After grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide, Deadpool & Wolverine has become only the first Marvel film to cross the $1 billion mark since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. With such numbers, rumors of a Wolverine & Deadpool sequel were pretty quick in coming. However, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s upcoming non-MCU film could get in the way of that.
Many fans are looking forward to Reynolds and Jackman’s next reunion after their chemistry in the hit movie produced some of the MCU’s best-ever action. Marvel seems set to cash in on the popularity of Deadpool and Wolverine by making the two main characters a vital part of the conclusion of its multiverse saga. On October 10, 2024, industry insider Mytimetoshinehello announced that Deadpool and Wolverine would have a small role to play in Avengers: Doomsday.
Doomsday will start filming in 2025 as the penultimate film of the Multiverse Saga, concluding with Secret Wars. The insider insisted that Deadpool and Wolverine would have a more significant role in Secret Wars. However, the most exciting rumors from Mytimetoshinehello came on October 13, 2024. “I hear they’re already discussing a Deadpool & Wolverine sequel,” he posted on X. No details were given, but the sequel will have to come before Secret Wars to build onto the Deadpool & Wolverine story arc.
While Marvel hasn’t officially confirmed Deadpool 4, many people close to the production are optimistic about it. Deadpool & Wolverine editors Dean Zimmerman and Shane Reid expressed enthusiasm when asked about the possibility of working on the sequel. For his part, Ryan Reynolds has always been coy about the future of Deadpool in the MCU, although he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the sequel either.
Having beaten Deadpool 2, Oppenheimer, and Joker to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, Deadpool & Wolverine became Marvel’s hottest project in 2025. However, Ryan Reynolds isn’t immediately available for any Marvel projects set for early 2025, as he told Variety, he is taking a holiday with his family after Deadpool & Wolverine. While on holiday, he confirmed that he will spend his time writing a non-MCU film for himself, Hugh Jackman, and the long-term Deadpool director Shawn Levy.
No details have been given on the nature of the film, but we suspect it’s a comedy based on the last non-MCU by Reynolds and Levy. They cooperated on the fantasy comedy Free Guy and got favorable reviews. However, while playing Guy didn’t affect Reynolds’s image as Deadpool, a similar role will likely be catastrophic for Jackman’s Wolverine.
Wade Wilson is a loudmouth whose attraction comes from finding satire out of his worst circumstances. Logan, on the other hand, heavily relies on Jackman’s grumpy face and no-nonsense attitude, an image a comedy film will distort. Restoring Logan’s image with the fan base after his appearance in a hit comedy film likely won’t be as smooth as Wade Wilson’s.
The return of Jackman as Wolverine played a significant role in marketing Deadpool & Wolverine even before the filming started. Marvel sure would love to keep fans interested in the mutant. According to Reynolds, his chemistry with Levy and Jackman on the film’s set was the best he has ever had in his career. The decades-long friendship between the stars played a big role in creating the chemistry that made Deadpool and Wolverine so formidable.
Although the two still have many projects outside the MCU, including the possibility of cohosting the Oscars, cooperating on a non-MCU film will likely cause a disruption with the studios. The unique impression that fans have of Deadpool and Wolverine is one that Marvel would love to keep as a treasure, especially for the sake of Doomsday and Secret Wars, even if Deadpool 4 doesn’t happen. Reynolds and Jackman’s upcoming non-MCU project will affect that image, whether the movie is a success or a flop.
Reynolds’s non-MCU project will also likely eat into Marvel’s already saturated calendar, giving little to no room for the creation of Deadpool 4. While Doomsday and Secret Wars won’t film back to back, the MCU plans to end the whole saga in 2027, which means Doomsday will start filming by Spring 2025 at the latest. With a film outside the universe to create, Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy might not have time to spare for Doomsday, let alone a Deadpool & Wolverine sequel.