Ryan Reynolds has cast doubt on the chances of Deadpool joining either the Avengers or the X-Men, saying being a part of either team would mean the character was "at the end."
Given the huge success of Deadpool & Wolverine, and Deadpool’s obsession with joining the Avengers in the film, some had speculated that Marvel Studios would be keen for the 'Merc with a Mouth' to join forces with the likes of Captain America and Professor X and star in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Last month's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal was heavy on veteran X-Men actors. Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden are all now set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, confirming the X-Men are in the film in a big way. Grammer famously played Beast in the Fox X-Men franchise before making his MCU debut via The Marvels' post-credits scene. Stewart played Charles Xavier/Professor X in the X-Men films before appearing briefly in the MCU via Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati. McKellen, who played Magneto, has not yet appeared in the MCU. Neither has Cumming, who played Nightcrawler, Romijn, who played Mystique, nor Marsden, who played Cyclops. It begs the question: is Avengers: Doomsday secretly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie?
But Reynolds’ name was not on the long list of stars confirmed to appear in the superhero extravaganza (Channing Tatum, who played Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, did make the cut). And now new comments from Reynolds himself suggest a formal Deadpool promotion to the Avengers or X-Men is not on the cards.
"If Deadpool becomes an Avenger or an X-Man, we're at the end,” Reynolds told Time. “That's wish fulfillment, and you can't give him that.”
However, Reynolds appeared to suggest a surprise appearance as Deadpool in a supporting role might be more appropriate, pointing to how well Wesley Snipes' cameo as Blade went down with fans in Deadpool & Wolverine.
So, if joining the Avengers or the X-Men isn’t right for Deadpool, what’s next for the character? Reynolds revealed he’s hard at work writing something new that involves an “ensemble,” but he kept his cards close to his chest.
"I'm writing a little something right now, that's, I don't know, it's an ensemble," Reynolds added. "But, I like that [Deadpool] is isolated."
This could mean another Deadpool movie that leans heavily on cameos, as Deadpool & Wolverine did. Perhaps Snipes' Blade could be involved. It seems like Channing Tatum would be keen to play Gambit again. Other characters who appeare in the movie include Jennifer Garner's Elektra and Dafne Keene's Laura Kinney/X-23.
So, what do we know about Avengers: Doomsday? Apart from the cast list, nothing is set in stone. Earlier this month, Anthony Mackie said he believed Avengers: Doomsday – in which he will reprise his role as Sam Wilson/Captain America – is “going to give the audience that old Marvel feeling that they always had.”
Mackie is the latest Doomsday cast member to go on the record about the upcoming Marvel epic following Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd and Human Torch’s Joseph Quinn. Also this month, an apparent Avengers: Doomsday set photo leak sent the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom into overdrive, with some claiming it signals bad news for the X-Men.
Fans were already speculating that Oscar Isaac might appear in Avengers as Moon Knight because he pulled out of this month’s Star Wars Celebration event “due to changes in his production schedule.”
Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige has confirmed that the Avengers livestream did not include the entire cast of Doomsday — “We revealed many, not all,” he said over a video call at CinemaCon.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
