Summary
What I thought I knew aboutDeadpool & Wolverine’s story has just been shaken up by the movie’s director, Shawn Levy.Deadpool & Wolverinewill hit cinemas on July 26 with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman making theirMCUdebuts before revealing whether they will have larger roles to play in the franchise. Anticipation for the movie has led to it already breaking several records, including the most-watched trailer of all time and the most first-day pre-sale tickets of 2024.
The movie’s filmmakers are keeping their cards exceptionally close to their chest regardingthe story forDeadpool & Wolverine. Details beyond a handful ofconfirmedDeadpool & Wolverinecameos, the involvement of the TVA, and a couple of new characters are sparse. Nevertheless, the involvement of the TVA and certain lines from trailers and footage offer significant clues. Specifically, I believed the movie might involve several aspects of the Multiverse Saga set up by such game-changing MCU installments asLokiandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Yet recent comments made by Levy have cast significant doubt on this assumption.
The Cast Of Deadpool 3 Explained: Every Actor & Character In Deadpool & Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman join the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine, which boasts an impressive cast supporting the two Marvel leads.
Why Deadpool & Wolverine Director’s Story Update Has Me Confused
As part of a sprawling media tour, Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy spoke toVarietyin an “NSFW” interview about theR-rated MCU movie. One of the tamer moments saw them talk about the emotional heft of the movie, addressing the implications of the multiverse on the high stakes typically brought about by a character’s death. Reynolds acknowledged this, stating that the emotionalstakes ofDeadpool & Wolverinedon’t concern death - which Levy elaborated on, stating:
“Deadpool” is never going to be a space-battle, save-the-universe franchise. It’s a beautifully grounded character. This movie is definitely big in spectacle, but the stakes for Logan, for Wade, are what we anchor into. The multiverse is just a backdrop.
After everything we have seen, I find this confusing. The filmmakers might be secretive about theDeadpool & Wolverineplot details, buttrailer footage makes it seem clear that Deadpool is concerned with saving his universeand the loved ones it contains, as indicated when he states, “I’m about to lose everything I ever cared about,” before chastising Wolverine for losing his “world.” Alongside appearances of the Void, variants, and the TVA, it seems obvious thatDeadpool & Wolverineis very much concerned with the multiverse and saving one universe in particular.
So What’s Deadpool & Wolverine About?
There is, of course, a lot to be said for misdirection in trailers - particularly ones within the MCU. With that in mind, there is every possibility thattheDeadpool & Wolverinetraileris intended to make audiences believe that it will lean into the Multiverse Saga’s overarching context while keeping its true narrative under wraps. Instead,Deadpool & Wolverinemight hinge on a mission that holds much lower stakes than saving the universe or multiverse.
Following this, when Deadpool states that he is about to lose his world,it is highly likely that he is specifically referencing the people he loves, as indicated by the picture he holds of Vanessa and his friends. While sequences do seem to take place in the Void (Alioth and the TVA denote this), Deadpool and Wolverine’s mission could be exclusively to save his friends and family there, leaving the multiverse - as Levy says - as a backdrop. If this is the case, one bigDeadpool & Wolverinetheory is about to fly out of the window.
Whether it is self-contained or not,Deadpool & Wolverinetakes place within an MCU that is about to experience multiversal calamity inAvengers: The Kang Dynasty. The presence of the Void and the TVA has caused many fans to speculate that it will go one step further andset upAvengers: The Kang Dynastydirectly, as Kang the Conqueror is closely tied to both and hasn’t been seen sinceAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, making his return feel overdue. Levy’s comments seemingly draw a line beneath such theories, however.
A copy of an Avengers: Secret Wars comic can also be seen in the firstDeadpool & Wolverinetrailer, further fueling rumors that it will set up the Multiverse Saga climax.
If the stakes truly are grounded and personal to the titular heroes, then it feels particularly unlikely that they will find themselves helping stave off Kang’s impending assault on the rest of the multiverse. It also feels as thoughDeadpool & Wolverineis more concerned with callback cameos than future MCU developments, lending further credence to this idea. Still, there is a chance that Levy is assuaging rumors rather than tempering expectations - and, as always, the truth of the matter remains to be seen.
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.
