Some of the wildestDeadpool & Wolverinetheories from before the movie’s premiere in July 2024 could have massively changed theMCUfor good. Released on June 26, 2025,Deadpool & Wolverinemarked the MCU debuts of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, with the latter playing a variant of his original Wolverine from20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise.Deadpool & Wolverinepaid homage to Fox’s two-decade-long Marvel movie franchise while setting up exciting new stories for the MCU, and many theories suggested it could have done even more.
WhileDeadpool & Wolverinemarked a strong MCU debutfor its titular antiheroes, and bridged the gap between Fox’s and Marvel Studios' franchises, the Phase 5 movie didn’t have the effect on the MCU’s Multiverse Saga that many predicted.There was a huge influx of speculation and fan theories concerningDeadpool & Wolverine’snarrative, characters, MCU connections and timelinethat could have changed Marvel Studios' continuity significantly. These theories didn’t come to fruition, however, so the MCU was instead left relatively unchanged afterDeadpool & Wolverine.
10Deadpool & Wolverine Setting Up Avengers: Secret Wars Would’ve Added More Cohesion
Deadpool & Wolverine’s First Trailer Teased A Secret Wars Connection
The very first teaser trailer forDeadpool & Wolverineended with the Merc with a Mouth lying on the ground in the Void at the End of Time, and an issue of Marvel Comics could be seen next to him.This issue was August 2015’sSecret Wars #5, written by Jonathan Hickman and pencilled by Esad Ribic, which revealed how Doctor Doom absorbed the Beyonders' power to build Battleworldand save many variants after incursions ravaged the multiverse. Theappearance ofSecret Wars #5spurred theories thatDeadpool & Wolverinewould actively set up 2027’sAvengers: Secret Wars.
Marvel Studios has come under some criticism as the projects of the Multiverse Saga have felt disconnected and separate from each other, much more so than those in the Infinity Saga.Deadpool & Wolverinedirectly setting upAvengers: Secret Warscould have established more of this cohesion that many have been missing, with Deadpool perhaps being recruited by the Time Variance Authority to stop an incursion. This didn’t happen, however, andSecret Wars #5seemed to be just a fun easter egg, rather than anything meaningful.
9Deadpool & Wolverine Visiting Avengers: Endgame Would’ve Rewritten The MCU Event
Avengers: Endgame’s Portals Scene Was Theorized To Be Revisited
One of the most prevailing theories concerningDeadpool & Wolverinerelied heavily on a scene from the trailer that showed the titular antiheroes jumping through a portal apparently created by a Master of the Mystic Arts. This led some to speculate whether the portal could lead to the battleground of the Battle of Earth, which would have allowed Deadpool and Wolverine to join the iconicportal scene from 2019’sAvengers: Endgame.Deadpool and Wolverine joining the fight against Thanos inEndgamewould have seriously changed the MCU’s biggest event.
10 MCU Events We Want Deadpool & Wolverine To Revisit That Would Have Change Everything
Deadpool and Wolverine will seemingly be revisiting events in the MCU’s history in their upcoming adventure, which could change the MCU as it’s known.
This could have been inspired byDeadpool’s Secret Secret Wars, a 2015 storylinethat revealed Deadpool had been involved in the original 1984Secret Warsstoryline, but was in the background of the main action, as he wasn’t introduced to Marvel Comics until 1990.Deadpool & Wolverinecould have revealed Wade Wilson and Logan in some ofEndgame’ssmaller, unseen battles, which would have been very entertaining. However, this theory could have run the risk of taintingEndgame’sincredible final fight, so it’s best rewriting this epic battle was avoided.
8Deadpool & Wolverine Rewriting Messy MCU Events Might Have Cleaned Up The Timeline
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Journey Through MCU History Didn’t Happen
In the lead-up toDeadpool & Wolverine’spremiere, one huge theory emerged that suggested the titular pair could have been time traveling throughout the Phase 5 movie, using the same technology Wade Wilson acquired from Cable at the end of 2018’sDeadpool 2or a TVA TemPad.This led to speculation that Deadpool and Wolverine could have gone back in time to rewrite some of the MCU’s messiest timeline discrepancies and disappointing storylines. This theory was exacerbated by a seemingly official synopsis (viaX), butDeadpool & Wolverine’stime travel story did not occur.
Many hoped thatDeadpool & Wolverinecould have rewritten some of the MCU’s most controversialevents, such as the romance between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter, or that between Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner,Spider-Man: Homecoming’s"8 Years Later"blunder, Quicksilver’s death inAvengers: Age of Ultron, the entire narrative ofSecret Invasion, and more.This obviously didn’t unfold, but this theory hinted atDeadpool & Wolverinechanging the MCU’s entire history. This would have contributed to one of the most game-changing and intricate storylines in the MCU.
