Can—and Will—Wade Wilson Die in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?

Wade Wilson, better known by his superhero alias, Deadpool, has been through a lot. Canonically, he’s been blown up, shot, sliced in half, and even had his spinal cord snapped by Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand)—well, allegedly. So, how is he still alive in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine?

Fox’s R-rated Deadpool made quite the splash when it premiered in 2016, bringing some much-needed edge to 20th Century Fox’s X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe. Starring Ryan Reynolds as the eponymous down-on-his-luck antihero, the film was enough of a hit to garner a sequel, which landed in theaters in 2018. Now, Marvel is looking to round out its Deadpool trilogy with a threequel so gory and over-the-top that it necessitated the return of a beloved X-Men character: Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.

Based on what we know, Deadpool & Wolverine has all the bloody action sequences, suggestive popcorn buckets, and “Marvel Jesus” to quite possibly pull the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) out of a years-long slump. Not only does the film’s premise appeal to both diehard X-Men/Marvel fans and more casual viewers alike, but it also seems painfully aware of its standing in the once-mighty franchise. After all, the bulk of Phases 4 and 5 have felt tepid at best, far from the unifying Infinity Saga era. Still, hope persists for Deadpool & Wolverine, as the franchise is two for two in terms of creating solid superhero films.

Internet scoopers (who admittedly don’t have the best track records) have been taking to social media in recent months to share their theories about the future of Wade Wilson, with many theorizing that the Merc with a Mouth will play a more substantial role in the impending Multiverse Saga. After all, the third Deadpool outing looks to expand on some of the Multiversal elements set up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the Disney+ Loki show, meaning this could just be the beginning for Reynolds’ title character … if he survives, that is. Which, according to his comics lore, is pretty likely.

Is Deadpool immortal in the MCU?

Put shortly, yes. You see, when Wade was diagnosed with cancer and experimented on under the Weapon X program, he was given the (perhaps unsavory) ability of superhuman healing. This means that Deadpool can survive any number of atrocities—beheading, mutilation, etc. However, he’s not immune to growing older, as depicted in the first moments of the latest Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, where he’s seen celebrating his birthday. In both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, we’ve seen Wade fully get his legs cut off, have his body splattered against a highway road sign, and be ripped apart by the Juggernaut (Reynolds). Yet, he respawns and hops right back into the action every time.

Deadpool’s comic book lore tells somewhat of a different story, with his immortality being a side effect of his illness, as the cancer cells in his body developed regenerative abilities upon being injected with a serum sourced from Wolverine. This makes Wolverine and Logan pretty much identical when it comes to their healing powers, except for one little thing: Deadpool can’t die. As we know, Logan very much can.

There’s also a fun little storyline from the Marvel comics that sees Wade falling in love with Lady Death herself. Yes, the literal, skeletal personification of death. Because of this, Deadpool is cursed by a jealous Thanos, also competing for Death’s affections, giving the notorious assassin the ability of superhuman healing so that he can never come face-to-face with his lover. Needless to say, the MCU took some creative liberties when deciding to make Wade’s immortality a symptom of his Weapon X experimentation, but the results are much the same—and just as gory.

So, there you have it. Although there are technically some ways to kill Deadpool for good, he remains largely indestructible. Will he finally meet his match in the mutant Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin)? It’s hard to say, but here’s hoping we get to see some fun kills when Deadpool & Wolverine arrives in theaters on July 25, 2024.