The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Deadpool & Wolverine, has left audiences both exhilarated and puzzled. As Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, Free Guy, IF) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, The Wolverine, Logan) navigate through a labyrinth of interdimensional escapades and multiversal mishaps, the film delves into uncharted territories, bringing together elements from both Marvel’s primary timeline aka the Sacred Timeline aka Earth-616 and remnants of Fox’s X-Men movie universe, seemingly designation Earth-10005.
***SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE MOVIE.***
In this mind-bending adventure, villain Cassandra Nova, portrayed by Emma Corrin (The Crown, My Policeman), orchestrates chaos from The Void – a desolate wasteland where Marvel’s forgotten characters and unrealised projects find their final resting place. Deadpool and Wolverine find themselves allied with several familiar faces from the Marvel movies by 20th Century Fox, like Elektra (Jennifer Garner, Daredevil); New Line Cinema, like Blade (Wesley Snipes, Blade: Trinity), and even announced but never produced titles, such as Gambit (Channing Tatum, Magic Mike).
Together, they embark on a perilous quest to thwart Nova’s sinister plans, culminating in a dramatic showdown. However, amidst the explosive action and rapid-fire quips, the film leaves several threads unresolved, particularly the fate of characters who risked everything in the climactic multiversal battle.
As the dust settles, viewers are left pondering the rules of time travel within the MCU, Deadpool’s inexplicable ability to traverse the multiverse, and the implications of the Time Variance Authority (TVA)’s interventions via Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen, Succession, Pride & Prejudice). The blend of high stakes, unresolved mysteries, and Deadpool’s trademark antics ensures that Deadpool & Wolverine is more than just another superhero film, it’s a multidimensional puzzle that challenges conventions and invites viewers to question what they know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Here are some questions we have.
1. Why is the TVA helping, not stopping, Deadpool?
The TVA is tasked with maintaining the integrity of the timeline and preventing the creation of divergent timelines, but these dimensional hopping gestapos appear to apply different standards when it comes to policing the actions of Deadpool.
This is the guy with a notorious history of timeline interference, highlighted by his frequent and chaotic travels across various universes, but the TVA has notably refrained from stopping him. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson employed Cable’s (Josh Brolin, Avengers: Endgame, Sicario) time-travel device for a bit of timeline tidying, even veering off into an alternate reality to prevent actor Reynolds from ever donning the Green Lantern ring. In this film, he saw it fit to travel to Earth-616 for a job interview with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau, I Love You Man, The Wolf of Wall Street)… and nothing because the TVA never came knocking.
Upon his capture by the TVA, Wade confesses to Mr. Paradox about his past temporal escapades and claims to have destroyed the device. And then he grabs one of their TemPads and goes gallivanting across the multiverse, meeting and grabbing whichever Wolverine didn’t want to kill him.
2. How does time travel work in the wider MCU, across the multiverse?
2019’s Avengers: Endgame in Earth-616 introduced the concept that altering past events doesn’t rewrite one’s own timeline but instead spawns new, branching realities. This was ostensibly contradicted when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans, Captain America: The First Avenger, Fantastic Four) travelled back to return the Infinity Stones, choosing to remain in the past and reappearing as an elderly man in the present timeline – implying that it might be possible to alter and then return to one’s original timeline.
Meanwhile, in Deadpool 2 (2018), Cable goes back in time to change the past, to save his future, and in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), a future team of X-Men sent the consciousness of Wolverine into the past, and changed the future, so at least in the X-Men Fox universe (Earth-10005), time travel works differently.
Does the introduction of Earth-10005 into the wider MCU framework allow for a new understanding of time travel? Are the rules laid out in Endgame not multi-universally applicable across the multiverse? This leaves fans pondering whether Endgame might have oversimplified the rules, or if the integration of multiple universes opens up exceptions to the established norms.
3. How important is Deadpool in the MCU?
Deadpool’s role within the MCU raises intriguing questions about his significance in the larger multiverse. Imagine living on Earth-10005, only to discover that the current reality is dying, and the only person who gets saved…. is Wade Wilson. Why would My Paradox see it fit to relocate Wade to Earth-616? This action suggests a considerable value placed on Deadpool, distinguishing him from other characters in that timeline who might have been left to their fates, including the entirety of the X-Men.
On the other hand, Mr Paradox is clearly a villain, and his attempt at saving Deadpool could be for reasons unknown to anyone. As we saw, there are dozens upon dozens of Deadpools in The Void, so maybe Mr Paradox has been collecting any versions he can find for Cassandra. After all, there’s no guarantee that whatever he told Wade was the truth.
Or he might be essential or at least benign to the broader timeline’s health, which hints at a deeper level of importance or protection within the MCU’s narrative…. nah!
