With the impending arrival of mutants to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine. As a result, the MCU needs to find innovative ways to depict the X-Men lore in a different style. Deadpool is a special case, as his two successful solo movies already existed on the fringes of Fox's franchise, but he still needs to adapt to the rules of the MCU if he wants to make a direct jump to the Avengers' home universe.
Beginning with early talks in 2004, Ryan Reynolds was already interested in bringing Deadpool to life more than a decade before his debut as the mutant mercenary. Some legal hurdles prevented further development, but Reynolds still pursued the role and played the character in 2009's Deadpool 2 in 2018 and by Joker in 2019.
How Marvel Phase 4 Is Already Incorporating X-Men Into The MCU
Disney's recent acquisition of Deadpool and the X-Men put an end to Fox's X-Men franchise with the perpetually- Deadpool 3 also fell in the hands of the Mouse, which led fans to wonder about the future of the character in the MCU. It's not a simple decision for Disney to release an R-Rated film centered on an insolent, self-aware antihero who comes from a different universe, but there are still ways to make it work.
There Are Currently No Official Plans for Deadpool in the MCU (But They Say They Want to Use Him)
Although the current slate of MCU projects demonstrates a clear evolution from its previous 23-film-long Infinity Saga, with movies like Captain Marvel 2 and another sequel to an established title.
On the bright side, Iron Man came out. All things considered, Deadpool's return to theaters doesn't seem as far-fetched as those ideas once were.
Deadpool 1 & 2 Couldn't Exist in the MCU
One big obstacle that Disney has to sort out before moving forward with any plans for Deadpool's next appearance is his timeline. If the Deadpool that appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the same one from Fox's Deadpool and Deadpool 2, fans will inevitably wonder if Cable and Thanos (both played by Josh Brolin) exist in the same universe. Most importantly, they will wonder what happened to characters like Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić). Again, if Marvel intends to introduce the X-Men characters gradually, this is the kind of challenge with continuity that will require creative workarounds. Deadpool's fourth-wall-breaking ability can make his interdimensional jump much more palatable, but leaving his previous adventures behind would be a disservice to their well-deserved success.
Luckily, Deadpool has dealt with similar circumstances before. The first two Deadpool movies were released after the MCU multiverse could integrate all of the previous X-Men movies as peripheral universes. This way, Disney can avoid mixing up its family-friendly content with the R-rated Deadpool movies while sparing their existence.
Deadpool Might Work Better as a Side Character
Releasing a PG-13 Deadpool movie, even with every other aspect of the previous movies kept intact, would inevitably feel like a downgrade. A big part of what makes Deadpool so popular is his profanity and humorous violence. Scenes like the execution of Ajax (Ed Skrein) and Juggernaut ripping Deadpool in half are precisely what made the first two movies stand apart from the PG-13 nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and propelled them to success. The absence of moments like these in Deadpool 3 would be difficult to ignore and even more difficult to substitute. So, to avoid drawing attention to Deadpool's lack of R-rated content and the possible absence of his previous teammates, his role in the MCU could fit better as a side character. This doesn't mean that he should be glossed over or that his importance should be diminished - just that his interaction with other characters could take the prominence over his R rating. It also goes in line with the method of introducing single of the X-Men before their MCU team-up, which helps differentiate Disney's X-Men from Fox's.
Making Deadpool a side character is the same technique Marvel used to overcome the complicated share of Hulk's rights with Universal. By making the Hulk a team player, the MCU was able to develop him throughout the Deadpool in MCU's PG-13 team-ups alleviates the issues of the R-rating, but it also provides plenty of possibilities for his development at his new home universe. He can meet with the Avengers, the eventual creation of the X-Men, and even pay a visit to the Guardians of the Galaxy. One facet that the first two Deadpool movies lacked was his meta-commentary on the rest of the Marvel universe (limited to the X-Men back then), and this is the perfect chance to explore it for the first time.
The introduction of Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a tricky one, but the unique qualities of Ryan Reynolds' slightly crazier persona can make him the most interesting arrival out of all the X-Men. Deadpool's idiosyncratic appearances in the least expected comic book pages can be translated as a side character role in the MCU. Knowing him, even a cameo somewhere in the DCEU wouldn't seem out of character. Deadpool can regenerate from a nuclear bomb - he surely can recover from a change of cinematic universes.