7The TVA Hunting Deadpool & Wolverine In The MCU Would Have Made Them Villains
Deadpool & Wolverine Both Caused Timeline Issues In Fox’s X-Men Franchise
Deadpool & Wolverinemarked the first time the Time Variance Authority had been seen in the MCU outside theLokiseries on Disney+, so this was a great opportunity to establish some connective tissue in the Multiverse Saga. Deadpool and Wolverine were evidently working against the TVA, namelyMatthew Macfadyen’s rogue Mr. Paradox, but they were not specifically being hunted by the TVA, as one notable theory suggested. This would have been in direct response to stories from Fox’sX-Menfranchise, and would have made Deadpool and Wolverine enemies of the stability of the multiverse.
Loki revamped the Time Variance Authority in his Disney+ series, removing He Who Remains from power and destroying the Sacred Timeline to instead establish a safe and stable multiverse with him at the center.
Both Wolverine and Deadpool screwed with Fox’s timeline pretty significantly. Logan traveled to 1973 inX-Men: Days of Future Pastand changed the course of history, while Wade Wilson used Cable’s technology inDeadpool 2to travel in time to save Vanessa, save several X-Force members, kill the Deadpool fromX-Men Origins: Wolverine, and kill Ryan Reynolds after reading the screenplay for 2011’s reviledGreen Lantern. This informed the theory that the TVA would be after them, as they may have both caused major incursion events, but this didn’t come to pass.
6Deadpool & Wolverine Ending In An Incursion Would Have Been Catastrophic
The MCU & Fox’s X-Men Universe Could Have Collided In Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverinewas set primarily in the Void at the End of Time, but also revisited the universe of Fox’sX-Menfranchise, which has now officially been designated Earth-10005. This universe was thought to be dead after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox was finalized in 2019, andDark PhoenixandThe New Mutantsbrought the franchise to a disappointing end.Marvel Studios revisiting this universe inDeadpool & Wolverinesubsequently spurred theories that this could lead to an incursion event, withEarth-10005 and the MCU’s main Earth-616colliding.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Ending Makes Me Even More Excited For The MCU’s Avengers: Secret Wars Movie
Marvel Studios' Avengers: Secret Wars is still scheduled for release in 2027, and Deadpool & Wolverine might have set up its storyline perfectly.
This would have been the perfect precursor toAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, would have established a new status quo for every project betweenDeadpool & WolverineandSecret Wars, and could have marked the return of many characters from Fox’sX-Menfranchise in many MCU projects. It’s probably best this didn’t happen, asincluding an incursion between Earth-10005 and Earth-616 would have made the MCU’s timeline pretty messy. Even so, this would have been a great way to bid a final farewell to Fox’sX-Men franchise ahead ofMarvel Studios' reinvention of the X-Men team.
5Doctor Strange’s Cameo Could Have Perfectly Set Up Doctor Strange 3
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Trailers Teased Doctor Strange’s Return
As previously mentioned, the appearance of a"Marvel Sparkle Circle"inDeadpool & Wolverinespurred speculation that a Master of the Mystic Arts would appear in the Phase 5 movie, and who better than Doctor Strange himself?Benedict Cumberbatch’s formidable MCU hero has been AWOL since 2022’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessended with him traveling through a portal with Clea to stop an incursion. His absence has been noticeable, especially since Doctor Strange is set up as a key player in the Multiverse Saga, soDeadpool & Wolverinehad a great opportunity to bring him back.
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It turns out that it was Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova who created the portal inDeadpool & Wolverine, using a sling ring stolen from a Doctor Strange variantwho enhanced it with the Reality and Time Infinity Stones. If Benedict Cumberbatch had made an appearance as Strange, however,Deadpool & Wolverinecould have acted as the perfect set-up forMarvel Studios’Doctor Strange 3. The sequel, which hasn’t technically been announced, is currently expected to release betweenAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, and the multiversal narrative ofDeadpool & Wolverinewould have been the perfect launch pad.
4Many X-Men Franchise Actors Could Have Reprised Their Roles In The MCU Proper
Marvel Studios Will Soon Be Reinventing The X-Men For The MCU
Deadpool & Wolverinefeatured the returns of several stars of Fox’s previous Marvel movies and franchises, including all the members of the Resistance, except forChanning Tatum’s Gambit. Several smaller characters from Fox’sDeadpoolfranchise also returned for the opening and closing of the Phase 5 movie, butDeadpool & Wolverinewas originally thought to be including even more.Theories implied the entire X-Men team from Fox’s franchise could have returned inDeadpool & Wolverine, which would have brought the X-Men into the MCU, in one form, for the first time.
