Earlier this week, Ryan Reynolds sent speculation into overdrive when he shared an Avengers logo that had been vandalized with graffiti, and we now have confirmation that Deadpool will indeed return to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday.
THR reports that Reynolds will reprise his role as the Merc With a Mouth for Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated event film, but he won't actually be suiting-up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
"Sources tell Heat Vision that yes, Deadpool will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. (Don't expect him to actually be joining the Avengers team, though.)"
So, what role will Wade Wilson play in the movie if he's not going to be part of the Avengers? Rumor has it that Doomsday will feature several different factions: Sam Wilson's Avengers, the New Avengers (formerly known as the Thunderbolts), The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Team Loki, and Doctor Doom's villainous group.
Assuming Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is also set to return, the most logical team for this mutant pair to side with is The X-Men - unless Wade decides to break out on his own and shake things up a bit. Deadpool and Doom on the same side, perhaps? It could certainly make for an intriguing dynamic.
It will also be interesting to see how Wilson's fourth wall-breaking antics are incorporated into this movie. There's always a chance this aspect of the character will be toned down somewhat, of course.
What do you make of this news? Do you think adding Deadpool to Doomsday is a good idea?
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were recently hit with significant delays, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
You can check out the full (for now) Doomsday cast list below.
• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Lewis Pullman as Sentry
• Florence Pugh as Yelena
• Danny Ramirez as Falcon
• Ian McKellen as Magneto
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky
• Winston Duke as M’Baku
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast
• James Marsden as Cyclops
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
• Letitia Wright as Black Panther
• Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
• David Harbour as Red Guardian
• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
• Anthony Mackie as Captain America