Ryan Reynolds' sarcastic superhero Deadpool is rumoured to be in Avengers: Doomsday, but his integration into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) remains uncertain after Deadpool & Wolverine spent its runtime mocking the franchise.
Deadpool's Satirical Success
Deadpool & Wolverine, directed by Shawn Levy, made $1.3bn worldwide, becoming the second highest grossing film of 2024 and the highest grossing R-rated film ever. Rather than integrating the fourth-wall-breaking mercenary into the sanitised world of Thor and Iron Man, the film lampooned the MCU from outside, making the lack of integration the entire joke.
By the end, Deadpool remained a sarcastic observer, no closer to becoming a vital MCU character. This week's news of a sequel raises questions: how do you make another Marvel movie after systematically pulling the enterprise apart? How could Deadpool emerge as a hero in Avengers: Secret Wars when he has treated Marvel continuity as a source of disposable cameos?
Role in Avengers: Doomsday
Reports suggest Deadpool may play a role in the forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday, though not as part of the titular superhero combo. A new trailer for Doomsday shows Channing Tatum's Gambit, introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine, alongside Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellen's Magneto, and Rebecca Romijn's Mystique—all from the Fox-era mutant continuity Deadpool calls home. Reynolds is not seen, but it's easy to imagine him nearby, waiting to burst through the scenery and complain about Robert Downey Jr's salary.
Need for Growth
If Deadpool is to be seriously integrated into the MCU, he must stop mocking the Fox-era mutants who appear to be saving the multiverse. Reynolds has suggested Deadpool works best in an ensemble, but that is only interesting if other characters matter. A reunion with Gambit and others cannot become another procession of mocked cameos. Deadpool must confront the possibility that the destruction of the Fox universe might genuinely mean something to him.
This need not mean losing obscenity or delivering solemn speeches. The first two Deadpool films created genuine feeling without making the hero stop being a clown. But if he is to play a meaningful role in the end of the multiverse, the joke cannot always be that superhero stories are stupid. The most popular Marvel movie in four years persuaded audiences not to watch Marvel films, but there are only so many times Reynolds can trot out a glorified SNL sketch about silly superhero flicks. Sooner or later, Deadpool must stop sneering at the apocalypse and try to do something about it.
