RUMOR: Deadpool to make MCU debut in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, may soon enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
According to rumors, the foul-mouthed assassin from the R-rated superhero movie could possibly make a brief cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 6, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
A post-credits trailer for the film with key plot points was shown in Spider-Man: No Way Home which debuted in movie theaters internationally.
Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, The Evil Dead) and written by Michael Waldron (Loki) and Jade Halley Bartlett, is primed to be a major crossover event that will build off of the conclusion of Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as the events of Loki, WandaVision, and even the animated anthology series What If …?
Rumors have been swirling for a couple of years about Deadpool’s possible jump to the MCU, with accounts like @MCUSource, known for sharing spoilers and leaks, adding to the hype.
BREAKING: #Deadpool‘s first appearance at the #MCU will be in #DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness! pic.twitter.com/KZYAVcACZ9
— MCU Source (@MCU_Source) December 19, 2021
In 2019, Walt Disney Company completed its purchase of 20th Century Fox, which means that the X-Men and Fantastic Four, iconic Marvel properties, whose rights were previously held by Fox for decades, would finally be able to join other comic book superheroes under the same banner as Disney’s MCU.
Deadpool was also owned by Fox, which was acquired by Disney along with the rest of the studio’s Marvel crew, so legally, Deadpool could show up in future MCU movies or series.
Earlier this year, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige confirmed that Deadpool 3 would be an MCU film, but would still maintain its R-Rating despite its move to the family-friendly Disney Studio.
“[Deadpool 3] will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan [Reynolds is] overseeing a script right now,” Feige told Collider in January of this year.
While the director said that filming would not take place in 2021 because of Ryan’s busy schedule, the character would be “very different” for the MCU.
“We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life.” Feige said in the same interview.
Technically, it won’t be the first time Deadpool dips his toes in MCU territory.
In a promo for Fox’s big-budget comedy Free Guy, which stars Reynolds as a NPC character in an open-world video game, Reynolds appeared in character as Deadpool alongside another Marvel character.
Deadpool was joined by Korg, the alien Kronan rock monster played by Taiki Waititi in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). The duo made self-referential jokes and showed, for the first time, Deadpool interacting with an MCU character on-screen.
Based on the rumor mill, Deadpool is believed to have been added to the Doctor Strange sequel during significant reshoots that started in November 2021 until the end of the year.
It’s possible that Reynold's character, along with other X-Men or comic book characters, could make cameos during battle scenes in the multiverse or in an after-credits scene. However, at this point, there’s still no guarantee.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is scheduled for a US release on May 6, 2022.