The more details we get about Deadpool 3, the more concerned we get. The Twitter account CanWeGetSomeToast has teased some major plot points about the upcoming sequel, and they all play into the notion that it will be another multiverse storyline.
If the shared universe was the superhero trend of the 2010s, then the multiverse has become the trend of the 2020s. It seems like every franchise has tried their hand at it, whether it be the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) or Sony with the Spider-Verse films. The problem is, for every good example of a multiverse story there’s a few terrible ones. We fear that Deadpool 3 will be one of the terrible ones.
CanWeGetSomeToast claimed that Deadpool 3 will introduce multiple variants of the titular character, along with a new version of Wolverine. “There aren’t JUST 2 Deadpools, there are MORE,” the account wrote. “Deadpool isn’t the only character getting multiple variations. We’re also going to get at LEAST one other Wolverine in #Deadpool3.”
At the risk of coming off cynical, do we really need another multiverse story? Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled it off because fans had emotional attachments to all three actors playing Spidey (Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield) and the film managed to find a narrative purpose for them to share screen time.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) pulled it off because they are two of the most creative, distinct, and boundary-pushing films in the entire superhero genre. They use the multiverse to tell engaging stories, rather than rely on it for cheap nostalgia or convenient retcons.
Which brings us to The Flash. The DC film is being held up by many as a prime example of what can go wrong when cameos take precedence over storytelling. Critics and fans alike are underwhelmed by the way the film incorporates previous iterations, with some even deeming it offensive to the deceased actors who appear in the film.
Deadpool 3 doesn’t really have to worry about the latter, but the more we hear about the film’s production, the more it feels like it will succumb to the same, tired multiverse story. There will be some meta-commentary on the multiverse, and probably some clever jokes about the convenience of stumbling upon one in the last film of a trilogy, but Deadpool 2 proved that mockery doesn’t cancel out formulaic storytelling.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will be released on March 29, 2024, and Deadpool 3 on May 3, 2024. The former will close the book on the Sony trilogy and the latter will arrive months later, and likely do little to add to the multiverse trend that will (hopefully) be winding down by then. Superhero films are currently in a tough spot, and if they are going to continue to thrive, they are going to have to change up their approach. Deadpool 3 could very well be a casualty of an increasingly stale concept.
Let’s hope we’re wrong.