Summary
Deadpool & Wolverinepromises to be a landmark entrant in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, drawing from Marvel’s distant past and recent history, and with potentially huge consequences forthe MCU’s future.Deadpool & Wolverinebrings together Marvel’s two most iconic antiheroes for an epic multiversal adventure. From Wolverine’s tumultuous past inFox’sX-Menfilmsto Deadpool’s chaotic escapades, their journeys have been marked by dramatic battles, pivotal alliances, and complex character development.
Deadpool & Wolverinebids a fond farewell to Marvel’s early movies in the wake of Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox and gaining the cinematic rights to numerous Marvel characters. As the franchise navigates its slightly uncertain future, introducingX-Men into the MCUpromises to be a landmark event. However, to fully appreciate this new adventure, it’s essential to understand the intricate web of events and relationships that have shaped both Deadpool and Wolverine before their thrilling team-up.
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12Deadpool Gained His Powers While Undergoing Torturous Cancer Treatment
Deadpool
As seen inDeadpool, Wade Wilson gains his mutant powers through a brutal and experimental procedure. Initially, Wade is working as a mercenary who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is approached by a secret program that promises to cure his cancer and grant him superhuman abilities. Desperate, Wade agrees and is subjected to torturous experiments. The procedure involves injecting him with a serum designed to awaken latent mutant genes, which is thencatalyzed by extreme stress and near-death experiences.
Wade’s mutant genes activate, granting him a regenerative healing factor that cures his cancer and gives him the ability to heal from any injury rapidly. This power makes him virtually immortal, and is perhapseven more potent than Wolverine’s healing factor. The process leaves him horribly disfigured but Deadpool also gains enhanced strength, agility, and reflexes.
Cast
The Merc With The Mouth gets his very own film in Deadpool, an action-adventure comedy movie starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. When mercenary Wade Wilson discovers he has an aggressive type of cancer that threatens to cut his life short, he decides to take a shady offer from a businessman who promises to cure him. Tortured and left for dead, the treatment makes Wade immortal - and a little bit twisted - as he seeks out his tormentors for revenge.
11Deadpool Was Given Cable’s Time Travel Device
Deadpool 2
At the end ofDeadpool 2, Wade Wilson is given Cable’s time travel device asa token of appreciation for helping Cablesave his family. Negasonic Teenage Warhead and her girlfriend, Yukio, repair the damaged device, allowing Wade to travel through time. He uses this for several purposes, including“tidying up the timeline”and executing the version of Deadpool that appears in the infamousX-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Wade’s interference with the timeline through these acts is likely what drew the attention of theMCU’s Time Variance AuthorityinDeadpool & Wolverine. This sets the stage for his interaction with Wolverine, leading to a new adventure thatexplores the complexities of time travel and its ramifications. This is also likely connected with how Deadpool transitions in the MCU.
10Deadpool Saved Vanessa And The X-Force
Using Cable’s time travel device inDeadpool 2, Deadpool travels back in time to save Vanessa from being killed by a hitman, thus preventing the tragic event that instigated the movie’s plot. He then uses the device torescue various members of X-Force who had met untimely deathsduring their mission, including Peter and Shatterstar. In the opening scenes ofDeadpool & Wolverine, these rescued characters appear as part of Deadpool’s new extended family.
Deadpool emphasizes that they arethe family he has sought to protect and save. This newfound family dynamic highlights Deadpool’s deeper motivations and personal growth and is his primary motivating factor. However, his meddling with the timeline by saving these individuals attracts the TVA’s attention.
9Pruned Variants Are Sent To The Void
Loki
In the seriesLoki, it is revealed that pruned variants and timelines are sent to the Void, a desolate realm at the end of time. Here, a monstrous entity known as Alioth consumes everything and everyone sent there,ensuring these anomalies do not disrupt the Sacred Timeline. Alioth, a massive, cloud-like creature, devours all matter in the Void, preventing any escape or interference.
InDeadpool & Wolverine, the Void and Alioth appear to play pivotal roles. The crumbling imagery of the 20th Century Fox logo suggests that Fox’sX-Menuniverse has been pruned, while several fight scenes are based within the Void. Regardless of the cause,Deadpool’s universe is threatened, prompting his adventure inDeadpool & Wolverine.
Loki is a series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the alternate version of the titular character, Loki, after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Taken by the Time Variance Authority, he must confront his identity and choices while aiding in fixing the disrupted timeline to avert a greater threat.
8Loki Saved The Multiverse
Loki Season 2
At theend ofLokiseason 2, Loki takes a monumental step to save the multiverse from collapse. Throughout both seasons,Loki witnesses the destruction caused by the fracturing of the Sacred Timelineand the subsequent chaos unleashed by Sylvie’s killing of He Who Remains. Loki realizes that drastic action is required to stabilize the multiverse.
