Film critics saw the first 35-40 minutes of Marvel Studios' Deadpool and Wolverine (Deadpool 3), and major reveals and spoilers are starting to pop up online.
Coming into 2024 as Marvel Studios' only theatrical release of the year and the first X-Men-centric movie in MCU history, Deadpool and Wolverine has fans on edge with expectations.
Plenty of characters have already been revealed in its trailers, but in classic Marvel Studios fashion, a whole other round of secrets and spoilers are still being kept under wraps.
12 Biggest Deadpool and Wolverine Spoilers & Reveals
Critics who watched the first 35-40 minutes of Deadpool and Wolverine (sharing excellent reviews afterward) revealed 12 key spoilers from that footage.
The Hilarious Opening Credits
After the opening Marvel Studios logo, Deadpool visits Logan's grave from the end of 2017's Logan, joking that he cannot let Wolverine actually die the way he did in Hugh Jackman's last movie. As he plays around with the adamantium-covered skeleton, TVA agents surround him, leading to a huge opening battle.
Teased in the trailers, the opening credits then roll as Deadpool uses Wolverine's skeleton like a weapon, ripping his leg off and throwing his ribs like knives. The actors' names appear on the bones, although it is unknown if they are the actors' real names or parody-style listings like the ones from the first two films.
Hilariously, this is all set to *NSYNC's hit 2000 single "Bye, Bye, Bye" as Deadpool gets his first MCU fight sequence. This is the second time that song has been in an X-Men movie, as it was also heard for a moment in Cyclops' car in 2003's X2.
Deadpool Gets Invited to the MCU
After a long break from being a superhero, Deadpool is brought to the Time Variance Authority and put in front of Matthew McFadyen's Mr. Paradox. The powerful TVA authority then offers Deadpool a chance to live in the Sacred Timeline, which is reconfirmed to be Earth-616, the main MCU universe.
This will allow him to live amongst heroes like Captain America and Thor, who he sees in various clips from past MCU movies. Unsurprisingly, this is a chance Wade Wilson is far from opposed to, especially with Paradox calling Wade "the chosen one."
As for Deadpool's timeline, Mr. Paradox is in charge of a project overseeing the end of it since it is withering away and dying. He even developed a device called the "Time Ripper," which can speed up that process and "mercy kill" timelines.
This could set up a version of the famous 2011 Marvel Comics series, "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe," as the Fox Universe faces its end with Deadpool surviving.
Vanessa Has a New Boyfriend
Although Morena Baccarin is back for Deadpool 3 as Vanessa, her relationship with Wade Wilson takes a vastly different turn after the first two films. After Deadpool goes back in time to save her from dying at the end of Deadpool 2, the years after that event see the two broken up.
Vanessa is seen at Wade's birthday party with a new boyfriend whose name seems to start with a "D," but no other details have been revealed. She is there with the main supporting cast from Deadpool 2 (except for Zazie Beetz's Domino).
The footage also includes some NSFW material from Rob Delaney's Peter, including nipple piercings, and this is likely where Wade and Blind Al's cocaine conversation comes into play as well.
The MCU’s Anchor Variants Explained
The MCU gets a brand new concept in this movie called "Anchor Variants," which is brought up thanks to Wolverine's death during Logan in the Fox Universe, which is officially designated as Earth-10005.
An Anchor Variant is described as someone of vital importance to their home universe, and when they die, it triggers the end of the said timeline. After Deadpool initially thinks he is that Variant in the Fox Universe, Paradox reveals that it is actually Wolverine.
While Deadpool is excited about the chance to join the MCU, he does not want to lose his universe. Fans have heard him say in trailers that he's "about to lose everything [he's] ever cared about," and he is desperate to find a way to save Vanessa and his friends.
This leads him to come up with the idea to find a replacement Wolverine to pluck from the greater multiverse and place on Earth-10005, which would hypothetically save everybody he loves.
Search for the Best Wolverine
As Deadpool begins the search for a replacement Wolverine, he comes across Variants that have been teased in the marketing campaign along with others who have been kept a secret.
His first stop is the end of 2017's Logan as he is convinced that Wolverine's regenerative healing powers would have kept him from dying — this is proven false when Deadpool finds nothing but the skeleton and rotting flesh.
Traveling to another universe, Wade finds a Wolverine who is a comic-accurate 5'3" tall rather than Hugh Jackman's 6'2". Ironically, this Variant is still played by Hugh Jackman as he is shrunk down to size via CGI, making for a hilarious image.
