- Will be released in July
- Only MCU movie to arrive in 2024
- Will be Marvel's first R-rated movie
- First trailer revealed in mid-February
- Main trailer unveiled in late April
- Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are its co-leads
- Other cast members confirmed
- Lots of speculation concerning cameo appearances
- Will be another multiverse-centric film
- Rumored to be a celebration of Fox's defunct X-Men cinematic universe
- Could set up future Marvel multiverse story threads
Deadpool and Wolverine's launch date is fast approaching – and, if its latest trailer is anything to go by, it looks like it'll *ahem* claw its way into our hearts and get Marvel's cinematic juggernaut back on track.
Indeed, the only Marvel movie that'll be released in 2024 looks like it'll be another box office hit for the Disney subsidiary. Led by the charismatic Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (James 'Logan' Howlett/Wolverine), and bolstered by a rumor mill that continues to churn out a never ending supply of apparent character cameos, this is one Marvel Phase 5 movie that should rake in over $1 billion globally.
If you're curious to find out more about who might appear in the flick previously known as Deadpool 3, or any official information about it, such as its actual launch date, we've got you covered. In this guide, you'll find tons of news about the next Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film. Be warned, though: full spoilers follow for every X-Men and Deadpool film to date. Potentially big spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine are also discussed.
Deadpool and Wolverine release date
Deadpool and Wolverine will snikt its way into theaters worldwide on Friday, July 26, although it'll arrive a day earlier (Thursday, July 25) in the UK.
News outlet Feature Film has claimed it'll run for two hours and 10 minutes, too, so it won't be an overly long movie when it slices and shoots its way into theaters.
Deadpool and Wolverine trailers
Deadpool 3's main trailer was released online on April 22 – and it not only gives us another tasty glimpse into what its story will entail (more on this later) and how mature it'll be, but it's also absolutely stuffed with Marvel references. Check out our article on the 6 best Marvel Easter eggs we found in Deadpool and Wolverine's latest teaser.
Missed the flick's first trailer, which was released in mid-February? Watch it below and then read our Deadpool and Wolverine trailer breakdown to learn about the 10 things you missed during your first or 15th watch.
This isn't the only footage that's been debuted ahead of Deadpool and Wolverine's release, mind you. CinemaCon 2024 attendees were treated to nine minutes of exclusive footage in mid-April, which teased part of the movie's first and second acts. We won't spoil what was shown here, but it sounds incredible, so we can't wait to see it for ourselves in less than three months' time.
Deadpool 3 cast: confirmed and rumored
Here's Deadpool and Wolverine's cast list so far. The below includes individuals confirmed to appear by Marvel, as well as those who have been unofficially announced (by the press) to cameo:
- Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool
- Hugh Jackman as James 'Logan' Howlett/Wolverine
- Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox
- Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova
- Morena Baccarin as Vanessa
- Stefan Kapičić as Colossus
- Brianna Hildebrand as Teenage Negasonic Warhead
- Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio
- Leslie Uggams as Blind Al
- Karan Soni as Dopinder
- Rob Delaney as Peter
- Aaron Stanford as Pyro
- Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios
Reynolds and Jackman need no introduction as their respective characters, but it was nonetheless surprising to hear Jackman would return as Wolverine one final time for this threequel. It seemed he'd called time on his iconic run as the adamantium-clawed mutant with 2016's Logan, the final entry in Fox's deceased X-Men film universe.
Speaking to CNN in January 2023, Jackman said he didn't want to regret turning down the opportunity to co-star in a film alongside Reynolds' Regenerating Degenerate, hence his decision to portray Wolverine again.
As confirmed by the first trailer, Baccarin (Vanessa), Kapičić (Colossus), Hildebrand (Negasonic), Kutsuna (Yukio), Uggams (Blind Al), Soni (Dopinder), and Delaney (Peter) will reprise their roles from Deadpool's first two films.
