Marvel fans went haywire when Ryan Reynolds confirmed that development of Deadpool 3 (final title to be determined) was not only underway but that the film will also star Hugh Jackman reprising his iconic X-Men role of Wolverine several years after he stepped down in the 2017 film Logan.
Now, Reynolds and Jackman have confirmed one more detail that, mercifully, won’t derail the continuity of what is arguably Marvel’s best movie ever.
In a follow-up Instagram video shared on Wednesday, Reynolds and Jackman got together to “answer” some questions fans have about the continuity of Deadpool 3.
“Quick explainer video that tackles...” reads the caption followed by a numbered list that includes “timeline questions, “Logan canon,” and “MCU FAQ.” In the video, Jackman assures the viewer that “we’re going to answer them right now.”
The first question, of course: How the heck is Wolverine still alive?
Recall that the 2017 film Logan, which was billed as Jackman’s final performance as Wolverine in the acclaimed R-rated movie by James Mangold, ended with the passing of Logan as he helped a small community of mutant kids escape a dangerous laboratory conducting lethal experiments.
In the video, Reynolds says that the distant future timeline Logan takes place means Deadpool 3 can still tell a Wolverine story without mucking up the continuity.
“Logan takes place in 2029. Totally separate thing,” Reynolds says, confirming that Wolverine is still dead at that point in the timeline. “Not touching that.”
Of course, this being a Ryan Reynolds video on social media, there has to be a joke. When the Canadian A-lister tries to explain in minute detail the plot of Deadpool 3 — which, by the way, it’s still up in the air if the plot will be that road trip movie Reynolds revealed back in 2021 for charity — he’s drowned out by the absurdly random needle drop of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! So, you don’t actually have to worry about any more spoilers if that’s actually a concern.
While it’s obvious that those behind Deadpool 3 are going to keep as tight lip as possible until the movie’s release in 2024, it’s still interesting that Reynolds and Jackman laid out a definitive factoid about the movie’s continuity with the X-Men timeline, specifically Logan.
Logan is enough of a stand-alone movie to be almost considered set in its own universe. But this new Instagram video with Reynolds and Jackman confirms that not only is Logan definitively set in the same X-Men timeline, but that Jackman’s Wolverine has a set “dead date” that can’t be avoided.
That means, even with Avengers: Secret Wars coming in 2025, fans probably still shouldn’t expect to see Jackman as Logan after Deadpool 3. This is probably to appease the currently 53-year-old Jackman, who put the role behind him with one of his best performances to date but is now getting dragged back for one more berserker barrage.
Since the announcement that Jackman is back, Marvel fans are now speculating the multiverse-centric Avengers: Secret Wars will involve the X-Men, and that Deadpool 3 may be an even bigger piece to the Phase 6 puzzle. It’s more likely that Reynolds will suit up as Deadpool in Secret Wars than Jackman as Wolverine, but it’s now unavoidable how important Deadpool 3 has suddenly become as Secret Wars slowly but surely approaches.
Deadpool 3 will open in theaters on September 6, 2024.