Another universe jump puts him face-to-face with Wolverine's Patch alter-ego in a casino, who was seen in the movie's first trailer from behind. Along with a white tux, this version dons an eyepatch, but he is not the Variant Wade is looking for.
Moving further, another depiction of Wolverine comes in a miserable, old, grey-haired Hugh Jackman very reminiscent of comic writer Mark Millar's Old Man Logan. He matches the Clint Eastwood-like depiction of the character as he sits on a porch with a hat on.
Other Variants include a Wolverine being crucified on a wooden X, one with glam rock-style hair and a wrestler-style costume, and even one in his original brown and tan threads.
Finally, Wade encounters the Wolverine seen in the second full trailer, who is sitting at a bar drunk on whiskey as Wade asks him to help save his universe. This Variant even wears the classic yellow-and-blue Wolverine suit under his civilian clothes, convincing Wade he is the right choice.
In a twist, Paradox believes this Variant to be an unworthy replacement, saying, "This Wolverine let down his entire world." According to the TVA employee, that Variant turned to drinking to wash his sadness away.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Many Marvel Cameos
As expected upon Deadpool's long-awaited entry into the MCU, Deadpool and Wolverine will not shy away from bringing in characters from past Marvel Studios movies.
Early in the film, Deadpool takes a trip to the Avengers Campus in upstate New York, where he asks Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan if he could join the team to impress Vanessa. He is turned down as Happy tells him the job is about public service rather than personal glory.
In the TVA he sees a clip of himself alongside Chris Hemsworth's Thor, who is crying over Deadpool dying. Deadpool then asks about why Thor is crying over him, but no other context has been shared.
The Hulk also makes an appearance as he fights the brown-and-tan-suited Wolverine, recreating Wolverine's first-ever comic appearance in The Incredible Hulk #181.
All of these cameos are only in the early stages of the film, although there are over half a dozen other cameos confirmed for the threequel's later stages.
The first trailer revealed Aaron Stanford's return as John Allerdyce/Pyro, putting him in his comic-accurate costume after major appearances in 2003's X2 and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. He first played the role in a cameo capacity in 2000's X-Men.
Another shot added four other past X-Men villains to the Deadpool 3 roster, including Lady Deathstrike (X2), Toad (X-Men), Azazel (X-Men: First Class), and Callisto (X-Men: The Last Stand). It is still unconfirmed whether the original actors who played those characters will return in the MCU.
Prior to the trailers' release, The Hollywood Reporter later revealed that Jennifer Garner would join the Marvel Studios epic as Elektra, reprising her role from 2003's Daredevil and 2005's Elektra. As of writing, her specific plot details in the film have not been shared.
How Deadpool & Wolverine End Up in The Void
After Deadpool finds out Paradox's plan to speed up the death of his universe, he punches the antagonist and breaks his nose before going on the hunt for a replacement Wolverine.
Once Paradox explains why Jackman's new Variant is unfit to replace the one in Wade's world, he throws them both into a vast wasteland, which many are presuming to be the Void from Loki.
This is what leads to the Deadpool vs. Wolverine fight that has been highlighted throughout the promotional material. It is also where the 35-40 minutes of footage ends, with only a preview of the rest of the film coming after that.
Lady Deadpool & The Deadpool Corps
The preview following the first part of the film teased the introduction of the Deadpool Corps, some of which has been seen in the trailers.
Shown most often is the adorably ugly Dogpool, played by a Pug/Chinese Crested Dog mix named Peggy. Having been put through experimental testing, she has a look that terrifies most people, although her powers have not been revealed yet.
The human Variants are led by Lady Deadpool, who was teased in trailers as far back as February as fans saw her classic uzis on screen. Rumors have teased that Blake Lively (Ryan Reynolds' wife) is playing this character.
Other Variants include Headpool (a zombified Deadpool head), Kidpool (a child version of the Merc with a Mouth who wields water guns), and Babypool (an infant Deadpool complete with a pacifier). Additionally, fans saw a long-haired Variant played by Ryan Reynolds, but there is no other information known about him.
This team could serve as Wade Wilson's version of the Avengers as he looks to find his place in the MCU, particularly as he finds out about the greater Multiverse. The only big hope is that they are not killed off as quickly as the X-Force team was in Deadpool 2.
Especially if Lady Deadpool is played by Blake Lively, fans will hope to see some fun interactions between her and her husband as they take on their first comic-book-movie together since 2011's Green Lantern. She is also the de facto leader of the Deadpool Corps, meaning her role may be the biggest of the bunch.