Macfadyen (Succession) is also on board as Paradox, a new Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent, which adds major ties between Deadpool 3 and Loki season 2. Trailer one also revealed Stanford is back as the fiery mutant known as Pyro, who featured in the first three X-Men films. Corrin (The Crown) is also confirmed to be playing the movie's primary villain Cassandra Nova, the biological twin sister of Charles Xavier (the X-Men's founder, for the uninitiated), who is a similarly talented telepath, but one who uses her powers for destructive purposes.
With this being a multiverse-centric movie, we can expect plenty of X-Men and other defunct Fox universe characters to cameo. The first of those is Garner (per THR), who is expected to reprise her role as Elektra from 2003's Daredevil film and the character's 2005 self-titled flick.
Elsewhere, Marvel fans are convinced they spotted two big character Easter eggs in the film's first trailer: iconic Fantastic Four adversary Doctor Doom and Lady Deadpool, a multiversal variant of the wisecracking antihero. The former is incredibly unlikely to feature here, but the latter almost certainly will. Place your bets on who is playing Lady Deadpool now.
As for actors who have claimed they won't appear, Charlie Cox won't be adding to his MCU cameo roles here, with the Daredevil star telling TechRadar he isn't in Deadpool 3. Zazie Beetz, who played Domino in Deadpool 2, also told Decider she won't be back for more Marvel mayhem. Neither will Josh Brolin, who played Cable in Deadpool 2 (per Collider), Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut from X-Men: The Last Stand (via Yahoo), or Famke Janssen as Jean Grey from the original X-Men film trilogy (per ScreenGeek).
With all of that official news out of the way, let's take a look at the gigantic list of potential cameos that have circulated online over the past few months. Potentially big cast spoilers follow!
There's nothing like coming together.#DeadpoolAndWolverine. Only In theaters July 26. #LFG pic.twitter.com/wZr0ZQ2DfPApril 22, 2024
Remember the relentless churn concerning Doctor Strange 2's potential cameos? MCU fans find themselves in a similar spin over the sheer number of wild cast rumors in Deadpool and Wolverine.
Firstly, with Corrin playing Nova, we could see Patrick Stewart make another appearance as everyone's favorite telepath – we just hope he doesn't die (again!). For what it's worth, Stewart has apparently held discussions about featuring, telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast: "It [a cameo] has come up."
Jackman and (potentially) Stewart's appearances in Deadpool and Wolverine raise questions about other former X-Men stars turning up. To date, there have been 13 X-Men or X-Men-adjacent films – read our X-Men movies in order guide for more details – so there are numerous big names who could pop up.
Indeed, there's no end to speculation that Ian McKellen and/or Michael Fassbender will appear as their iterations of Magneto. James McAvoy's young Professor X is rumored to feature, too, although he downplayed such suggestions to Entertainment Tonight. A Succession reunion between Macfadyen and Brian Cox – the latter portraying William Stryker, the man behind Wolverine's creation, in numerous X-Men films, is also believed to be on the cards. James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the original movie trilogy, didn't deny he'd appear when speaking to The Playlist, either.
New set photos from ‘DEADPOOL 3’ reveal Wolverine and Deadpool fighting Sabretooth from the the original X-Men. pic.twitter.com/fSQbD4R96mDecember 3, 2023
As leaked on-set images in the above X/Twitter post reveal, Sabretooth will be making his first Marvel movie appearance since 2000's X-Men. There are also rumors Toad, who also debuted in that flick, will feature. Lady Deathstrike (X-2: X-Men United) and Azazel (X-Men: First Class) were revealed to be returning in Deadpool 3's main trailer as well.
Then there's The Marvels' post-credits scene, which confirmed the return of Kelsey Grammer's Beast from the first three X-Men films (and that the X-Men exist in the MCU, albeit in a parallel dimension). So, there's plenty of opportunity for other actors to cross over from former X-Men films into Marvel's cinematic juggernaut.
