Deadpool is known for breaking the fourth wall and making some pretty meta jokes in his films, and that likely won’t change with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In fact, if anything, he has more to work with now.
That’s because the threequel will not only bring Wade Wilson into the MCU, but also properly return the X-Men to the MCU as well. So, not only does Deadpool have free roam to refer to MCU characters, he can also make even more references to the X-Men films.
Obviously “Deadpool & Wolverine” — with a screenplay by Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells and Shawn Levy — has a slew of biting jokes for the merc with a mouth. But we have our own ideas of some jokes Pool could make, and we needed to get them out of our head before the film hits theaters later this month.
Here are some of the most likely targets for meta jokes in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Sabretooth
When set photos leaked in 2023, it was revealed that Sabretooth would be making an appearance in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and that was officially confirmed with one of the more recent trailers for the film.
Of course, it’s not Liev Schreiber’s Sabretooth, who we met in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” but Tyler Mane returning as the character, after originating it in the first “X-Men” film. And that provides a perfect opening for Deadpool to poke fun at Wolverine’s family ties.
“Origins” taught us that Wolverine and Sabretooth were actually brothers, but the original “X-Men” made no mention of it. Deadpool has long poked fun at the continuity of things, so there’s ample room for a brotherly joke there.
Spider-Man
With Deadpool officially joining the MCU in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it’s long been assumed that some familiar Marvel faces would be appearing in the film. And, on July 3, director Shawn Levy confirmed that would be happening, though he didn’t specify who.
Given Deadpool’s obsession with Spider-Man — at least in the comics — it would be pretty great to see him interact with Tom Holland’s character. That may be a bit of a pipe dream though, considering Spider-Man is still owned by Sony, and would need to be allowed to appear.
We all know that Deadpool loves poking fun at the studios behind these films though (he’s even made a joke about not being able to afford for X-Men for his own films), so that’s a prime opening to joke about Sony’s tight grip over Spidey.
Yukio
There’s no world in which Deadpool wouldn’t be delighted by the fact that both he and Wolverine have a Yukio in their respective stories, and promptly call out their differences.
We met Wolverine’s Yukio in 2013’s “The Wolverine,” played by Rila Fukushima. She’s intense, and badass, and pretty different from Shioli Kutsuna’s innocent Yukio first introduced in “Deadpool 2.” Deadpool would almost certainly have a ball with this, particularly in conversation with Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
The Many Versions of Wolverine
Early trailers and footage for “Deadpool & Wolverine” revealed that the Time Variance Authority (TVA) from “Loki” would be a key piece in bringing Deadpool and Wolverine together, and likely “resurrecting” Wolverine from the dead for this film.
For those unfamiliar, the TVA has the ability to hop through different timelines, with multiple versions of characters in each one. Deadpool will almost certainly take a few shots at the continuity and timelines of the “X-Men” films, and the many iterations of Wolverine we see in them.
Colossus
Colossus has played a huge role in Deadpool’s story, voiced memorably by Stefan Kapicic. In fact, his version is so memorable that it’s a bit easy to forget that there was a Colossus in the “X-Men” films, played by Daniel Cudmore.
He’s much smaller, has the ability to not be a metal man all the time and really doesn’t have many lines. Deadpool would likely be stunned to see the Colossus that Wolverine knew and worked with, and would definitely give his Colossus a hard time about it, similar to the Yukio situation above.
Kapicic’s Colossus is indeed returning for “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Professor X
When Deadpool was first (almost) taken to the X Mansion, he jokingly asked Colossus if he was going to meet “McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines can get so confusing.” He was, of course, referring to James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart, who played Professor X at various ages in the “X-Men” movies.
Now, there’s two ways to go about a similar joke in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” First, he could simply ask Wolvie which Professor he preferred, likely earning a snarky remark and/or angry glare.
But we also know that Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) is the villain in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” For those less familiar, in the comics, she’s Professor X’s sister. Feels like a fair bet that Deadpool could ask her about different versions of her brother.
Fridging
When “Deadpool 2” killed off Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa in the opening minutes, Ryan Reynolds learned about “fridging” — a term used for killing the female love interest of a male protagonist solely to advance his character development — the hard way. So, in the final minutes of the film, he immediately went back and undid it, and Baccarin will return for “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Let’s not forget though, Wolverine also had to kill Jean Grey, his own love interest, in the “X-Men” films. Circumstances were decidedly different, as she was being consumed by the Phoenix, and that might be enough for Deadpool to acknowledge on-screen. He could applaud Wolverine for not fridging her, or he could just explain the concept to Wolverine, causing a realization of sorts.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” hits theaters on July 27, 2024.
