Deadpool‘s third journey to the big screen appears poised to stitch multiple generations of the MCU together.
We already know Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will play a vital part in the upcoming threequel, and rumors about more OG X-Men have been swirling for months. Hopes are high that longtime favorites like Sir Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, and Sir Ian McKellen will make a return alongside Jackman, after — for most, at least — nearly a decade away from their iconic characters.
They aren’t the only mutant hopefuls fans are praying will make an appearance in the flick, however, and the second generation of X-Men are nearly as beloved as the original. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender dazzled in their roles as younger versions of Magneto and Xavier, and they’ve already enjoyed a (far too brief) cameo in a Deadpool flick before. Who’s to say they won’t return for the third?
As it turns out, Marvel Studios is saying exactly that, and breaking hearts in the process. Recent news indicates that parts of Deadpool 3 will take place in the original X-Men timeline, but far from the prequels. It looks like ‘Pool is set to avoid including the cast of X-Men: First Class, despite initial rumors they might make an appearance.
Its reasonable to exclude some of the X-Men team, considering how big its gotten over the years, but viewers are still disappointed by the news. As canwegetsometoast noted in their Instagram announcement of the decision, “McAvoy and Fassbender’s Professor and Magneto were inspired casting,” and many people would have loved to see more of them. This same sentiment is echoed across the post’s comment section, where people bemoan the lack of those fan-favorite recent additions, but note how fitting a return to the original timeline clearly is.
So, while the decision is ruffling some fan feathers, most people understand. They’d love to see Deadpool 3 deliver some closure for those beloved early 2000s characters, before pivoting to the MCU’s official X-Men team.