And what of new X-Men characters making their live-action debuts? The film's first trailer already teased Jackman could portray one of Wolverine's aliases – the Madripoor-dwelling Patch – so it's not out of the realms of possibility we'll see Deadpool and Wolverine variants in this multiverse-centric movie.
However, MCU leaker MyTimeToShineHello (MTTSH) also claims Patch will be played by a different actor. In fact, could Patch be played by none other than Henry Cavill? Fellow leaker CanWeGetSomeToast (CWGST) suggests The Witcher alum will feature in this film – is it too much of a stretch to suggest this is who Cavill could portray in a fan pleasing cameo?
There are plenty – and we mean plenty – of other cameo rumors to try and keep track of. CWGST (per MarvelNewsFilms) claims Happy Hogan will show up, DanielRPK (again, via MarvelNewsFilms) suggests Dafne Keen and Channing Tatum secretly filmed scenes as X-23 (last seen in Logan) and beloved X-Men member Gambit, KnightEdgeMedia's Caleb Williams tweeted that Jessica Alba's Sue Storm will appear, and MTTSH (per MarvelNewsFilms again) even suggests Chris Evans will return to his superhero roots to portray a variant of Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.
She’s with the whole Deadpool 3 team. Taylor Swift as Dazzler seemingly confirmed. https://t.co/TBglJlDEwROctober 2, 2023
Finally – and this would arguably be the biggest cameo of them all, if it's true – pop megastar Taylor Swift could feature in some capacity. Various insiders claim she'll play Dazzler, a mutant who can turn sound vibrations into various light forms.
Speculation began when Swift was spotted with Reynolds and his wife/fellow actor Blake Lively, though it should be noted that Swift has been friends with them for years. The trio was also seen with Jackman and Levy in public, too, which added further fuel to the fire.
Taylor Swift spotted with ‘DEADPOOL 3’ director Shawn Levy. https://t.co/LhUuo4GjNcOctober 26, 2023
Understandably, 'Swifties' have spent months investigating her public appearances with Deadpool 3's leading men and director, and what it means about a potential cameo. For their part, Reynolds (via the Vancouver Sun) and Levy (per The Wrap) haven't exactly stopped the rumor mill going into overdrive with teasing comments, while MTTSH has claimed Swift will play herself in the threequel.
With Dopinder actor Karan Soni teasing a bucketload cameos (via Variety), it seems anyone could be part of Deadpool and Wolverine's cast. Late July can't come fast enough to put an end to this fanfare-laden piece of conjecture.
Deadpool 3 story speculation
Full spoilers follow for Deadpool 2 and Logan.
Marvel hasn't released an official plot synopsis for Deadpool and Wolverine. Usually, one is revealed alongside a new MCU project's first teaser but, given the secrecy surrounding this film, a story brief hasn't been provided. Still, based on its trailers and various reports, we have a good idea of what its plot will entail.
For starters, Deadpool 3 will be R-rated, thereby making history as the first MCU film to carry such an age rating. In January, Marvel released its first 18-plus TV show in Echo, so it's already laid the groundwork for adult-centric MCU projects to take their place alongside their PG-13 brethren.
Next, director Shawn Levy doesn't consider this film to be Deadpool 3. Speaking to Collider, he said: "It's very much a Deadpool movie, but this is not Deadpool 3. This is Deadpool & Wolverine, and it is singular because of that."
That doesn't mean that Marvel's latest flick will be a standalone affair. Indeed, there are lots of ties to previous X-Men movies, which suggests there'll be plenty of continuity from 20th Century Fox's messy X-Men film timeline.
So, how will Deadpool and Wolverine begin? The first trailer suggests Wade has retired from the antihero life, but things aren't going well in his marriage to Vanessa. Unfortunately (or, perhaps fortunately, depending how bad things are), he's whisked away by the TVA amid some birthday celebrations. The reason? Wade/Deadpool messed with the space-time continuum – at the end of Deadpool 2 – using Cable's time-travel device. It's not unreasonable to assume, then, that the TVA caught wind of his multiversal adventures (including saving Vanessa, who died in Deadpool 2's first act) and want to put his time-traveling experience to good use.
