Leave it up to Ryan Reynolds to drop some of the biggest Marvel news ever on a casual Tuesday afternoon. Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, and the movie will hit theaters on September 6, 2024.
Arguably the most anticipated team-up in comic book movie history, this has reportedly been the plan for Deadpool 3 before the Fox-Disney merger brought these characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thank the Multiverse for the opportunity to actually make it a reality.
Ryan Reynolds has been very open about his excitement to potentially team up with Jackman and bring together two of the most iconic X-Men characters on the big screen. He even tweeted about it in January 2021 and mentioned the movie's original plot.
The Mutant Multiverse Of Madness
While promoting Bell Let's Talk (a mental health awareness campaign) early last year, Deadpool lead Ryan Reynolds revealed in a tweet that the original plan for Deadpool 3 was a "road trip" between him and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
Prior to Disney acquiring Fox, the movie was going to be presented in "Rashomon style," meaning that it would be the same events shown through the lens of multiple characters:
"It’s critical to have open, honest and healthy discussions around mental health. By retweeting #BellLetsTalk you can make a difference. In case that’s not enough, before Disney bought Fox, Deadpool 3 was gonna be a road trip between Deadpool and Logan. Rashomon style. For real."
When pressed about if he was serious or not, Reynolds made it very clear this was the plan. Deadpool and Wolverine... on the road:
"I’m not. #BellLetsTalk"
Deadpool and Wolverine: Best Friends
Peanut butter and jelly, cookies and cream, and now, Deadpool and Wolverine.
This combination is among the most beloved by moviegoers and comic book readers. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are in that upper-echelon of comic book movie casting where fans cannot imagine life any other way.
This duo never getting a shot in live-action was one of the biggest tragedies of the ending of the FOX-Men franchise. It is time for Marvel Studios to do what they do best and give the people what they want.
Reynolds and Jackman are also great friends in real life. So fans are more than happy to see these two iconic characters on a road trip together - any excuse to get these two on-screen, really.
So what about this road trip? Could this still be the plan for Deadpool 3? How does that fit within the MCU?
The use of the Multiverse so far in The Multiverse Saga has been primarily used to reintroduce characters like Deadpool and Wolverine from Marvel movie franchises of the past. The concept of traveling through has been lightly explored in both Loki and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.
Enter Deadpool 3. Traveling through different universes and spending an enjoyable amount of time learning new things about each corner of the multiverse is a convoluted and complex idea that requires extensive exploration and planning.
The best bet is to focus on that in a movie where the main character is often breaking the fourth wall and explicitly explaining exactly what needs to be explained to the audience.
A road trip between Deadpool and Wolverine will be filled with action, comedy, and many references to the state of comic book movies over the past 20+ years. Throw in a Multiverse wrinkle for good measure, and Deadpool 3 could be one of the biggest movies on the Marvel Studios slate.
It could be a road trip movie, a buddy/cop series, or even a musical about the circus; fans will show up in herds for this one.
For anyone hesitant about bringing back Marvel legacy characters in the delicate balance of the MCU, think back to how you felt with Andrew Garfield showed up in No Way Home and when you heard the X-Men Animated Series theme in Multiverse of Madness.
Deadpool 3, featuring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is set for release theaters on September 6, 2024.
