A new photo has seemingly teased that Avengers: Doomsday will break a major MCU tradition by introducing the first-ever R-rated hero as a member of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. After over a decade of super-powered dominance, Marvel Studios has finally started to dip its toes into the R-rated waters. This has come to light in the form of Daredevil: Born Again, Echo, and last year's mega-hit Deadpool & Wolverine.
With Deadpool's MCU debut having happened, questions of whether Ryan Reynolds' typically foul-mouthed supe would make the cut for the next Avengers movie have been rampant. And if he was going to be in Doomsday, how would the PG-13 movie tackle the expletive-laden hero? Well, fans may finally have the answer to at least one of those questions.
Reynolds lit the MCU world ablaze, posting a new photo on his Instagram page, potentially hinting at Deadpool's arrival in Avengers: Doomsday.
The new picture shows the Avengers' logo with an anarchic "A" symbol splayed across it, a symbol that some of Cassandra Nova's minions adorned on their vehicles in the third Deadpool movie.
There is no caption or further explanation provided by the Deadpool star. This has led some to believe the Canadian actor is teasing his addition to the Doomsday cast, but nothing official has been announced yet.
There have been rumors suggesting the next Avengers film will take place, at least in part, in The Void (as seen in Deadpool & Wolverine). Many assumed that because of this potential filming info, Reynolds' casting in the film felt inevitable.
If this new Instagram post is confirmation of Deadpool's casting in Avengers: Doomsday, it would break a long-standing MCU tradition, marking the first time a character from an R-rated Marvel Studios project has appeared in an Avengers movie.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to come to theaters on December 18, 2026. The new film will see the MCU crossover with the classic Fox X-Men character (of which Deadpool was one of) to take on the terrifying Doctor Doom (played by Robert Downey Jr.). The movie has had dozens of big-name cast members confirmed to appear, including Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Patrick Stewart, but Reynolds and his Merc with a Mouth have not been one of them.
How Could Deadpool Work in An Avengers Movie?
Hearing the idea of Deadpool popping up in an Avengers movie might furrow some brows among longtime MCU fans. How is it possible that a fourth-wall-breaking vigilante with a proclivity for violence, sex, and profanity could work in a hyper-series PG-13 clash for the Multiverse?
Deadpool has proven to be a fun way to poke fun at the superhero genre, making some question whether or not he could work in an Avengers movie, actively partaking in the thing he loves to satirize.
Deadpool could work in Doomsday, and Reynolds seems like the guy who can make it happen if he does.
The Merc with a Mouth is one of the few MCU characters to have experienced traversing the Multiverse at this point (as seen in Deadpool & Wolverine). That could make him a valuable resource for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, who now stand opposite a Multiverse-conquering Doctor Doom in Avengers 5.
Even Reynolds shared his hopes of joining a team sometime in his MCU future. "I could see any version of it," Reynolds told fans in July 2024, adding his next Marvel appearance could be in a "solo movie" or "being part of an ensemble:"
"I don’t know. I could see any version of it. I can imagine a solo movie, being part of an ensemble. I can imagine that this is also the last time. I never feel anything other than that."
Bringing this R-rated character over to a more PG-13 setting for Avengers could also open up the character to a whole new comedic wheelhouse, with Reynolds' Marvel character actively poking fun at the fact that he cannot get away with the more adult subject matter of his solo movie.
This could be a fun, unique twist on the Deadpool character, adding another wrinkle to his on-screen tenure nearly a decade after his big-screen debut.
