Marvel Studios just confirmed Deadpool's next on-screen appearance after Avengers: Doomsday, in which he is heavily rumored to feature. Ryan Reynolds has already enjoyed four go-rounds as Deadpool, starting with the Variant in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (the one we don't talk about), and continuing with two solo movies under Fox and one Marvel Studios team-up with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. The 2024 blockbuster has been ranked among the 15 most important projects to watch before Avengers: Doomsday, amplifying rumors that Reynold and Jackman will appear in the movie.
Reynolds started a great debate about Deadpool's future in April when he teased that his mutant anti-hero would step back to be a "supporting character" after Deadpool & Wolverine's massive success. The change comes amid reports that Reynolds is writing a new MCU movie, dubbed Deadpool 4 by most, which he would star in alongside other mutants at some point in the next saga.
Marvel Animation spotlighted X-Men '97 Season 3 with its first trailer at New York Comic-Con, confirming that Deadpool will return in the animated Disney+ series as a guest at Rogue and Gambit's long-awaited wedding. This marks Wade Wilson's first true appearance in X-Men '97, as, while Deadpool was seen on-screen in Season 2, that was only Morph impersonating the Merc With a Mouth. The exciting reveal comes as rumors that Ryan Reynolds will reprise Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars skyrocket to new heights.
The fact that Deadpool and Wolverine will return in Doomsday's opening sequence has quickly become one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets, exceeding even Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's "top-secret" roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Even as recently as this July, Reynolds made his presence known at San Diego Comic-Con and the Marvel Studios panel with a hilarious Jean Grey-related stunt, despite not being confirmed to appear in any upcoming MCU projects.
Marvel Studios has even begun featuring Deadpool in official Doomsday merch, all but admitting his inclusion in the movie, which has been rumored since last year. The Merc With a Mouth and his adamantium-infused buddy are expected to join the X-Men in Doomsday's opening to take on Maguire's Spider-Man as an Incursion between Fox Earth and the RaimiVerse threatens to destroy both worlds.
The sequence will be a game-changer for Deadpool as it marks his first appearance (other than X-Men Origins) in a PG-13 project, where his adults-only quips and fourth-wall-breaking will undeniably be off the table. It appears that Marvel Studios is keeping Deadpool's role in the movie a "surprise" for release day, although some international audiences will get to enter Doomsday ahead of time.
Rumor has it that Deadpool and Wolverine will both take on major roles in the following year's Avengers: Secret Wars, which still hasn't begun production. The mutants' minor role in Doomsday, as the Multiverse collapses, could offer a slight tease toward their greater purpose in restoring reality on Battleworld.
Thanks to the recent confirmation that Deadpool will appear in X-Men '97 Season 3, fans know that they will at least get to see a Variant of the outrageous anti-hero in the gap between Doomsday and Secret Wars, even if it is in Disney+ animation.
Regardless, it's important to note that the Deadpool who appears in X-Men '97 next summer will be a Variant and likely a non-speaking guest at Rogue and Gambit's wedding ceremony. Still, Deadpool's inclusion in X-Men '97 marks a change of course for Marvel Studios, which once dubbed Wade Wilson "off-limits" to original showrunner Beau DeMayo for the show's early seasons.
Marvel Studios Has a Tough Decision Ahead For Deadpool in MCU Phase 7
Ryan Reynolds, despite his youthful demeanor, is already 50 years old, which is a full decade older than the MCU's new Charles Xavier actor, Christopher Abbott, who is usually portrayed as the elder statesman of the X-Men. The new Professor X will be coaching a cast of rebooted mutants who are mostly in their 20s so far, and including a much older R-rated Deadpool in that realm may feel out of place.
There have been reports that Reynolds wants to bring back Wolverine, Cable, and Storm in his untitled Deadpool & Wolverine sequel, which raises some complications. Namely, the MCU already has a new Storm in 23-year-old Hollywood newcomer Maya Boyd, and it's tough to imagine her next appearance after X-Men being in an R-rated movie with three much older male heroes.
As alternate-reality shows like X-Men '97, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Marvel Zombies will continue after Avengers: Secret Wars, it's clear that the Multiverse isn't going anywhere in Phase 7, even if it is less integral. That makes it entirely possible that Reynolds' Deadpool will live on in his own universe instead of folding him into Earth-616, where Fox's Halle Berry could return as his Storm.
The decision would also let Marvel Studios have its cake and eat it when it comes to Wolverine, allowing Hugh Jackman's Variant to live on with new stories in another universe while also bringing a new Logan in future X-Men sequels. The 58-year-old Jackman is far too old to recreate Wolverine's comic team dynamic with the youthful new X-Men, so the MCU may soon require a recast.
Even if Deadpool finds himself relocating to the MCU in time for Phase 7, he probably won't integrate with the new X-Men line-up, and, if he does, it could be in passing with minor cameos or as a weird outrageous uncle to the team.
