand out and stand apart…” which could just be him talking about the Deadpool movies, but they took it to mean the character. They asked, “does that mean there’s gonna be more than one Deadpool in this movie?”
Honestly, that definitely seems possible if for no other reason than to show Earth-616’s Wade Wilson, before he likely gets killed by the Deadpool everyone’s familiar with. Some great Deadpool variants would be a welcome sight in Deadpool 3, such as Dogpool, Zenpool, and Lady Deadpool.
Deadpool Vs Dreadpool
Taking the idea of multiple Deadpools one step further, it could very well turn out that the main antagonist of Deadpool 3 is a Deadpool. One of the best options would be Dreadpool, the one from Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, who is on his bloody crusade across the Multiverse until he crosses paths with Deadpool.
Deadpool is a major anti-hero missing from the MCU, and this could help showcase his strange complexities. u/Bowiescorvat2 likes this idea, saying Dreadpool could be killing everyone because “he feels the only way to save his universe is to kill everyone who is a character in marvel, but that Deadpool could be the one to stop him – probably while making a joke about Ryan Reynold’s wanting to keep a paycheck.
Who Else Is Coming Back?
Of course, while Hugh Jackman has gotten most of the attention from the announcement this gives hope that other prominent players from the X-Men films could cross over too. Many fans would love to see Colossus, Domino, X-23, Negasonic Teenage Warhead again – even Cable, which would invite a funny joke about Josh Brolin being in the MCU twice.
On top of those, u/deifius came up with a clever idea in that “Morena Baccarin shows up recast as Death, and in the post-credit scene Thanos shows up and super simps all over her.” Perhaps Deadpool 3 is how Thanos returns to the MCU, which could also apply to others like Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, and Quicksilver before everything breaks loose in Avengers: Secret Wars.