New actors were also theorized to be joiningDeadpool & Wolverineas X-Men members and variants, such as Taylor Swift as Dazzler and Daniel Radcliffe as Patch, a Wolverine variant who ended up being played by Hugh Jackman himself.
Popular theories suggested that the likes of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Ian McKellen’s Magneto, James Marsden’s Cyclops, Halle Berry’s Storm, Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey and Liev Schreiber’s Sabretooth would all return forDeadpool & Wolverine.While many of these actors and characters were featured in the credits' behind the scenes reel from Fox’sX-Menfranchise history, they did not return inDeadpool & Wolverine’smain story. This means we have to wait even longer for theX-Men to officially be seen in the MCU, though hopefully not too long.
3Deadpool & Wolverine Could Have Introduced Mutants To The Main MCU Timeline
Deadpool & Wolverine Was Speculated To Retcon Mutants Into The MCU’s Main Continuity
Whether by having Deadpool and Wolverine revisit and rewrite events in the MCU’s history, or by having an incursion combine Fox’sX-Menfranchise and the MCU, or through some other means, one huge theory suggestedDeadpool & Wolverinecould have introduced mutants into the MCU en masse.While Marvel Studios has had access to mutants since 2019’s acquisition of Fox, the process of integrating them into the MCU has been painfully slow. Only two characters, Ms. Marvel and Namor, areconfirmed to be mutants in the MCU’s main timeline, but fans want more.
Deadpool & Wolverine Theory Suggests Deadpool May Create The MCU’s Mutants
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to introduce Fox’s mutants to the MCU, but one theory hints at Deadpool creating the MCU’s own mutant characters too.
Deadpool & Wolverineincluded countless mutant characters, but didn’t bring any of them into the MCU’s main continuity of Earth-616. There were no retcons made, either, which means that mutants and the X-Men are still waiting to be brought into the MCU proper.HadDeadpool & Wolverinesomehow pulled this off, the shape of the MCU would have been drastically changed, as a whole new species would have been introduced. It seems we’ll need to wait a while longer for this to take place, however, but Deadpool and Wolverine could still be at the forefront.
2Deadpool Forming His Multiversal Avengers Would Have Debuted The MCU’s Strongest Team Yet
A Multiversal Avengers Team Would Have Been Huge For Doomsday & Secret Wars
Deadpool and Wolverine’s journey into the Void, interactions with variants of notable Marvel characters and suspected exploration of the MCU’s history led to theories suggesting the pair would be forming a multiversal Avengers team. In a way,this was depicted inDeadpool & Wolverine, as the titular antiheroes joined the Resistance team fighting Cassandra Nova.Ryan Reynoldsseemed to hint at this, too, by sharing an image of a flag adorned with a variation of the Avengers' logo, but this was just the symbol used by Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova and her goons.
It was speculated that thismultiversal Avengers teamcould have included the likes of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter, Lashana Lynch’s Binary, Chris Evans' Human Torch and even Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, but this version of the team did not come together.Blade, Elektra, the Human Torch, X-23 and Gambit did form the Resistance, but forming an official multiversal Avengers team could have set them up for a return in Phase 6. There is still speculation that a team of multiversal heroes will form in the MCU, and this is a very exciting prospect.
Deadpool Still Isn’t Actually In The MCU
Perhaps the biggest theory concerning the ending ofDeadpool & Wolverinesuggested that the universe featured in Fox’sX-Menfranchise would be destroyed, and Ryan Reynolds would join the MCU’s main continuity permanently as Deadpool. It seemed as though this catastrophic and brilliant event was being set up throughout the movie, but thenDeadpool & Wolverineended with Earth-10005 being saved and Deadpool returning home. This has leftDeadpool’s future in the MCUfar more uncertain, as it’s unclear when or if Earth-10005 and Earth-616 will cross paths again.
BringingRyan Reynolds' Deadpool into the MCU permanentlywould have made the development of sequels and future cameo appearances inevitable. The fact that he’s still in another reality across the MCU’s multiverse, however, throws a spanner in the works.It would have made sense for Marvel Studios to destroy Earth-10005, creating a clean slate for a new version of the X-Men team to debut in the MCU, too. Since this didn’t happen, it’s possible Earth-10005 could be revisited, which could still bring Wade Wilson back afterDeadpool & Wolverine, but his future in the MCU hasn’t been confirmed.