Loki confronts the temporal anomaly head-on, gathering the various timeline strands and using himself as a physical temporal loom to ensure the survival of all timelines. This heroic interventionimplies that Fox’s X-Men universe, one of the many branching timelines, is also preserved from eradication. This could explain its limbo state, where characters like Deadpool and Wolverine continue to exist despite the TVA’s earlier efforts to prune them.
7The TVA Now Protects The Multiverse
When the TVA was introduced inLoki, it was under the control of He Who Remains. This enigmatic figure created and managed the TVA to preserve a singular, Sacred Timeline, preventing the rise of dangerous multiversal chaos. The TVA diligently pruned any variants or timelines that deviated too far from the preordained path, maintaining a delicate balance and eliminating potential threats to the timeline’s integrity.
However, Loki’s actions inLokiseason 2 significantly altered the TVA’s mission. Loki took control of the TVA and redefined its purpose. Instead of preserving a single timeline, the TVA isnow tasked with protecting the entire multiverse. This shift entails safeguarding all branching timelines, ensuring they coexist harmoniously without being pruned indiscriminately.
6Deadpool & Wolverine Have Met Before
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Before teaming up inDeadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool and Wolverine first crossed paths inX-Men Origins: Wolverine. In that film, Wolverine encounters a drastically different version of Deadpool. The portrayal was controversial,especially for its alteration of Deadpool’s iconic characteristics, such as sewing his mouth shut.
ForDeadpool & Wolverine, it is unclear whether these characters are the same versions fromX-Men Origins: Wolverineor simply variants. The multiverse and time travel elements introduced in the MCU mean that these characters could be different iterations from alternate timelines. This ambiguity opens up intriguing possibilities for their relationship and interactions,blending past encounters with new dynamics. Regardless, producingDeadpool & Wolverinewas predicated on the failure ofX-Men Origins, so their joint history is unavoidable.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine explores the backstory of the iconic mutant Wolverine, portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Released in 2009, the film delves into Logan’s journey through the Weapon X program as he seeks revenge for his girlfriend’s death while uncovering complex relationships with other mutants.
5Wolverine Has Died In One Of The Timelines
Logan
Set in a dystopian future,Logandepicts an aging Wolverine suffering from a diminished healing factor. He embarks on a final mission to protect a young mutant, Laura. In a poignant climax, Logan sacrifices himself to save Laura and other young mutants, dying from his injuries andthe cumulative effects of his deteriorating powers.
It has been explicitly stated thatDeadpool & Wolverinewill not interfere with the events ofLoganand the perfect ending it gave the character. This suggests that theWolverine depicted inDeadpool & Wolverinecomes from an earlier pointin the timeline or is a variant from a different universe. It’s important to note thatLoganis set in a different universe than the mainlineX-Menmovies, further supporting the idea that the Wolverine inDeadpool & Wolverineis a distinct iteration.
Logan is set in a near future where an aging Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, takes care of a frail Professor Xavier, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, at a secluded location near the Mexican border. Their secluded existence is disrupted by the arrival of a young mutant, pursued by malevolent forces.
4Wolverine Established A New Timeline When He Saved The World
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Wolverine has been a crucial hero in theX-Menmovies, saving the universe multiple times. Most notably, inX-Men: Days of Future Past, heaverts a post-apocalyptic timeline where mutants face extinctionat the hands of the Sentinels. By successfully past events, Wolverine prevents the dystopian future.
InDeadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool mentions that Wolverine saved the entire universe, likely alluding to his heroic actions inDays of Future Past.Such significant alterations to the timeline could have drawn the ire of the Time Variance Authority. Wolverine’s actions, though ultimately beneficial, represent a major deviation from the predetermined path, potentially marking him as a target for the TVA’s scrutiny inDeadpool & Wolverine.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men: Days of Future Past features a time-traveling mission where the ultimate X-Men ensemble battles across two periods. Combining forces with their younger selves, they attempt to alter the past to ensure the future of their species. Released in 2014, the film stars Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender.
3The X-Men Were Killed In One Of The Timelines
In the originalDays of Future Pasttimeline, the X-Men face a grim fate; hunted to extinction by the Sentinels. InLogan, set in yet another bleak future, most of the X-Men are dead due to a tragic accident involving Professor X’s deteriorating mental state. This timelinepaints a somber picture of a world where mutants have all but vanished, leaving Wolverine to protect the few remaining.
Deadpool & Wolverinesuggests that a similar catastrophic event has occurred, with Wolverine appearing next to graves during the trailer. Deadpool references Wolverine’s history of universe-saving acts,hinting at yet another dire situation where mutants face annihilation. While it’s uncertain which timeline this Wolverine hails from, the trailer indicates a familiar crisis is underway.
