'Deadpool 3': Everything We Know and Everything We Don't
Ever since Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman joined together last year to announce Jackman’s return as Wolverine in the upcoming Deadpool 3, fans have flooded the internet with theories and takes, mapping out all the potentials for what will likely end up being one of the most anticipated comic book movies of all time. The film also marks the first time the two will meet since X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, a face-off that would go on to be the butt of one of the most popular jokes from the post-credits of Deadpool 2.
The first and second Deadpool movies are beloved in their own right, but adding Jackman’s Wolverine back into the mix? That’s a recipe for guaranteed success. The addition does beg a few questions, the main one being that Wolverine died in Logan, which was definitely supposed to tie up Jackman’s run as the character once and for all. Yet according to the man himself, as well as new behind the scenes photos, he’s back and better than ever. So let’s forget about the questions for a minute and go over everything we know; from the scoops to the shoots, here’s the rundown so far for Deadpool 3.
Easily one of the most talked about aspects of Jackman’s return since the announcement has been his suit. Ever since his debut in the first X-Men film twenty years ago, fans have longed for him to don a comic-accurate yellow and blue suit; now, after years of talk and a tease in Logan, it seems those prayers have finally been answered. The photos, the first of which shared was by Ryan Reynolds on Instagram earlier today, featur Deadpool and Wolverine; side-by-side in one, engaged in a full-on brawl in others, but both fitted with brand new suits.
Deadpool’s is his flashiest yet, with more vibrant colors and a callback to the comics with the cheeky little Deadpool face on his belt buckle. Wolverine, finally, is suited in the fabled blue and yellow. The outfit appears to be ripped straight from the pages of a Wolverine comic, accented by his trademarked mutton chops and spiky untamed hair. The first photo has gone viral on Twitter, with “Wolverine” placing 16th on the top 20 trending list, sporting a hefty 133k tweets just hours after the image was released.
The photos come just days after a set photo was unofficially released, taken of Deadpool standing alone. Perhaps Reynolds figured he’d capitalize on the attention and release the new photo, but regardless of the reason, he’s got everybody looking. Though according to a recent report, Jackman’s Wolverine may not be the only returning hero to make an appearance.
According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter posted on July 7th, Elektra, played by Jennifer Garner in her 2005 solo film of the same and 2003’s Daredevil (we’ll get to that in a moment), is set to return alongside the aforementioned duo in Deadpool 3, citing “multiple sources”. Garner recently appeared alongside Reynolds in Netflix’s The Adam Project, which was also directed by Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool 3. This may explain her return, as her incarnation of Elektra isn’t the most popular on it’s own. In fact, the title has an abysmal 11% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, worsened by an almost equally bad audience score of 29%. Still, if Ryan Reynolds can revive his own version of Deadpool, who knows what he and Levy have in store for Garner’s Elektra.
Prior to Garner’s return being broken, one of the most prevalent rumors in regards to Deadpool 3 was the return of Ben Affleck as Daredevil. The Affleck-led Daredevil film that introduced Garner’s Elektra wasn’t received much better than herthat film, yet that didn’t stop fans from constantly speculating his comeback. Now, it seems those fans may have been on to something.
In comparison to the Garner scoop, Affleck’s return is far from confirmed. But it only makes sense. Why bring back Garner and not Affleck? Those specific characters are connected at their conception, and if the respective universes are being connected, leaving Ben behind would seem like a pointless omission. With the multiple multiversal storylines in the MCU as of late, it seems likely that we’ll see the likes of Garner and Affleck, and perhaps even more. There aren’t any limits, especially for Deadpool.
Further proof in the pudding for the film’s potential multiversal aspect is in another recent rumor that teases a debut rather than a return. Channing Tatum has been tipped to appear as Gambit in the film, an energy-based hero that, despite commonly featuring in X-Men comics, has only appeared in one of Marvel’s big screen efforts over the years, the aforementioned X-Men Origins, played by Taylor Kitsch. It’s a well known fact among comic book and movie fans alike that Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit in 2014 for a now canceled film that was meant to re-introduce the character to movie audiences. The prospect of Tatum as Gambit has since become extremely popular among fans despite the cancellation, with most viewing the nonexistent film as an unfortunate missed opportunity, until now.
The rumor comes from popular social media scooper “MyTimeToShineHello”; the news explodedas soon as it was posted. Further, the user claims that Tatum has already filmed his appearance.
If this report comes to fruition and Tatum joins Garner (and likely Affleck) in Deadpool 3, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be the only Marvel incarnations of old to make an appearance. The level on which the film will tackle the multiverse is yet to be seen, but with the only two confirmed cameos being heroes from two completely different universes, the sky's the limit for Ryan Reynolds and company.
In addition to these rumors, there is at least one character who’s been confirmed in the negative. In an interview with Decider in June, Domino actress Zazie Beetz noted that she won’t be returning in the threequel: “Well, I’m not actually in Deadpool 3… I’m excited to watch it.” This comes as a disappointment to fans, as she was an instant favorite upon her debut in the previous film.
In spite of that unfortunate news, fans still have much to look forward to with Deadpool 3, and with a little less than a year to go until its May 2024 release date, there’s plenty of time for more news to make up for any lost hype. In the meantime, fans will certainly continue to speculate and discuss, and the excitement for the Merc with a Mouth’s newest adventure will continue to build as a result.