The heavily criticized X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the film in which Deadpool, also known as Wade Wilson, the Merc with a Mouth, made his screen debut. The only real positive takeaway from that was that Ryan Reynolds was a fantastic match for the role; all fans really wanted to see was him wear the magnificent red outfit and breach the fourth wall, which makes him so popular in the comics. With the release of Deadpool 1 in 2016 and Deadpool 2 in 2018, we at last received it after seven years. Only Joker surpasses these movies in terms of lifetime R-rated box office receipts. Given the R rating, one may assume that the Deadpool movies included a vulgar and foul-mouthed style of comedy.
The appearances of stars and characters from past continuities and other universes are no longer that much of a surprise in the current Multiverse Saga that is taking place in the MCU. Yet, when Ryan Reynolds posted an update for the long-awaited Deadpool & Wolverine on his YouTube Channel, he dropped an absolute bombshell announcement that a certain clawed hero would be making a shocking return. To find out everything we know so far about Deadpool’s entrance into the MCU (as well as the grumpy friend he’s bringing with him), read below to find out.
When and Where Is ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Premiering?
In a surprising announcement, Disney revealed that the film is being pushed up to May 4, 2024. That puts it four months earlier than its initial release date. For context, the release date for Deadpool & Wolverine had initially changed two times. The film was initially announced for September 6, 2024, but it later changed, being pushed back to November 8, 2024, then moved again to May 2024. However, it was forced to move yet again as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. On July 14, 2023, Deadpool 3 stopped production, with both actors and writers having declared a historic strike. Thankfully both strikes have come to an end, but that means Deadpool & Wolverine had to change release dates one final time. Deadpool & Wolverine will now hit theaters on July 26, 2023.
Is There a Trailer For ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?
The first teaser for Deadpool & Wolverine was released on February 11, 2024, during Super Bowl LVIII. Coming in at a shade under two-and-a-half minutes, the trailers offer a look at Wade’s latest adventure as he encounters the TVA. Notably, we do not get a full look at Wolverine in this teaser.
On September 27, 2022, Reynolds appears to be wearing a version of the Deadpool suit that is decently reminiscent of the character’s black and gray X-Force suit from the comics, which is one of his most popular looks outside his standard suit. After pouring some of his branded Aviation gin into a Deadpool mug, Reynolds then says that he doesn’t really have any ideas for the new movie…that is, except for one thing. Right on cue, Hugh Jackman himself walks behind Reynolds as if nothing’s going on. Reynolds then asks, “Hey Hugh, you wanna play Wolverine one more time?” Hugh says yes, and “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston starts playing. The incredible tease ends with the tagline “Coming Hughn,” and a poster featuring the Deadpool logo with a big ole’ Wolverine slash through it.
Does ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Take Place in the MCU?
Yes, Deadpool & Wolverine is being considered as a Marvel Studios production, and the head of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige has confirmed that this will be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire film will take place in the MCU. That seems to be the likely conclusion, but we have to remember that the current Multiverse Saga has already brought in characters from both the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man films in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Deadpool & Wolverine could be a similar situation where we see characters from the 20th Century timelines crossover with the MCU timeline, but only time will tell as plot details are currently a mystery.
Where Did We Last See Deadpool and Wolverine?
The canon for X-Men continuity is notoriously inconsistent, but we’ll do our best to summarize Deadpool and Wolverine’s stories so far. Though he first appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wade Wilson made his first proper Deadpool appearance in the 2016 film, where he was a sarcastic mercenary dying of terminal cancer. He was then approached by a shadowy organization that promised to not only cure Wade but even enhance him. They did this by granting him a rapid healing factor that essentially made him immortal, but at the cost of horribly disfiguring him and making him too afraid to face his beloved Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). What follows is a blood-fueled rampage filled with fourth-wall-breaking humor and incalculable mayhem and destruction, which is exactly what fans of the comics wanted to see.
In Deadpool 2, Vanessa is shockingly killed off early on in the film, once again pushing Wade into a deep depression. Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) of the X-Men offers Wade a second chance and Deadpool ends up becoming a surrogate father figure to an abused teen mutant named Russell (Julian Dennison). He’s at first protecting Russell from a vengeful time traveler named Cable (Josh Brolin), but they ultimately find an amicable solution. We last saw Deadpool using Cable’s time-traveling device to save Vanessa and even kill Ryan Reynolds himself before he accepts the job for Green Lantern. His lack of respect for traveling through time could very well be the thread that connects Deadpool to the MCU, given we know the concepts of time travel and the multiverse are connected. Perhaps Deadpool was even one of the many that were arrested by the TVA from Loki.