Deadpoolwas a surprise hit for Fox at its release, which probably hoped to re-stabilize the turbulentX-Menseries. The film was in development hell before the test footage for the film leaked and forced the studio into production. The film starringRyan Reynoldswas critically praised and was a commercial success for the studio. The fans were delighted to see Reynolds in the most authentic iteration of Deadpool, making meta-jokes and breaking the fourth wall, unlike his restricted andpoorly-written role inX-Men Origins: Wolverine.
But what fans missed was the much-anticipated confrontation between Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Reynolds’ foul-mouthed merc. And that was when Jackman was getting involved in each X-Men movie, appearing at least in a cameo, and therefore, his appearance inDeadpoolwas well expected. Though that sadly didn’t happen, Reynolds and the film’s writing team took advantage of the character’s numerous breaks in the fourth wall and added Jackman in as a joke.
When Vanessa removes Wade’s mask at the end of the film, he has a Hugh Jackman face cutout stapled on his forehead. The joke was a reference to Reynolds’ love for Jackman and his ever-lasting desire to share the screen with him again. Storyboard artist Jay Oliva has recently shared the concept for that scene on his Twitter feed.
This particular sequence, of course, didn’t reference Jackman’s Wolverine but was directed at the actor himself. In a way, Reynolds managed to send a message to Jackman and included him in the movie, continuing theX-Menfilms ritual to have him in all films at the time.
Can Wolverine Appear Alongside Deadpool in the Future?
Deadpoolentering theX-Menfranchise meant one day there would be a film featuring both him and Wolverine, but the following year,Hugh Jackman retired from his roleafter making a final appearance inLogan. And not much later,X-Menwas disbanded after 20th Century Fox was acquired by Disney, a deal completed in 2019.
With that, all the copyrights for characters featured inX-Menfilms reverted to Marvel Studios, who announced that X-Men will now feature in MCU films. Beginning with Patrick Stewart, that integration will soon begin inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, wherein Stewart will reprise his role as Charles Xavier/Professor X. Earlier, Evan Peters appeared as Quicksilver decoy inWandaVision, but his role didn’t take the same shape as expected after his first appearance on the show.
Besides,Deadpool IIIis in the making at Marvel Studios with Ryan Reynolds returning. Shawn Levy, just a daybefore joining the film as the directorhad expressed his desire toput Jackman and Reynolds together in a filmafter doing so in a small capacity inFree Guy.
With so much going on at Marvel Studios, aMutantsfilm in the making, and integration of the two franchises taking shape, there are still hopes for Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds to share the screen as Wolverine and Deadpool, giving fans the reunionthey’ve been waiting for.
