Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Summary

• Ben Affleck was rumored to be supposed to make his MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine.
• Deadpool & Wolverine's success is attributed to embracing fan service with numerous Marvel hero cameos.
• While Ben Affleck's Daredevil did not materialize, the movie contained nods to the character through a meta-joke.

Several rumors in the lead-up to the release of MCU debut as Daredevil in the film, but whether this was supposed to be the case is up for debate. Deadpool & Wolverine finally hit theaters after an extensive and fruitful marketing campaign drummed up an immense level of hype. For its efforts, Marvel Studios now boasts a litany of world records, with the most recent being the record for the biggest-ever opening weekend for an R-rated movie with a global gross of $438 million in the first weekend alone.

While the MCU timeline - and Ben Affleck's Daredevil was among the most prominent.

Ben Affleck Deadpool & Wolverine Rumors Explained

The rumor mill was kicked into overdrive in the months preceding Deadpool & Wolverine's release, with fans speculating that just about every character once owned by Fox would appear. Ben Affleck's Daredevil was one of the more popular predictions during this period, which were spurred by reports that Affleck was spotted on-set during filming. These rumors began swirling over a year ago in late June 2023, around the same time that principal photography for Deadpool & Wolverine was underway.

The rumors would then be put to bed (for the most part) by insiders just three months later, in September 2023. When they first arose, the rumors did not come with photo evidence despite plenty of set photos leaking throughout the year revealing such developments as Nicepool and the severed head of Tyler Mane's Sabertooth. Thankfully, the production still managed to keep some of the more impactful cameos under wraps, which may be thanks to the clandestine tactics deployed by the filmmakers themselves.

Ben Affleck's Daredevil Return May Have Been A Fake Leak

Daredevil & Wolverine producer Wendy Jacobson recently hinted that fake information was disseminated during production to help bury Deadpool & Wolverine's biggest secrets. In retrospect, it is now painfully easy to spot which of the Deadpool & Wolverine leaks were deliberately faked as certain high-profile cameos "confirmed" by insiders - such as Ian McKellan's Magneto - failed to bear fruit. The filmmakers even went so far as to plant James Marsden clad in a comic-accurate Cyclops suit on set, which was swiftly distributed as a verified leak before his notable absence from the movie confirmed the subterfuge.

Another high-profile cameo prediction was Taylor Swift, which the filmmakers refused to confirm or deny for several months.

It stands to reason, then, that the initial rumors of Ben Affleck being spotted on the set of Deadpool & Wolverine may have also been sparked by the filmmakers themselves. None of the people involved with Deadpool & Wolverine have confirmed whether this was their doing, however, though it remains a convincing theory.

Deadpool & Wolverine Did Reference Ben Affleck And Daredevil

The fact that this was specifically brought up alongside several other rumored cameos lends credence to the notion that the leak was indeed intentional

Several rumored cameos were refuted in short order during the same Deadpool & Wolverine scene that revealed Jennifer Garner's Elektra, Wesley Snipes' Blade, and Channing Tatum's Gambit. In it, the trio of rebels standing up to Cassandra Nova confirm that the villain has killed off Daredevil along with several other resistance . The fact that this was specifically brought up alongside several other rumored cameos lends credence to the notion that the leak was indeed intentional.

It also allowed Deadpool & Wolverine to crack a quick meta-joke at Affleck's expense. After mentioning Daredevil's death at the hands of Nova, Deadpool apologizes for their loss, which Elektra quickly shrugs off, stating "It's fine." Her hand-waving of Daredevil's death appears to be a specific reference to the real-life divorce of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck in 2017. Despite this, the two actors are reportedly amicable in the wake of the divorce, which helps to make the Affleck jab land more effectively.