Fox’s 15-Year X-Men Mistake Ultimately Helped Wolverine And Deadpool

Deadpool and Wolverine’s appearance in Deadpool 3 comes fifteen years after their first Marvel movie together, but that only improves their reunion. Hugh Jackman made his debut as Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men, and Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson was first introduced nine years later in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s fourth X-Men movie. Reynolds’ first Deadpool portrayal diverged too much from the source material, to the point that he was almost unrecognizable as the comical, fourth-wall-breaking Merc With a Mouth that will star in the MCU’s upcoming Deadpool 3.

Seven years after X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool corrected these mistakes and brought Wade Wilson to live-action much more accurately with Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. Deadpool‘s success fast-tracked a sequel, but while Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine had remained active all along, Deadpool couldn’t cross over with him after Deadpool 2 due to 2017’s Logan, which aimed to conclude Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine journey for good. Fortunately, Disney’s acquisition of Fox now allows Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to reunite within the MCU in a much better movie than anything the X-Men franchise could have achieved.

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Deadpool 3’s Comic-Accurate Costumes Are Only Possible In The MCU

While it would have been exciting to see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine meet Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in an X-Men movie like X-Men: Days of Future Past, Deadpool 2, or the unmade X-Force, an earlier appearance together would likely have skipped the comic-accurate costumes Wolverine and Deadpool wear in Deadpool 3. The MCU has made great strides to incorporate vibrant superhero suits that are both realistic and faithful to the source material, especially since the start of Phase 4. Before Deadpool 3, Jackman’s Wolverine would likely have worn another subdued X-Men suit, or possibly just a casual outfit with a leather jacket.

In 2013, The Wolverine‘s post-credits scene teased Wolverine’s classic suit, but subsequent X-Men movies completely ignored it. With Wolverine’s other X-Men appearances taking place in the past and his only other solo movie taking place in a post-apocalyptic future, it wouldn’t make any sense for him to recover the suit he never wore and use it in a mission with Deadpool. Since the Wolverine who co-stars in Deadpool 3 likely comes from a different universe altogether, there are countless possible reasons for why he wears such a colorful costume.

Deadpool And Wolverine’s Team-Up Movie Needed To Happen Outside Fox’s X-Men Franchise

Besides Deadpool and Wolverine’s costumes, 20th Century Fox wouldn’t have been able to bring both heroes together easily. The X-Men franchise’s confusing timeline jumped back and forth since X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the Deadpool movies stayed outside the mainline X-Men movies despite including a young X-Men cameo and a few nods to other Fox properties. Due to the X-Men timeline, Deadpool couldn’t have appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, or Logan, and Wolverine couldn’t have appeared in Deadpool 2 after dying in Logan, either.

Deadpool and Wolverine’s X-Men movie appearances also clashed in regard to tone after X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Deadpool’s R-rated comedy and tendency to break the fourth-wall wouldn’t have fit more serious movies like The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past, let alone Logan. Likewise, Wolverine would have stolen the spotlight in Deadpool and Deadpool 2, and he would have seemed out of place without other X-Men characters to support him during Wade Wilson’s solo movies. Now that both characters have been established, Wolverine and Deadpool’s simultaneous MCU arrival allows Deadpool 3 to focus on its multiversal story with little baggage.

Will Deadpool And Wolverine Be Able To Team Up Again In The MCU?

Deadpool and Wolverine’s multiversal shenanigans in Deadpool 3 are the culmination of fifteen years of waiting, but it may not be the last time Marvel fans might see them together on the big screen. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is unlikely to die again so soon after his seemingly definitive death in Logan, and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool might still have a long future ahead of him within the MCU due to how popular he is and how little time he has spent in the role in comparison to Hugh Jackman and other X-Men stars.

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After Deadpool 3, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will likely stick around, at least until Avengers: Secret Wars, where the Multiverse Saga’s conclusion might unite all Earth-616 heroes with characters from non-MCU Marvel movies, including Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and other X-Men actors like Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. After Avengers: Secret Wars, however, it’s unlikely that Hugh Jackman will return due to the introduction of the MCU’s own version of the X-Men. As for Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, his knowledge of the real-life movie medium could allow him to break the rules and stay in the MCU a little longer.