Considering that record-shattering opening, we’re guessing many of you saw Deadpool & Wolverine this weekend. Marvel’s latest smash hit had the sixth-best opening of all time and was only the ninth film ever to open with over $200 million domestically on its opening weekend. For an R-rated movie, that’s quite the achievement.
But the film does leave you wondering about a lot of things. About the characters. About the Marvel Cinematic Universe. About the cameos. And below, we are going to talk about all of it. Suffice to say, don’t read unless you are one of those people who contributed to the record-breaking weekend.
Why was Thor crying?
One of the earliest teases in Deadpool & Wolverine is when Wade sees footage of a near-death version of himself being held by Thor, who is crying. Mr. Paradox says that’s from the distant future but we never get a further explanation. The assumption, of course, is that it’s a future scene from an Avengers movie but we are just guessing.
X-23 is back, but are the other members of the Resistance?
At the end of the film, Wade and Logan ask B-15 to bring their friends from the Void back into reality. We see she does it for X-23 but we don’t know if she did it for Elektra, Blade, or Gambit. The assumption is she did—but whether or not we’ll ever see those characters again, or if this is their swan song, remains a mystery. Our best guess though is Marvel has plenty of characters to go around, they don’t need more.
Who played the other Deadpools?
The Deadpool Corps had many different versions of the character and, as previously rumored, several were played by celebrities. Lady Deadpool was in fact Blake Lively, Matthew McConaughey was the cowboy, and Nathan Fillion was the floating head, to name a few.
Did Stan Lee have a cameo?
Since Stan Lee passed in 2018, it would make sense for him not to have a cameo in the film. But he does. During the battle with the Deadpool Corps, he’s on the side of a bus in an ad for Stanley Steemer. Stanley, get it?
Who played the characters we don’t see, like Punisher and Quicksilver?
The Resistance members in the Void mention they’ve had other allies such as Punisher and Quicksilver. But, in both cases, multiple actors have played those characters across both MCU movies and other Marvel movie. That means it’s never clear which version of each was there, but we like to think it was Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Quicksilver (since Evan Peters’ version showed up in WandaVision) and Dolph Lundgren’s version of the Punisher, just because that would be so awesome.
Why is Channing Tatum Gambit?
One of the deeper-cut references in Deadpool & Wolverine is Channing Tatum as Gambit. Many Marvel fans probably remember Tatum was attached to the role for years, going through multiple directors and iterations of the movie before ultimately having to give it up. But, members of the audience who don’t follow pre-production film news might not know that. And now they do.
Will there be another Blade movie?
A super curious moment in the movie is when Wesley Snipes says there will only be one Blade. It’s odd because, several years ago, Marvel specifically announced that multiple Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali would be playing the character in the MCU. That film has struggled to find its footing though and Deadpool’s fourth wall break into camera after the line certainly suggests Snipes might be telling the truth. We don’t know though.
Is Henry Cavill the new Wolverine?
The most surprising cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine is the quick instance where we get to see former Superman Henry Cavill as Wolverine. Wade assures him Marvel will treat him better than they did down the street (the home of DC, Warner Bros., is about one mile down the street from Disney in Burbank, CA), hinting he’ll be coming back. Alas, while we don’t know for sure what’s going to happen, we have a strong instinct this was just another instance of fun fan casting, like seeing John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2.
How did Wade end up talking to Happy Hogan?
Though Wade’s world—the Fox Marvel Universe—is Earth 10005, at one point we see Wade on the sacred timeline, Earth 616, talking to Happy Hogan. He begs and pleads to be an Avenger, it doesn’t work out, and it never really comes back. But the question is, how did Wade get there? This is years before he visits the TVA. Well, if you look at his wrist in the scene, he’s wearing Cable’s watch from Deadpool 2. So he used that to change universes.
Who are the other anchor beings?
Deadpool & Wolverine introduces the concept of anchor beings. Beings whose existence helps hold their entire timeline together. On Earth 10005, that was Logan. But, who was/is it on Earth 616? Is it Tony Stark? And if so, did his death begin the slow disintegration of that timeline? Or, if it’s not Tony Stark, who could it be? And who are the anchor beings on other timelines? And what happens when they die of normal causes? It’s a fascinating concept we’re curious to learn more about.
Are both Wade and Logan anchor beings now?
When Wade and Logan destroy the Time Ripper, their universe is restored. So, did this version of Logan become the anchor being in this timeline? Is it both of them? We don’t know.
What’s up with the Peters?
We do know that, while not quite an anchor being, every version of Deadpool has a Peter. That best friend who they love and trust. We’re wondering, is there some kind of bigger thought to that? Do other best friends—like say Spider-Man’s Ned or Iron Man’s Happy—have similar impacts?
What’s happening at the TVA right now?
So we know that Mr. Paradox tried to trick Wade into leaving his timeline so he could destroy it thousands of years early with the Time Ripper. A plan that, ultimately, didn’t work. But it does make us wonder, who specifically was Mr. Paradox betraying here? Is B-15 the only boss he’s overstepping? Would would’ve happened if it worked? Oh and another thing…
When is this happening?
With the TVA running pretty much as we’ve seen it before in Loki, we’re wondering if this is happening before the events of Loki season two, or if Loki is in the basement through all of this still holding all those timelines together. The presence of Alioth in the void—who was maybe defeated by Loki in season one?—suggests otherwise, but it’s a curiosity nevertheless.
What’s next for these characters?
As Deadpool & Wolverine ends, Wade and Logan are living together with Wade’s friends—and X-23—on the Fox timeline of Earth 10005. We have no indication (other than the Thor thing) of what role they have to play in the future, who they might team up with, or anything. All we know now is that Deadpool, Wolverine and their friends are firmly entangled with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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