Summary
An original Easter egg from 2016’sDeadpoolhas totally been reframed by Wade Wilson’s imminent debut in the MCU withDeadpool & Wolverine. In Ryan Reynolds' first solo movie as Deadpool from Fox, the Merc With The Mouth was introduced as part of the establishedX-Menfilm universe. However, a pretty big Easter egg featured at the movie’s end hits a lot differently eight years later.
In 2024,Deadpool is set to join forces with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverinein the MCU. Although trailers and promos have only seen the duo inLoki’sVoid at the End of Time and in the halls of the Time Variance Authority, the expectation is that they’ll also make their way into the MCU proper. As such,one of Deadpool’s biggest Easter eggs from his first movie has effectively been reframed in light of his upcoming MCU team-up with Wolverine.
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2016’s Deadpool Featured A Major MCU Easter Egg 3 Years Before Disney Bought Fox
A Helicarrier For The Final Fight
In 2016’sDeadpool, Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson is on a personal vendetta against Ajax (Ed Skrein), the man who activated his dormant X-gene with the promise of curing his cancer. While Wade’s mutation did cure him with an incredible healing factor, it permanently disfigured his entire body. Disrupting Ajax’s entire operation as he works through his men to track him down, Deadpool’s final confrontation with Ajax occurs after the villain kidnapsDeadpool’s fiancé Vanessa (Morena Baccarin).
As a result,Deadpool’sfinal battle takes place in an abandoned scrapyard featuring none other than a decommissioned helicarrier. However, no mention is made about the floating command center nor any possible connections to the spy organization SHIELD which prominently uses the flying fortresses both on the page and in the MCU. Regardless, the fact that one appeared in this firstDeadpoolmovie and in the X-Men movie universe was quite surprising.
How Fox Was Able To Include A Full Helicarrier in Deadpool’s Final Battle
Deadpool’s Helicarrier Has To Be Visually Distinct
Ultimately, it was confirmed thatDeadpool’shelicarrier was specially designed to be visually distinct enough so as not to cause any licensing issues with Disney and Marvel Studios. After all, the MCU’s SHIELD Helicarrier had already been prominently featured by the time ofDeadpool’srelease in 2016. Having made its debut in 2012’sAvengers,three more SHIELD helicarriers were featured in 2014’sCaptain America: The Winter Soldierbefore the original made a second appearance in 2015’sAvengers: Age of Ultronduring the Battle of Sokovia.
That said,Deadpool’sdecommissioned helicarrier is still easily identified as a helicarrier. Even if it does have more engines and rotors than those seen in the MCU, it’s not like the movie’s trying to hide what it is.Instead, the helicarrier in 2016’sDeadpooltruly is just a cool Easter egg, even if its owners were never meant to be identified, and probably weren’t SHIELD considering its existence in Fox’s X-Men universe. However, one can argue that it now has an added layer of meaning eight years later.
8 Years Later, Deadpool’s Helicarrier Proves Joining The MCU Was Fate
Foreshadowing The Future
Now,Deadpool & Wolverineis set to bring Wade and Logan into the greater MCU where they’ll likely interact with all sorts of characters and elements from the interconnected universe, now that the characters themselves are now owned byDisney following its Fox purchase in 2019. To that end, trailers have featured a downed helicarrier in the Void at the End of Time, having been pruned from its timeline by the TVA at some point. As such, one can argue that the helicarrier Easter egg inDeadpoolhas been reframed in light of the upcoming movie.
Now,Deadpool’shelicarrier can be viewed as a retroactive piece of foreshadowing, teasing Wade’s eventual debut in the MCU. Of course, that couldn’t have been the original intent when it was added to the original movie. Regardless, the coincidence is highly entertaining, with the inclusion becoming even more important for Deadpool nearly a decade later.
Deadpool & Wolverineis set to release in theaters on July 26th.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
