Deadpool & Wolverine brought the Merc with the Mouth into the MCU, but spent a lot of time focusing on Earth-10005, a.k.a. the X-Men Universe.
The movie concluded with Wade Wilson and Logan becoming (reluctant) BFFs, and the expectation now is that we'll see them both in Avengers: Doomsday next December. However, had Ryan Reynolds had his way, we'd have bid a permanent farewell to the anti-hero in the threequel.
Talking to Scott Mendelson on The Box Office podcast, the actor and writer admitted that he considered bringing an end to Deadpool's misadventures in the MCU just as they were getting started.
"There’s always the thought of killing Deadpool in the last one," Reynolds admitted. "Again, it’s like listening to the movie. Me, Shane Reid, Dean Zimmerman, and Shawn Levy must have reworked that third act for 45 days straight. Finally figuring it out — I am such a needle-drop person, but I’m really working hard to embrace score."
"It was Rob Simonsen who really helped us get there by blending score, needle drop, and all these things that gave you that feeling we were working for."
"Studios are like, of course, it’d be fun to play around with this guy in the future, because he’s a cheat code," the actor continued. "He can say things that everyone might be thinking, and it gets you out of trouble." He'd later point out that he was ultimately happy Disney didn't let him kill Deadpool because he "loves playing him."
Earlier this month, the news broke that Ryan Reynolds is in the early stages of writing a new Deadpool movie that will see the Merc with a Mouth paired up with "three or four" X-Men characters.
Wade Wilson would be a supporting player in the project that's separate from the X-Men reboot being written by Michael Lesslie for Marvel Studios. Reynolds is currently working independently from the studio, so it's unclear whether the project will come to fruition. However, it's widely believed to be an X-Force project.
There are also rumblings on social media that, along with Zazie Beetz as Domino, Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine have already been spotted on the Avengers: Doomsday set. We'd take that with a pinch of salt for now, and they may have also been stand-ins or stuntmen, with the actors set to shoot their respective scenes somewhere down the line.
"I don’t think he should ever be an Avenger or an X-Man," Reynolds previously said. "If he becomes either, we’re at the end."
Asked if that means he'd turn down Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, or even the eventual X-Men reboot, he responded, "Just the opposite! I think Deadpool works so well appearing with the X-Men and Avengers, but he always needs to stay an outsider. His ultimate dream is to be accepted and appreciated. But he can’t be accepted."
"His coping mechanism of deflecting shame through humor works only when used to pave over his many inadequacies. If and when he does become an Avenger or X-Man, we’re at the end of his journey," Reynolds noted.
Talking about his possible role in Avengers: Doomsday, Hugh Jackman said this week, "I really can’t say much, except when you say 'appear,' more like dominate and destroy every other character—I’m kidding. I really have nothing to add, and if I did, I would find a really cool way to not say it, but I actually have nothing to add."
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2026.