Ryan Reynolds Teases Another Deadpool Movie - What Could It Be About?
Deadpool is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, a frequently wacky and effectively dangerous antihero whose flexibility in terms of tone has paid off in lots of great adaptations. This extends to the film world, with Deadpool (2016) turning the character into a blockbuster star. Since then, the Merc with a Mouth has become one of the most popular Marvel heroes on the big screen, something that was only reinforced with the massive success of his crossover with Wolverine.
It’s not clear what will come of the character going forward now that he’s formally in the MCU, but star Ryan Reynolds clearly thinks the character has a future role to play. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Deadpool 4 is seemingly in the works. Reynolds also teased which comics could inspire Wade Wilson’s next adventures in a post-Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) MCU.
Deadpool 4 Could Be Looking At Two Very Specific Comic Runs For Inspiration
As for Deadpool 4’s inspiration, Reynolds cited Fabian Nicieza, who had multiple runs writing Deadpool, going all the way back to when he co-created the character alongside Rob Liefeld. Nicieza’s work on the first solo Deadpool storyline, 1993’s Deadpool: The Circle Chase, helped define the character’s backstory and personality (even if other writers like Joe Kelly would really cement his comedic and self-aware elements that became more important aspects of the character).
Reynolds seems to be referring to those early stories, suggesting more of Deadpool’s origins or time as a mercenary could come into play. Nicieza also wrote the long-running Cable & Deadpool series, which played with Wade’s place in the larger Marvel Universe and underscored his position as a major wildcard. This could also tease Cable’s formal debut in the MCU.
While there are lots of stories from Nicieza that Reynolds could be referring to, the reference to Gerry Duggan feels more specific. Duggan took on writing responsibilities for the Deadpool series in 2012. The series was largely rooted in Wade’s quest to finally realize his heroic potential while contending with his worst qualities, all while finding out about his previously unknown daughter, Eleanor.
Duggan’s run is one of the best takes on Deadpool ever and would represent an ambitious approach to a character who, in the films, has largely lost a lot of the thorny edges of his comics incarnation. Taking cues from Duggan’s run, while offering plenty of silly potential like zombie Abe Lincoln or competing with Dracula for the affections of the demonic Shikla,– could offer a much more complex take on the character than the one we’ve seen so far in the MCU.
Deadpool Could Be Getting More Of A Team-Up Vibe
One of the common elements of Duggan and Nicieza’s runs on Deadpool is that the antihero has a role to play in the larger Marvel Universe. In both of their runs, Deadpool heavily interacted with other characters from around the universe, ranging from heroes to villains. It firmly planted him in the larger universe, even outside the confines of the X-Men books.
Notably, Duggan’s run on the character coincided with a period where Wade Wilson was appearing in other team books, including a stint with the Avengers and as a member of the Thunderbolts. This could suggest that Deadpool 4 could bring Deadpool into the larger universe, whether that be as a member of Thunderbolts* (2025) follow-up or even taking cues from the Uncanny Avengers series to put Wade Wilson alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Both of these directions would position Wade more firmly into the universe and could even pay off the setup of Deadpool being with Thor in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Are We Finally Getting Deadpool’s X-Force Movie?
As reported on by Polygon, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has suggested that the X-Men will be at the heart of the MCU going forward. Given Deadpool’s historic connections with the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe, this could position Wade firmly in the center of the MCU’s future. However, Wade may not be a natural fit for the X-Men. He’s never really been a formal member of the team in the comics or in other adaptations. Especially if the MCU’s X-Men is meant to be a big step forward for the universe, then tying Deadpool directly to them might not be the right move. However, he could easily fit into a spin-off title like X-Force.
X-Force was at the heart of Deadpool 2 (2018), with the film poking fun at the underlying idea of an extreme superhero team. However, other storylines featuring X-Force with Deadpool in them have been more dramatic. While Gerry’s run on Deadpool didn’t see him work with X-Force, the character had been in more complex takes on the team, like the Uncanny X-Force series that forced Wade and the other antiheroes on the roster to confront some really tricky moral quandaries. This could all be setting up a Deadpool 4 to be a trickier story and a more complex narrative than the previous two films.
