Next year is shaping up to be huge for fans of Marvel Comics, as The Merc With the Mouth finally comes to the big screen in 20th Century Fox's Deadpool, and Marvel Studios kicks off Phase Three with Captain America: Civil War. This summer's blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron revealed a new team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, with Vision (Paul Bettany), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) joining the team, lead by Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). As it turns out, the Marvel Comics version of this beloved superhero team is also adding a new member, Deadpool.

Polygon reports that a new comic book entitled Avengers #0 features a story where Deadpool is seen coming back from a mission he was assigned to by none other than Captain America. After completing this mission, Wade Wilson is given his own "Avengers Priority Identification Card," solidifying his place as an official member of the team. Deadpool has teamed up with the Avengers in the comics before, but this issue marks the first time he can officially be called an Avenger.

At this point in time, 20th Century Fox owns the right to Deadpool under their X-Men franchise banner. So an onscreen crossover between Avengers and Wade Wilson sounds impossible. But back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, an Avengers movie that teams up Earth's mightiest heroes also sounded impossible. Look where we are today! It's possible that Marvel's All-New, All-Different comic book universe is laying down the groundwork for future movies. The studio has contingency plans in place just in case any stray characters come back to Disney. And it's possible that we could be seeing some of these plans play out in the new comic book universe, establishing rules for Phases 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The possibilities are endless. Though, it could be decades before a Deadpool and Avengers crossover happens on the big screen. It's not impossible. And probably will happen sometime in the very far away future. But while we wait, at least we have the comic universe to fuel our imagination.

Avengers #0, which is available now, serves as a launching pad for upcoming comic books Uncanny Avengers, New Avengers, The Ultimates, All-New, All-Different Avengers, A-Force and Squadron Supreme. The first issue of Uncanny Avengers, which also features Deadpool, will be available tomorrow. These comics are part of Marvel's massive re-launch entitled All-New, All-Different, which will feature between 55 and 60 new titles, and comes on the heels of its enormous Secret Wars series that wrapped up this summer.

Deadpool's short story featured in Avengers #0 also features the Merc With the Mouth visiting the X-Men mutant Rogue, who has fallen ill due to the Terrigen Mists, a substance that unlocks Inhumans' secret powers. We reported in June that the new comic Extraordinary X-Men will reveal that the Terrigen Mists are actually toxic to mutants, and that they will all become extinct, at some point. It's worth noting that Marvel has also recently announced that the Fantastic Four comics will be coming to an end, and there is speculation that the company is killing off characters in the comics that they don't own the movie rights to, since both X-Men and Fantastic Four's rights are controlled by 20th Century Fox.

With that being said, what does this Deadpool news mean for the Merc With the Mouth's fate in the comics? With Deadpool joining the Avengers in the comics, it's possible that he might also be killed off in the near future, but that may depend on how well the Deadpool movie performs when it hits theaters this coming February. It's also possible that Marvel may be trying to acquire the rights to Deadpool as well, but that's only speculation at this point. What do you think about Deadpool joining the Avengers in these comic books?