Marvel has already shown how Deadpool can work in the MCU’sAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, despite tonally being far more mature than the usual MCU fare. Discussions about where Deadpool could next appear in the MCU have been rife sinceDeadpool & Wolverine’s endingsuggested follow-up appearances from the two titular characters were perhaps to be expected for the Multiverse Saga. These have only been exacerbated byDeadpool & Wolverine’s box office success, which adds further reason for the overarching franchise to bring the duo back in future releases.
Sincethe story ofAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Warsis set up to contain major multiversal crossovers due to them being the two main films to conclude the Multiverse Saga, the movies are the most natural place for this prospective future appearance from Deadpool. However, this would also be Deadpool’s first live-action crossover with the MCU’s main hero roster, raising questions about whether the franchise could effectively pull this off. Luckily, there are some useful sources forthe MCU timelineto pull from in order to go down this avenue, with one prior Marvel show being a useful example.
Ultimate Spider-Man Showed How The MCU Can Handle Putting Deadpool In The Avengers
The MCU Wouldn’t Be The First Time Deadpool Has Appeared In Stories That Needed To Tone Him Down
WhileUltimate Spider-Manis, unsurprisingly, primarily focused on the titular hero and his web-slinging adventures, the series features a range of heroes from throughout the annals of Marvel history. Despite this, it likely still came as a surprise for many who were already aware of Deadpool when he appeared in the show, withUltimate Spider-Manseason 2 dedicating a full episode - “Ultimate Deadpool” - to the Deadpool and Spider-Man interacting, and eventually battlingit out.
Naturally, givenUltimate Spider-Manwas aimed to be suitable for younger audiences, this Wade Wilson isn’t shown violently mowing down enemies and dropping f-bombs in the way his movie counterpart is. However, a lot of his trademark style of comedy is delivered throughout his time on-screen, with him breaking the fourth wall, making jokes at Wolverine’s expense, and creating a puppet of Doctor Doom for the purpose of making fun of him.
This allows for audiences who wouldn’t necessarily be able to read Deadpool’s comic - or, later, watch his movies - to be able to gain a sense of what the character is about, and of the fast-paced comedy used by essentially every version of the antihero. With this in mind, the show’s depiction of the character is a useful example for the MCU to follow suit from in order to have Deadpool appear in future crossover movies likeAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, since it’s unlikely a prospective crossover will let him go as heavy on the violence as it will the comedy.
Ultimate Spider-Man Showed The MCU Shouldn’t Tone Down Deadpool Too Much In Crossovers
Ultimate Spider-Man Shows What To Do & What Not To Do With A Deadpool Crossover
ThoughUltimate Spider-Manhelps show a lot about how to handle Deadpool crossover, it also shows a fair bit about what not to do.Ultimate Spider-Mansaw criticism upon release - and to this day - about it being perceived as providing an overly toned down version of Spider-Man and his history, making some colossal changes to make Spider-Man part of SHIELD and give him a team instead of letting him be the lone hero audiences have come to expect. Deadpool’s depiction factors into this, as much of the antihero’s story and style is also tweaked to allow him in the show.
As such,Ultimate Spider-Manis also a great lesson in terms of finding the proverbial line in the sand when it comes to ensuring adaptations of characters like Deadpool hit the right note. Mercifully, the MCU has already set a precedent of the Avengers movies having some more mature content viaAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgame, meaning a precedent has been established that could allow for a slightly more comic-accurate Deadpool, albeit one that would no doubt still not be as crass or blood-soaked as he gets to be in his solo series.
The MCU’s Deadpool Crossover Scene Makes An Avengers Appearance All The More Likely
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Scene In The Main MCU Timeline Teases How The Franchise Could Handle The Antihero
The MCU’s first crossover moment between Deadpool and the main timeline’s roster underlines the potential for further appearances from the Merc With A Mouth in the franchise, and teases a little bit about how the franchise could incorporate its new unruly addition later down the line.Early inDeadpool & Wolverine, the movie depicts Wade Wilson going over to Earth-616 to try and join the universe’s Avengers, leading to a scene where he and Happy Hogan discuss Deadpool’s prospects and Hogan eventually turns down Wade’s application- but only after Deadpool has roasted Happy several times beforehand.
The scene has at least one moment that would perhaps be out of place within the MCU itself, but the general pace and tone of the comedy within it does fit into the franchise’s overall sensibilities. Similarly, having Deadpool razz on Hogan but ultimately be somewhat beholden to him also helps show what his relationship with the main heroes of the MCU could look like - a recipe not too far from the comic, wherein the heroes often respect Wade’s fighting abilities and do value him as an ally, even if they don’t necessarily want to listen to his constant stream of innuendo and one-liners.
That said, it would be interesting to see where the MCU marks its limits when it comes to Deadpool’s comedy, as the segment of the conversation between Happy Hogan and Wade wherein the antihero describes the act of “smashturbation” using a set of Hulk hand toys certainly feels like it might be a bridge too far for most MCU movies outside of Deadpool’s own. That said, there’s definitely also a gray area in the franchise almost custom-built for Deadpool to utilize, based on moments like the oddly charged “holes” conversation inAnt-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Why Deadpool Needs To Be In The Multiverse Saga’s Avengers Movies
The MCU Needs Deadpool
Deadpool’s entry into the MCU has gone down spectacularly, withDeadpool & Wolverineentering the ranks ofMCU movies with a more than $1 billion box office. Similarly, the overall reviews of the release have also been positive, with audiences praising the film and its approach to not only bringing Deadpool into a new era, but also commemorating the legacy of the Fox X-Men era. This success is the first and most transparent reason Deadpool needs to be in one or both ofAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, since leaving him out would evidently be a major waste.
Deadpool’s inclusion in the MCU itself also warrants further exploration that it seems only the Avengers movies could effectively provide.Though the decision to bring Wade into the MCU was received positively,Deadpool & Wolverineessentially only had Wilson interact with the main timeline for a sparse few minutes, with the Time Variance Authority and Void being the main way it integrated into the multiverse. As such,Avengers: DoomsdayorAvengers: Secret Warsoffer a clear and logical way to make Deadpool entering the MCU more meaningful, especially since he could bring figures like Wolverine with him.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Cast
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
