Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool 2 and Possible spoilers for X-Men: Dark Phoenix ahead…
Timelines, schmimelines, right? At this point of the game, it’s safe to say that we’re all tired of the time Fox has spent playing with our emotions, and more importantly, the X-Men. Around the world, fans eagerly wait with bated breath to see what will come of the Disney/Fox deal in hopes that it will offer us more a more recognizable take on fan favorite characters like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. In the meantime, however, Fox remains in charge, and if there is one thing we’ve learned about Fox, it’s that they love to screw with the timelines, something that is continually evidenced in Deadpool 2 (all the way through the credits).
Now, it is important to remember that Deadpool as a character and as a film is meant to break the fourth wall, and as such, most wacky things can be explained away within the confines of his solo outings as ranging from a simple delusion to something meant for the audience that can only affect the character himself, and not his reality. However, judging as the studio has failed to grasp the concept of nearly every character they own up to this point, expecting something like that from them is a tall order, and it is much easier to formulate the idea that it is more likely that they simply made a mistake. So, what is that mistake, and what does all of this have to do with X-Men: Dark Phoenix, a movie that doesn’t release until Valentine’s Day 2019?
This movie is riddled with cameos, from Matt Damon to Brad Pitt, many of which are blink and you miss them situations, but the most exciting arguably takes place in the X Mansion during Deadpool’s visit there. After a short complaint from DP, we are greeted to the ever-so-brief appearance of the more notable X-Men in Professor X (James McAvoy), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan). There is also a mention of Angel but he isn’t seen, so whether or not he is present is unknown, especially as he is referred to as “Chicken Wings”.
Why is this notable? Let’s start with the most obvious. For one, Deadpool 2 is set in present day, whereas Dark Phoenix is set in the 90’s, yet all of these characters are the same age. One could argue the time jump from the 70’s setting in DOFP and the 80’s setting in Apocalypse made the same mistake, but those movies are set a decade apart versus 30 years. So how could we have five X-Men who look exactly the same in 1980 and in 2019?
All New X-Men is a comic series by Brian Michael Bendis which began printing in 2012. This storyline sees a bleak future which requires the team of the original five X-Men - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast, and Iceman - to travel from the past to the present. I think there is quite a bit of evidence that would have fans speculate a similar plot device for or after the end of X-Men Dark Phoenix. While this list doesn’t exactly mimic the list of X-Men who cameoed in Deadpool 2, it isn’t far off. Especially if you consider that Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) can always show back up at any time by use of the Phoenix Force, and the rumors that Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) will die in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Apart from Magneto (Michael Fassbender), that would mean that all five of the biggest named actors playing X-Men would have been brought to the future to interact with their popular franchise in Deadpool, which would make perfect sense and seems like exactly something Fox would do to try and capitalize on the properties while they still can. Alternatively, while it may be a long shot, if Disney were to so keep any of the X-Men already cast, it would most definitely be these five, as they are all in the spotlight right now with their careers. And though it is a long shot, Alexandra Shipp seemed convinced on twitter months ago that she wasn’t being re-cast. Whether or not Angel would be included is up in the air, as he wasn’t physically featured in his cameo.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “Why would they spoil a movie that doesn’t even come out until next year? That seems stupid!” That’s a fair thought, until you consider that X-Men: Dark Phoenix was originally supposed to be released in November of this year and was pushed back almost four months, and the cameo scene for Deadpool 2 was also shot on the set of Dark Phoenix. If it was shot on the set of the movie, you would think they would have been able to fit a lot more people in there, especially as seeing two versions of Colossus would have allowed Deadpool to break the fourth wall and poke fun of the confusion (which would go a long way to helping people understand why Daniel Cudmore is back when Dark Phoenix comes out). On top of that, all of the characters who are rumored to die or not appear in Dark Phoenix are also absent from the cameo.
Lastly, l think it's way too close to simply be a coincidence. Personally, I think Evan Peters plays a fun Quicksilver that feels a lot like Iceman. James McAvoy is a great Professor X which would be the telepath equivalent to Jean Grey. Alexandra Shipp’s Storm can fly in place of Angel, and Tye Sheridan and Nicholas Hoult are fantastic, well known actors to reprise Cyclops and Beast. The other two members to join in the comics were X-23 and Kitty Pryde. Laura Kinney delivered an outstanding breakout performance during last year's Logan and would be a welcome addition, while those rumors of a solo Kitty Pryde film could now all make a lot more sense. All of these things line up and seem to imitate if not mirror the comics, so I would be blown away if at least some version of this doesn't play out next February when X-Men: Dark Phoenix hits thaters.
But what do YOU think?! Too crazy of a theory or just crazy enough? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!