4. At the end of the film, we see X-23 aka Laura reunited with Logan on Earth-10005. But where is everyone else?
As the credits rolled, viewers were left pondering the fate of several iconic characters, including Garner’s Elektra, Snipes’ Blade, and Tatum’s Gambit, following their battles in a desolate parallel universe known as The Void – a Mad Max-inspired wasteland ruled by Cassandra Nova. This desolate backdrop is where Marvel’s forgotten figures converge, and it’s where our heroes orchestrate a daring plan to defeat Nova by seizing Juggernaut’s helmet, crucial for shielding against Nova’s psychic attacks.
The climax unfolds with X-23 (Dafne Keen, Star Wars: The Acolyte, Logan), also known as Laura, successfully passing the helmet to Deadpool to disable Nova. Despite their triumph, the movie closes with ambiguity surrounding the survival of Elektra, Blade, and Gambit, especially after the menacing arrival of Alioth.
However, the sight of Laura safe on Earth-10005 in the movie’s last scene suggests that hope remains, even in the most dire circumstances, leaving fans to ponder the true extent of the damage and the possible survival of the others. Are they alive, and can possibly remain on other realities?
Does it mean there’s a chance they can still appear in the MCU?
5. Jennifer Garner, Chris Evans and Wesley Snipes reprise their original live-action roles in a Marvel movie, but are they playing those characters, or variants of those characters?
The reappearance of Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Wesley Snipes as Blade is undeniably a nostalgic treat for fans. However, it also raises even more questions, including, are these characters the same ones from the earlier movies, namely 2003’s Daredevil and 2005’s Elektra films, 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, or from the Blade trilogy (1998-2004)? It was mentioned that there have been multiple Punishers in The Void, which matches the live-action outings, so this means they are one and the same, right?
If so, how have they survived to be in The Void, a wasteland for forgotten characters? What worlds are they from and did those worlds also die? Who brought them there and could their appearances be mere fan service, or do they hold deeper significance?
The multiverse offers endless possibilities, allowing for multiple versions of characters to coexist. While the film doesn’t explicitly confirm their origins, it’s possible that these are variants, plucked from different timelines and brought together in The Void. This would explain their presence and open up exciting avenues for future storytelling in the MCU.
6. Who is the anchor being on Earth-616?
In the film, the death of Wolverine in 2017’s Logan is deemed significant as he’s an ‘anchor being’ and his action and sacrifice is described as a pivotal moment where a being’s death irrevocably alters the timeline and leads to the universe’s demise. This begs the question: Who is the anchor being on Earth-616?
With his death and sacrifice in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, there’s no doubt in any that Tony Stark fits the criteria of an anchor being, so why wasn’t Tony Stark’s equally heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame considered as the death of an ‘anchor being’ in the Sacred Timelime?
Stark’s selfless act of wielding the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos undoubtedly altered the course of history, yet it didn’t seemingly trigger the same catastrophic entropy as Wolverine’s demise. Does this imply that certain sacrifices hold more weight in the grand scheme of the multiverse?
Or could there be another ‘anchor being’ in Earth-616 whose fate is yet to be determined? Is its demise simply delayed, waiting for another anchor event to trigger its ultimate fate?
Unless Stark’s death is counted, and Earth-616 is slowly dying except no one knows it yet, but how can the Sacred Timeline be dying?
Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom raises the stakes even higher. Could this variant of Tony Stark become the anchor being in Earth-616, potentially leading to its demise? Or is Earth-616 Tony Stark a variant of Victor von Doom? Will the MCU’s heroes find a way to avert this potential disaster?
7. What is the significant impact of Deadpool & Wolverine in the MCU?
Before the movie opened, Marvel Studios’ head Kevin Feige claimed that this film would have an impact to the MCU second only to Avengers: Endgame. Except that, the movie ended with little to no visible repercussions to the MCU, and Deadpool and Wolverine are happy on Earth-10005.
Which means that Wade and Logan are now part of the MCU, but reside in a world outside of the Sacred Timeline on Earth-616. Will they further continue their adventures on Earth-10005, or will they appear intermittently in subsequent MCU films? Will Kevin Feige recast Wolverine?
Yet, their actions in this film saved the multiverse and have an impact that ripples across dimensions, hinting at a deeper connection to the central narrative. Will they remain in their native Earth-10005, perhaps offering fans a nostalgic revisit to the familiar X-Men universe? Or will they continue to pop in and out of the Sacred Timeline, wreaking havoc and offering comedic relief in the otherwise serious world of the Avengers?
Could we see them join forces with Earth-616’s mightiest heroes in future crossovers, or are their paths destined to remain separate? That’s basically the premise of Avengers: Secret Wars!
The possibilities are as endless as the multiverse itself. Perhaps we’ll see Deadpool and Wolverine’s misadventures unfold on multiple Earths, their unique brand of chaos disrupting the carefully crafted narratives of various timelines. Or perhaps they’ll become a recurring wildcard, their appearances reserved for pivotal moments in the MCU’s overarching storyline. One thing is certain: the dynamic duo’s future is as unpredictable as their personalities, leaving fans eagerly awaiting their next chaotic escapade.
