Deadpool 3 has broken the internet with its first look at Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as Deadpool and Wolverine. Not only are the two beloved Marvel characters finally sharing some screen time, but for the first time in cinematic history, Jackman’s Wolverine is sporting his classic yellow costume from the comics. What more could we ask for?
The first look has sparked some confusion, though. Is Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? For that matter, is Wolverine in the MCU? Weren’t the X-Men movies a different thing? And now people are saying Loki characters are going to be in Deadpool 3? What’s going on!?
Chill! We’ve got you covered. Here’s the lowdown on which continuity Deadpool 3 takes place in—and all the Marvel crossovers that are rumored to appear.
Is Deadpool 3 in the MCU?
Deadpool 1 and 2 were not in the MCU, even though they were released while the MCU was well underway. This is because until very recently, the film rights to Deadpool’s character—like the rights to the X-Men—were owned by 20th Century Fox, not Marvel Studios. That’s why the X-Men movies all took place in a different continuity than the Avengers movies. It’s why Deadpool was able to interact with the X-Men, but not the Avengers, and why everyone’s brains exploded when Patrick Stewart’s Professor X had a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Now that the rights to Deadpool and the X-Men are back with Marvel, Deadpool and Wolverine can make their official MCU debuts. If you love the raunchy, NSFW tone of the first two movies, though, don’t worry—Deadpool 3 is currently slated to receive the MCU’s first R rating.
But Deadpool 1 and 2 weren’t in the MCU. How are they going to explain that?
Boy, if only there was some kind of “multi-verse” that Marvel could use to explain the sudden appearance of new characters!
With Marvel’s Phase 5 underway, we’re right in the middle of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, which sees characters from different realities crossing timelines to team up with each other. The Multiverse Saga is how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was able to team up with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Marvel is using it as a way to combine all the properties that were previously controlled by other studios.
That means that Deadpool and Wolverine will presumably be crossing over into the MCU from a different timeline. Jackman explained it a little in an interview with SiriusXM.
All because of this device they have in the Marvel world of moving around timelines, now we can go back because it’s “science.” And so I don’t have to screw with the Logan timeline, which was important to me, and I think probably to the fans, too.
Of course, with Deadpool and Wolverine hopping timelines, rumor has it that there may be other MCU characters popping in, too.
Is Miss Minutes in Deadpool 3?
With anything timeline-related, it would only make sense for Marvel’s Time Variance Authority to make an appearance in Deadpool 3. Rumor has it that Miss Minutes, the TVA’s sentient cartoon clock, may make an appearance. Tara Strong, who voices Miss Minutes, has denied any knowledge of an appearance, but a tweet from Ryan Reynolds saying hello to Miss Minutes kicked the rumor mill into action.
Is Owen Wilson in Deadpool 3?
Another rumor that surfaced was that Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius would be making an appearance in Deadpool 3. However, that rumor has been thrown into doubt by another rumor: that Matthew Macfayden will be appearing as another TVA agent named Paradox. Macfayden is a confirmed cast member, but his character is currently unknown, and the Paradox rumor first surfaced on Twitter.
Let me stress, though, that these are just rumors. We know nothing for sure.
What about Taika Waititi’s Korg?
In July 2021, Taika Waititi and Ryan Reynolds appeared together as Korg from Thor: Ragnarok and Deadpool in a promo video for Reynolds’ film Free Guy. Does that mean Korg is going to be Deadpool 3?
No one knows. I’m pretty sure the confusion is the point.
Still, though, Deadpool 3, slated for a November 8, 2024 release, is shaping up to be a wild ride through the multiverse.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / 20th Century Fox)
