There’s still so much we don’t know about Deadpool 3. Naturally, Marvel Studios wouldn’t have it any other way, as secrecy makes even the smallest morsel of news feel like a meal. Deadpool fans have reason to be excited, though: the film will mark the merc’s foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Previously, Deadpool dwelled in the X-Men timeline produced by the Fox films. But the dissolving barriers of the multiverse — as well as Disney’s merger with Fox — have made it possible for Ryan Reynolds’ titular character to join the MCU for the first time. And he won’t be the only mutant stepping off his home turf in Deadpool 3.
Much has been made of Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine. The actor will reprise his role six years after hanging up the claws in James Mangold’s Logan — and he’ll be playing two parallel versions of the character. A number of Deadpool regulars are also on deck for the threequel.
Per Deadline, Morena Baccarin and Stefan Kapičić have been tapped to return. Baccarin is a fan favorite as Wade Wilson’s love interest, Vanessa Carlysle. It likely wouldn’t be a Deadpool flick without her, so this confirmation is certainly comforting. Kapičić has also been a staple of the Deadpool films: he provides the voice for Colossus, the man of steel with a heart of gold.
Since so much of the Deadpool 3 plot remains under wraps, there’s no telling whether Kapičić will also be playing multiple versions of his character. Regardless, his presence in the film might suggest what many X-Men fans have been hoping for: a proper MCU introduction to the mutant squad.
Hugh Jackman recently confirmed that Deadpool 3 will straddle the X-Men ‘verse as well as the MCU. Kapičić is pretty much guaranteed to appear as Colossus in the former, but there may just be a version of the character in the MCU, as well. We know that the X-Men have not yet formed up in Earth-616 — and with Secret Wars right around the corner, it’s highly unlikely — but that doesn’t mean we can’t see the pieces falling into place in Deadpool 3.
Marvel Studios has been quietly priming the MCU for the X-Men: Ms. Marvel confirmed that mutants do exist in 616, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved that certain X-Men are operating in nearby universes. There’s no telling how the team will eventually be formed: incursions could play a role, or maybe the MCU will be building them from the ground up, not unlike X-Men: First Class. Either way, Deadpool 3 will further blur the lines between the handful of universes we’ve already seen, and make it much easier to give mutants a bigger role in Phase 5 and 6.