8. Did the entire X-Men saga from Fox occur on Earth-10005?
Deadpool & Wolverine thrusts the MCU into the heart of the multiverse, but it also muddies the waters of its sprawling continuity. One of the most perplexing questions arises from the film’s connection to the Fox X-Men movie universe. Did the entire X-Men saga, with its multitude of characters and timelines, truly unfold on Earth-10005?
Even if it is true, and as much as we want it to, there are several inconsistencies within the movies, which indicates that all the events, as depicted on screen, could not have happened to the same group of characters.
The post-credits scene of The Marvels (2023) further complicates matters. Monica Rambeau’s (Teyonah Parris, WandaVision) encounter with her ‘mother’ Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch, Captain Marvel) is as a variant, as this Monica is also the mutant Binary. More importantly, Hank ‘Beast’ McCoy (Kelsey Grammer, X-Men) from the X-Men films also shows up, suggesting a link between the MCU and the Fox X-Men movie universe.
However, this raises the crucial questions: is Monica currently lost on Earth-10005, or has she stumbled into yet another alternate Earth? This would explain if this the same Beast we know from the X-Men saga, or if this a variant from another Earth entirely.
9. What Earth do the characters in the Sony Spider-Man Universe occur on?
While Deadpool & Wolverine may be firmly rooted in Earth-10005, where the remnants of the Fox X-Men universe reside, the question of where Sony’s Marvel Comics characters reside on, and on which realities within the vast multiverse, remains a tantalising mystery.
The Sony Spider-Man Universe is complex because as a brand, it is home to Marvel Comics characters linked to Spider-Man – namely Venom, Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter. But it also includes Spider-Man though the question is, which one as there have been three Spidey movie franchises under Sony, from the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire, the duology with Andrew Garfield, and the current one with Tom Hollad, And as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, all three do not exist within the same universe. More confusingly, the recent movies have also shows that the MCU-linked Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland do not share the same universe as Hardy’s Venom.
In reality, these things are separate from the MCU’s Earth-616 due to complex licensing agreements and this separation has led to intriguing crossovers, such as the post-credits scene in Morbius (2022) where Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture (Michael Keaton, Batman, Beetlejuice) from the MCU, is inexplicably transported to the Sony Spider-Man Universe film.
This unexpected crossover has fueled speculation that the Sony Spider-Man Universe or bigger Sonyverse might not be a distinct universe after all, but rather a branch of the MCU’s multiverse. Could it be that characters like Venom and Morbius exist on an alternate Earth, connected to the MCU through dimensional rifts or other unexplained phenomena? The possibilities are endless, and with the ever-expanding multiverse, the potential for crossovers and collaborations between these disparate worlds is tantalising.
10. So is the new anchor being on Earth-10005? Deadpool or Wolverine?
Deadpool & Wolverine‘s triumphant return to Earth-10005, seemingly rejuvenated and intact, raises a crucial question about the delicate balance of the multiverse: who is the new anchor being that sustains their reality? With the original Wolverine’s demise in Logan (2017), the universe was on a slow path to decay. Could Deadpool, with his chaotic energy and knack for defying death, be the unexpected saviour who has restored equilibrium?
Or perhaps it’s the transplanted Wolverine who now holds the fate of Earth-10005 in his adamantium-laced bones? The film leaves this question unanswered, opening up a realm of possibilities for future storylines. Could this new anchor dynamic lead to unexpected consequences or further multiversal mayhem? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the fate of Earth-10005 rests in the hands of its unlikely heroes. God helps them all.
Bonus questions:
1. How weak is Fox’s adamantium?
Adamantium is the toughest material in Marvel Comics, and it should be the same in the MCU. Wolverine’s bones are covered in the material, which means Deadpool should not have been able to break off a piece of Logan’s ribs after he dug up OG Logan’s corpse (from the 2017 film) – the adamantium-lined bones are unbreakable, unless Deadpool didn’t break off any bones and was able to dislodge the ribs right at the cartilage.
But if adamnatium is so strong, why didn’t Wolverine just pop his claws and rip open the steel door after being thrown out of the chamber by Deadpool? He kept slamming into the door, but he could have easily cut through the door to get in, instead of beating the door down.
2. How strong is Fox’s cloth mask?
Before Wolverine and Deadpool take on the Deadpool Corp, Logan reaches behind his head and slips on the iconic cowl over his head, as if it was made from cloth. Yet, he removes the headpiece at the end of the film as if it was a helmet. How the hell did that happen?
Is his cowl cloth-like, similar to Deadpool’s mask, or is it a helmet worn like Magneto’s? How can it be both?
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.
