Based on how little forward movement there’s been since it was first confirmed that Deadpool 3 was in active development at Marvel Studios, we more than likely won’t be seeing the Merc with a Mouth make his hotly anticipated debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a while yet. Not only is leading man Ryan Reynolds currently one of the busiest names in the business, but how to handle such a unique character is sure to be generating plenty of debate behind the scenes.
In 99% of cases, debuting a new superhero in the franchise is pretty straightforward, but Deadpool isn’t exactly your average costumed crime fighter. Not only has he already headlined two blockbusters at Fox that both became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever made after raking in at least $780 million each at the box office, but there’s also the small matter of his very R-rated nature.
Furthermore, the MCU has existed for well over a decade with an established set of narrative rules and regulations, making it a tricky proposition to parachute in a completely self-aware character who thrives on breaking the fourth wall. However, tipster Mikey Sutton now claims that Marvel will overcome that particular obstacle by not having Deadpool’s solo movies tie into the main storyline of the interconnected series at all.
“Although [the Merc with a Mouth’s] next films are going to take place in the MCU, they won’t be pushing an overall story arc forward like the Avengers movies, for example, led to The Infinity War and Endgame,” says Sutton. “Kids won’t need to see them on the road to Secret Wars or whatever event films, especially related to the X-Men, appear before it.”
So, it seems that although Deadpool will be an integral part of the MCU once he finally arrives, his standalone adventures won’t be full of the same connective tissue as the rest of the studio’s output, meaning that they could conceivably retain an R-rating but wouldn’t be essential components in the major story arc being told across the rest of the feature films and Disney Plus exclusives.