The TVA look like they'll try and strike a similar deal with the former as they did with Loki – i.e. help the TVA with a bigger multiversal issue in return for being allowed to live. Unlike Loki, though, we suspect the chaotic Deadpool won't be down to being kept on a leash by a bureaucratic organization, even if it's more benevolent in the wake of Loki season 2. Of course, Deadpool and Wolverine could be set before the end of Loki's second season, which would mean it's an organization that's still caught up in red tape.
But we're getting off track. Jackman's return as Wolverine sparked concern among fans of Logan, which – spoilers – saw the iconic hero finally shift off his mortal coil. It was a fitting end for Jackman's iconic run as Wolverine, so viewers were worried that Deadpool and Wolverine would undo the bittersweet nature of Jackman's at-the-time final outing.
Taking to YouTube in September 2022, however, Reynolds and Jackman addressed the biggest question surrounding Wolverine's reappearance – that being, how he's alive in this movie. "Logan died in Logan, [so] we're not touching that," Reynolds explained, thus easing potential fan disgruntlement.
Potentially big plot spoilers follow for Deadpool and Wolverine.
How will this movie address Wolverine's supposed resurrection? Well, by not bringing him back from the dead at all. Per SiriusXM, Jackman revealed that Deadpool 2's time-travel device allowed Wade to travel back in time and/or to other Marvel timelines. In short, Deadpool could travel to an alternate universe where Wolverine is still alive. Alternatively, he might team up with a Wolverine variant at the TVA, if one has been incarcerated there for some time.
So, it's still unclear which version of Wolverine this is. Is it the iteration we see in Logan, aka the one who helped to alter the X-Men movie timeline in 2014's Days of Future Past (DoFP), who's now pulled out of his timeline before the events of Logan due to his own tampering of said timeline (god, that was confusing to type out)? Is it the original Wolverine from the first X-Men film trilogy or a completely new variant? If we had to guess, based on the second trailer, we'd guess it's the one from Logan, which could place Deadpool and Wolverine between DoFP and Logan.
Anyway, with the film's leading pair making the jump to the MCU – we hope there's a superhero landing once they do – from Fox's X-Men film franchise, we'd be surprised if Marvel doesn't celebrate and/or poke fun at those movies. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige started in Hollywood as a producer on the first few X-Men movies, so it would be a missed opportunity if he didn't pay tribute to them and bring his filmmaking journey full circle.
The 20th Century Fox logo has been spotted on the set of ‘DEADPOOL 3’ 🎬 pic.twitter.com/m39mR5iHsuJuly 11, 2023
Judging by leaked on-set images and first trailer, that'll be the case. As the Deadpool Updates X fan account X/Twitter post above reveals, a giant, eroding, almost Planet of the Apes-style 20th Century Fox logo was spotted during filming in July 2023 (it's also briefly glimpsed in both teasers) for scenes set in The Void. Considering Deadpool loves to break the fourth wall, don't be surprised if Deadpool 3 takes a very meta approach to Fox's fallen X-Men franchise.
Speaking of The Void – you know, the place at the End of Time (first seen in Loki season 1) where characters from pruned timelines are sent to be consumed by the giant, sentient, trash-temporal entity known as Alioth – CWGST (via MarvelNewsFilms) claims the bulk of this film's plot will be set there. Is this where our two heroes are sent to, by the TVA, to stop Nova? That seems very likely to us.
Speaking of Nova, how does she fit into all of this? It seems she's operating out of a Void-based headquarters and could be the reason for a) multiversal problems that the TVA need our heroes' help with, b) the culprit behind the demise of this Wolverine's timeline (Paradox does say he failed to save his timeline in trailer two), or c) both of the above. Time will tell which of these options is the right one.
