Marvel Studios gave Fox's X-Men universe a proper send-off in Deadpool & Wolverine by showing a montage of behind-the-scenes footage from various superhero productions. And then the company turned right around and brought back most of the cast from the original X-Men trilogy for Avengers: Doomsday. However, not every actor connected to the up-and-down franchise got an invite. One Deadpool star recently confirmed that they're sitting Doomsday out in a hilarious promotional video for the upcoming movie.
With Doomsday's release only a few weeks away, the marketing machine is chugging along. But it's not all about trailers and first-look images. A tie-in advertisement from Smirnoff follows actor Karan Soni, best known for playing Dopinder in the Deadpool movies, as he enters New Avengers Tower (via Avengers Updates on X). He mentions that he isn't in Doomsday but is still excited to visit the set and throw a house party for his friends, featuring a Doctor Doom-themed cocktail.
Of course, the point of the ad is to sell a product and remind anyone who hasn't purchased Doomsday tickets to do so before it's too late. It's hard to ignore the development about Soni, though. Dopinder was never going to have a major role in Doomsday's plot; after all, he doesn't have any superpowers that would help in the battle against Doctor Doom. What his absence does do is pour a bit of water on the Deadpool/Doomsday fire.
For the last few months, the internet has been convinced that Ryan Reynolds is part of the cast of the fifth Avengers film, even though it has never been officially announced. The actor helped push the narrative by crashing the Doomsday panel at San Diego Comic-Con in costume and sending a video message at another event. The rumor mill also places him at the scene of the crime, teasing a fight that appearently involes him, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man.
Maybe the Dopinder ad is Marvel Studios' way of telling everyone to temper their expectations. Doomsday continues to be billed as a fight between the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. Deadpool isn't a member of any of those teams, making it clear throughout his three solo movies that he prefers to stick with his friends, including a certain cab driver.
Keeping the Merc With a Mouth out of the action might be for the best, since the MCU's next saga is likely to have plenty for him to do. And Marvel Studios doesn't want to risk overexposure of one of its most important characters.
Deadpool Will Be One of the Faces of Marvel Studios' Mutant Saga
Kevin Feige and Co. didn't waste much time bringing Deadpool into the fold. A movie starring not only Ryan Reynolds but also Hugh Jackman, who had seemingly retired from the superhero game, was put into production and given plenty of resources to work with. The result, Deadpool & Wolverine, took the world by storm, grossing over $1 billion at the box office.
The next logical step for Marvel Studios was to quickly put a sequel in development. However, the powers that be had to focus on getting Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, on track. Putting Deadpool and, by extension, Wolverine, on the back burner probably hurt. But the company had every reason to believe that the two hard-to-kill mutants could survive it.
When the Multiverse Saga finally comes to a close, it will be time for the Mutant Saga. Phase 7's headliner is the X-Men movie directed by Jake Schreier. So many familiar mutant faces have already been recast, with many up-and-coming actors finally getting a chance to brush shoulders with the Marvel elite.
Deadpool isn't in any danger of being recast. He will have to find his footing in a universe where being a mutant isn't a novelty anymore, though. One way he can do that is by headlining a new team. An X-Force movie is reportedly in development at Marvel Studios. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson put together his very own X-Force. The experiment didn't last very long, but that's no reason for him to hang up the X symbol for good.
And once Deadpool gets back in the saddle, he's going to need as much support as he can get from his friends, whether that's Blind Al offering words of encouragement or Dopinder driving the getaway car. The whole gang will be thankful they didn't get mixed up with the Doctor Doom mess in Doomsday when they're staring down long, fruitful careers in the Mutant Saga.