You can read more about who Lady Deadpool is and what her character is like from the comics here!
Depending on how long the two leads stay in the Void, the Deadpool Corps may wind up playing important roles for a good chunk of screen time.
Cassandra Nova’s Backstory Confirmed
In the trailer teasing the latter stages of Deadpool and Wolverine, critics got new information on Emma Corrin's Cassandra Nova, the film's main villain.
The footage saw Cassandra Nova confirm she is the twin sibling of Charles Xavier, which takes from her origin story in the comics. There, she is recognized as a mummudrai (a powerful bodiless entity) who tries to kill Charles while they are in the womb together, escaping and forming her own physical being.
In this movie, she appears to be running a large group of villains out of the base built from the dead body and bones of Ant-Man. There also appears to be at least one wheelchair there, meaning she could be hunting down Variants of her brother and taking them out.
Right now, Nova's motivations are still unknown, although Corrin teased how dangerous of a threat she is to the entire multiverse.
The Greatest Showman Joins the MCU
On July 17, Marvel confirmed at least some of the official soundtrack for Deadpool 3, teasing what music people will hear through the film. The list includes 16 tracks thus far, although it does not include Madonna's "Like a Prayer" or Toni Basil's "Mickey," both of which were heard in trailers.
Along with *NSYNC's previously mentioned "Bye, Bye, Bye," this soundtrack is filled with fun pop music originating from the USA, Canada (Ryan Reynolds' home country), and even Korea.
"Angel of the Morning" was famously used in Deadpool's opening credits, calling back to the original 2016 film with its inclusion here.
Reynolds and company take inspiration from the classics on the soundtrack, including songs like "You’re The One That I Want" from 1978's Grease and the hit 1985 rock song "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News.
"The Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh is an unsurprising pick considering Lady Deadpool's inclusion in the film, as many expect that to be playing either when she makes her first entrance or has her first big fight scene.
Canada is also well-represented thanks to Avril Lavigne ("I'm With You"), as is Hugh Jackman's native Australia with the inclusion of the late Olivia Newton-John on the aforementioned Grease song.
The track that has fans talking more than any, however, is The Greatest Showman's "The Greatest Show," which features Wolverine star Hugh Jackman as the leading vocalist. In that 2017 film, he played a fictionalized version of P.T. Barnum, the famous showman who helped create the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
The events leading up to Jackman passionately singing that opening number as a circus ringleader behind Jackman violently slashing through bodies as Marvel's James Howlett are one of this movie's biggest mysteries.
Could there be a Wolverine Variant who spends his days playing entertainer? Could Barnum's fancy red outfit set up Deadpool himself to play the character in that circus costume with the Merc's red mask under the top hat?
Better yet, could fans see Jackman playing a Wolverine Variant donning that costume (or a Wolverine-ed version of Barnum's threads) and dancing next to circus folk and trapeze artists?
The possibilities are endless, and they have viewers itching to find out more.
Dafne Keen's X-23 Joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The final full trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine confirmed the inclusion of Dafne Keen, who makes her second appearance as Laura (better known as the mutant X-23). She first delivered this character alongside Hugh Jackman in 2017's Logan, which marked her first movie appearance when she was only 12 years old.
Although this trailer revealed her for the first time, fans now presume she is the character Logan is talking to in a scene from the first trailer in which he says, "Trust me, kid, I'm no hero."
Here, he tells her, "Whoever you think I am, you got the wrong guy" before she turns around dramatically in the dark and replies, "You were always the wrong guy...until you weren’t."
Deadpool 3 Adds Another Loki Character
A TV spot released on July 21 added a new character to Deadpool and Wolverine's roster in Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15. She played a major supporting role in both seasons of Loki on Disney+.
This trailer shows her wearing a suit in the TVA as she tells somebody, "I’m gonna show you something huge" in front of a couple of TVA Minutemen, although no other context is given.
This inclusion gives Mosaku her first-ever appearance in an MCU movie as she brings a familiar face to the TVA's story in this threequel.
Deadpool and Wolverine slashes its way into theaters on Friday, July 26.
Read more about Deadpool 3 below:
Deadpool Corps Explained: 6 Confirmed Characters in Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool and Wolverine Popcorn Buckets: Where to Buy & When They'll Release
Marvel Takes Action to Prevent Deadpool and Wolverine Spoilers from Spreading