Deadpool and Wolverine might take some amusing shots at the MCU itself. On-set images suggest we'll see a modified version of Moon Knight's cupcake van, while the second trailer appeared to show a modified version of Captain America: The First Avenger's Red Skull car. With Karan Soni also teasing (per Collider) that Deadpool 3 is full of jokes aimed at MCU head honcho Kevin Feige – Wade Wilson namechecks him at the end of the movie's main trailer – we don't think anyone, least of all Feige, will be safe from Wilson's witty remarks.
New set photos from ‘DEADPOOL 3’ reveal some vehicles that will be featured in the film. One vehicle seems the cupcake van from Moon Knight, but modified. Another vehicle seems to be the Red Skull’s car from Captain America: The First Avenger. pic.twitter.com/45gRIA6C3RDecember 4, 2023
There are lots of other rumors, but we'd be here all day if we covered them all, so a quick round-up will have to suffice.
For one, Reynolds and Jackman are believed to be playing multiple iterations of the characters. Leaked on-set images, for instance, showed Reynolds as a variant with long hair and an armor-plated costume (per the Daily Mail), so the acting duo might get credited for playing multiple versions of the same character.
Next, Alex P has hinted Deadpool will change the MCU's history in some way, while CWGST (per MarvelNewsFilms) says Deadpool will get a new suit and adamantium-based katanas as gifts from the TVA. Finally, there's tentative gossip that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies will be referenced (thanks to Reddit for the catch). If even half of this proves correct, we're in for a wild and highly entertaining ride.
Where to watch the Deadpool and X-Men movies
Want to watch every X-Men and Deadpool movie before Deadpool and Wolverine? You're in luck. Most are available on Disney Plus – in fact, every single Deadpool and X-Men film is there on one of the world's best streaming services in the UK and Australia.
There are a few caveats for US viewers, however. X-Men 2 (or X2:X-Men United, if you prefer) is only on Starz, X-Men: First Class is only viewable on Hulu, and X-Men: Days of Future Past is exclusive to Max. That trio aside, American audiences can watch the others on Disney Plus.
How will Deadpool and Wolverine impact the MCU?
If Deadpool and Wolverine is as chaotic as it sounds, it could have serious repercussions for the MCU's overarching multiverse narrative.
Fan reception to Marvel's multiversal tale has been lukewarm at best so far, with only Spider-Man: No Way Home and Loki capturing audiences' imagination. Doctor Strange 2 and What If...? have flattered to deceive and, with few other Phase 4 and Phase 5 projects being of a multiverse-centric nature, viewers haven't exactly bought into the MCU's latest cinematic saga.
There's nothing like coming together.#DeadpoolAndWolverine. Only In theaters July 26 pic.twitter.com/1knGQMYph3April 22, 2024
That's before we take Jonathan Majors' recent firing as Kang into account, too. Marvel is reportedly exploring whether to recast the multiversal villain or overhaul the Multiverse Saga's entire plan, so it's hard to pinpoint where things could go next. Heck, Deadpool and Wolverine might have undergone narrative revisions in light of Majors' departure and have a more open-ended, well, ending that gives Marvel some wriggle room as it reworks its Phase 5 and 6 blueprints.
Right now, how Marvel's next big-screen offering impacts the wider MCU remains a mystery. For what it's worth, THR suggests it's "the most important project for the studio outside of anything with Avengers in the title", so it sounds like Marvel is banking on the movie being a massive success.
Given the issues it's faced recently, Marvel could really do with Deadpool and Wolverine being a multi-billion dollar hit to get the MCU back on track. Outside of that and rumors that it'll set up events leading into the next two Avengers films, though, nobody truly knows how Deadpool 3 will influence the MCU's future.
For more Marvel-based coverage, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, see which MCU TV shows and films made it onto our best Disney Plus shows and best Disney Plus movies lists.
