There have been a lot of rumors surrounding Deadpool 3 lately. And so there should be. Everyone is excited for the next entry in the popular franchise starring the Merc with the Mouth. But some tall tales have been told, and it’s tough to separate the truth from the noise. Well, we’re here to tell you what’s fact, fiction, and what falls in between. By now, we all know that Deadpool and Wolverine will be teaming up, or fighting, or something, but aside from that crunchy nugget, there isn’t much that’s certain.
Updated August 14, 2023: If you're a fan of Deadpool and trying to figure out what his first MCU movie will be about, you'll be happy to know that this article has been updated with additional information.
There have been rumors that Mobius will appear, speculation that this is how the MCU will introduce the X-Men, hopes that Taylor Swift will cameo, and even rumors that Chris Evans will reprise his role from 2005 as the Human Torch. Deadpool is famous in the comics for quite literally stepping out of the frame of his story and taking the reader all over the place. Now that Deadpool has Cable’s time-traveling watch and Kevin Feige’s permission to walk freely through the X-Men Mansion, there’s nowhere he can’t go in the MCU. It’s tempting to speculate on all the possibilities the multiverse might give to Deadpool 3. But take everything with a grain of salt, as not all universes can be canon.
Will Mobius Be Featured in Deadpool 3?
It’s important to remember that Owen Wilson’s involvement in Deadpool 3 is just a rumor. The gossip started when a well-known Hollywood news scooper Daniel Richtman dropped a tip on his rather infamous Twitter profile. The account has been active for quite a while and has gained a formidable reputation for people in the nerdier parts of entertainment news. Mr. Richtman often reports rumors on Marvel and DCU news. He tends to phrase his reports as facts but fails to provide any legitimate sources. While this could be seen as unreliable, Mr. Richtman hasn’t always been wrong. He made a series of reports on Spider-Man: No Way Home that largely turned out to be correct.
That being said, when Richtman tweeted that Owen Wilson’s Mobius would have a big role in Deadpool 3, fans lost their minds. If it’s true, it means that Deadpool will definitely be time-traveling around the MCU. He could go from X-Men Origins: Wolverine all the way to Logan. No doubt, Mobius would be chasing him every step of the way. Deadpool will have to contend with the sharp sword of omniscient bureaucracy that is the Time Variance Authority, which could even mean that he might run into Kang.
But the fact is that no one has confirmed this rumor. We haven’t heard anything about it from Ryan Reynolds, Owen Wilson, Shawn Levy, or Kevin Feige, despite their continued film promotion. Wilson will next appear in Loki season 2, so there is a chance that the season could end with a setup for Deadpool 3.
Matthew Macfadyen Plays a TVA Agent
Back in March, Deadline revealed that Succession star Matthew Macfadyen would be joining Deadpool 3 in an unknown role. It wasn't until recently that scooper CanWeGetSomeToast reported that Macfadyen would be portraying a TVA agent named Paradox. While there are several characters in Marvel Comics that go by the name of Paradox, none of them are associated with the TVA.
It seems like Macfadyen is playing an original character who will be judging Deadpool for his crimes against the timeline. Rumors have circulated this could be a version of the comic character Bob, Agent of HYDRA. He was a frequent Deadpool supporting character who even got referenced in the first film, although his connection to HYDRA was not mentioned as Fox did not have the rights to that part of the Marvel franchise. While it isn't official yet, it sounds like a very interesting role for him to play and the perfect time to bring him into the MCU with how popular Succession has been.
Will Fans See a Taylor Swift Cameo?
One of the biggest rumors circulating right now is that Taylor Swift might show up in Deadpool 3. And the honest answer here is: maybe. Again, taking that grain of salt, this is an Easter egg that got blown out of proportion into ideas about a cameo. But there are a lot of reasons to be hopeful.
During the Deadpool 3 Wolverine announcement, fans noticed that the video had been filmed in the same house that Swift used for her All Too Well: The Short Film. This grew until Deadpool fans started saying that the star would appear in the film. But unlike many other rumors, Ryan Reynolds has acknowledged this speculation and admits that he and his whole family are big fans. And that he “would do anything for that woman.” They’ve had T-Swift Easter eggs in Deadpool before, so you might just see Taylor Swift in Deadpool 3. Rumors have even circulated that Swift might be playing the X-Men mutant Dazzler.
X-Men and Other Fox Characters Appearing?
A recent report from THR said that Deadpool 3 will feature multiple Marvel characters that were previously owned by Fox, which opens the door up to the X-Men of old featured in the film. Insider MyTimeToShineHello has even gone on to state that Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Ian McKellen's Magneto will make a cameo in the movie.
Stewart recently returned as a Professor X variant in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it's possible he could have filmed his cameo then as well. Halle Berry is also rumored to reprise her role as Storm. It's becoming more and more likely that this film will be a final sendoff for the Fox universe of Marvel characters before they're rebooted in the MCU continuity.
