How Will Deadpool Join the MCU? Every Theory Explained

Now that Deadpool is confirmed to join the MCU in his third film, theories are abounding about exactly how he will join the Avengers and the rest of the Marvel ensemble. So far, Deadpool has only been seen alongside some of the X-Men—and even then, it was only a couple of the minor characters.

For Deadpool 3, he’ll be teaming up with no less than Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine himself and entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As ever, Marvel Studios are keeping any details hush-hush, but here are some of the top theories for how Wade Winston will enter the MCU.

Deadpool Gets Caught by the TVA

Deadpool 2 already introduced time travel, so it’s not that big a leap to say that the TVA from Loki might crack down on the anti-superhero for any time-traveling antics he might get up to. In the mid-credits scene of the sequel, we saw Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio repair Cable’s time-travel device for Deadpool, who then goes back to save his girlfriend, kill his X-Men Origins: Wolverine self, and real-world Ryan Reynolds after he finishes reading the script for Green Lantern.

With Deadpool messing up a number of elements here, the TVA could well be hunting him down to eliminate any rogue timelines, particularly under the nefarious rule of Kang that we were shown at the end of Loki Season One.

Deadpool Gets Stranded in a Different Universe

Several Marvel movies have played with the idea of jumping between universes, with the collision of all three Spider-Mans (Spider-Men?) in Spider-Man: No Way Home) and various versions of the same characters in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Could Deadpool fall into another universe while time-traveling? Would we then have two versions of Deadpool, or perhaps even an unchanged Wade Wilson without any superabilities? Whatever happens, chaos would inevitably ensue.

Ajax Works For an MCU Big Bad

First appearing in Deadpool, Ajax was an artificially-mutated member of the very same program that created Deadpool. He was one of the people responsible for injecting Deadpool with the serum to awaken latent mutant gene, torturing him plenty in the process.

In the movie, his employer was never confirmed, leaving room for a number of different theories. The biggest ones suggest Ajax’s employers were linked to the Red Room from Black Widow, or even HYDRA itself. As Deadpool is one of the darkest and X-rated superheroes, this would link him to some of the cruellest baddies in a fitting way.

Deadpool Was Always in the MCU

If anyone can pull off arguing ‘but I was always here, you just didn’t notice’, it’s Deadpool. His first two movies already featured various meta jokes about the lack of other X-Men in Professor Xavier’s school, so simply stating that Deadpool had always existed in the same world and sticking to that story is another way to go about it.

Plus, this would account for some similarities between the MCU and Deadpool’s first two films, such as the climax of Deadpool taking place on what looks like an old S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and the fact that Cable’s time travel bracelets look remarkably similar to the ones designed by Tony Stark. Deadpool isn’t your average superhero, so it’s understandable he wouldn’t have joined the Avengers for any of their universe-changing fights. After all, it’s a fictional universe: just don’t question it.

(featured image: 20th Century Fox)

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