Daredevil & Elektra Will Appear
One of the only officially confirmed rumors on this list is Jennifer Garner's return as Elektra in the film. THR broke the news that the actress would be returning to the role, and in a now-deleted tweet, Ryan Reynolds' production company, Maximum Effort, welcomed her back to the film. Garner famously played the role in 2003's Daredevil and got her own spinoff in 2005's Elektra. While the two movies were critically panned, this gives her an opportunity to play the character again and do it justice.
To coincide with that rumor and the idea that Deadpool 3 is going to feature a lot of Fox Marvel characters, it's been rumored that Ben Affleck is also returning in this film as Daredevil. While it isn't confirmed, insider KC Walsh reported that Affleck was spotted on set and is assumed to be returning as the Man Without Fear. Now there could be many reasons Affleck was on set, including visiting Garner, who is both his ex-wife and the mother of his kids.
If Affleck does return, this would mark the second time he suited up as Daredevil after his own feature film. While Affleck is most known for playing the DCEU's Batman, this would be a wild return if it does come to fruition. It would also mark another occasion of Affleck returning to play a superhero one last time before a major multiverse rewrite, as he did in The Flash, reprising his role of Bruce Wayne one last time.
The Fox Universe Will be Pruned
Just days before the actor's strike began and production came to a halt, fans were treated to a ton of Deadpool 3 set photos that can be seen right here. While the most prominent thing in these photos is a fight between Deadpool and Wolverine, the big takeaway is hidden in the background. The set they're fighting on seems to be a post-apocalyptic Fox universe, complete with a very meta-crumbling 20th Century Fox logo in the background.
It bears a striking resemblance to the Void from Loki, and with rumors that the TVA will be involved, it's possible that they're going to prune the timeline completely. A meta-commentary on how the MCU has basically wiped away the Fox Marvel movies after the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney.
Chris Evans Will Reprise His Role as The Human Torch
This is our favorite rumor simply because of how hilarious it would be if it were true. And Chris Evans might even be up for a good joke. With the film already confirmed to be bringing back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Deadpool 3 seems to be very much one final show for the various Fox Marvel characters. One notable property is The Fantastic Four. Rumors have circulated that Jessica Alba and Julian McMahon will reprise their roles as The Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom, respectively, from the 2005 Fantastic Four. Another one rumored is Chris Evans.
While Chris Evans is now best known as Captain America in the MCU, he also played The Human Torch in 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. While Evans is done playing Captain America, it would not be surprising to see him show up as The Human Torch for a one-joke scene. He seems to be good friends with Ryan Reynolds, even cameoing in Free Guy. It would give Marvel fans the return of Chris Evans, just not what they expect.
Channing Tatum Finally Gets to Play Gambit
Channing Tatum has been attached to make a Gambit spinoff movie since back in 2014. While multiple X-Men spin-offs like New Mutants and Deadpool made it to the big screen, Gambit never did. While the film was in development hell trying to be reworked, it was officially canceled after the Disney & Fox merger. Recently, Tatum has spoken out about what that movie was supposed to be, but now it looks like he may finally get the chance.
Insider MyTimeToShineHello recently reported that Tatum has apparently filmed a cameo for the movie. If the film is supposed to be a celebration of the Fox X-Men universe, it would only be fitting for Tatum to finally get an opportunity to play the ragin' cajun, even for just a moment. It would be similar to Nicolas Cage finally getting to play Superman in The Flash, after having been attached to the canceled Superman Lives film.
Emma Corrin Plays the Villainous Cassandra Nova
With so many returning characters rumored, it'll be interesting to see how it all comes together. One rumor from scooper CanWeGetSomeToast says that it all has to do with the character Emma Corrin is playing: Cassandra Nova. In the comics, Cassandra is the sister of Charles Xavier. When in the womb with Charles as a baby, he recognized the evil that was inside of her and tried to kill her with his psychic abilities. While she was pronounced a miscarriage, Cassandra actually survived and spent the next few decades growing as a mass of cells in the sewer. Cassandra swore revenge on her brother and made it her life mission to destroy everything he holds dear: including the X-Men.
If the rumors are true and Corrin is playing the famous X-Men villain, it might give an idea to the plot of the movie. Her mission will be to kill the entire Fox Marvel Universe, which includes the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Elektra, and of course, Deadpool. Deadpool will team up with Wolverine in some capacity to stop this threat. The result could be the destruction of a timeline in the Marvel multiverse, helping set the stage for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
At the end of the day, Deadpool comics are famous for creating insane situations and then relieving the rest of the Marvel universe from having to explain how they happened as if to say, “no, it technically was canon that Deadpool killed the Marvel universe, he just hallucinated the whole thing.” This may be one of those situations where Deadpool’s time-traveling antics give him the loophole he needs to take the reins of the MCU.