What Is Deadpool’s Current Reality and How Does It Affect the MCU?
“Deadpool & Wolverine” has been released internationally, and I have to say it’s a solid film that effectively pokes fun at the current state of the MCU and the absurdity of the multiverse.
Throughout the movie, Deadpool navigates various “realities,” including the Void, only to end up back where he began—which isn’t the MCU. This has left many fans questioning: what is Deadpool’s current reality?
If you want to avoid spoilers – I suggest you stop reading right away!
The MCU was officially designated as Earth-616 starting with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the timeline is referred to as “The Sacred Timeline” for a reason. At the beginning of the movie, when Deadpool is interviewing for the Avengers, he is indeed in the MCU. This scene takes place on March 18, 2018, on the Sacred Timeline, which is set after Deadpool 2 in the 20th Century Fox universe and after Thor: Ragnarok in the MCU, but roughly a year before Avengers: Infinity War.
After his unsuccessful application, Wade returns to his own native reality, which is Earth-10005. This designation is confirmed by multiple references indicating that the X-Men exist in Deadpool’s universe (specifically the Fox X-Men) and that the events of Logan occurred there, with all these films taking place on Earth-10005.
We then jump six years ahead to approximately March 2024, which is after Avengers: Endgame but before Spider-Man: Far From Home and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We discover that Wade’s universe is on the brink of collapse, and he has a limited time to save it. However, this premise is problematic since the timeline doesn’t quite align.
Logan is set in 2029, whereas Deadpool & Wolverine occurs in 2024. This discrepancy means that Wolverine should still be alive in 2024, and X-23 shouldn’t be an adult yet. One possible explanation is that Deadpool is on Earth-10005 but in a different timeline, which is feasible. However, it’s likely just a technicality we need to overlook to fit Deadpool into the MCU.
After leaving his own reality, Deadpool is pruned and arrives in the Void. In Deadpool & Wolverine, the duo convinces Cassandra Nova to let them return to Earth-10005 to save it. They successfully prevent the Timeripper from destroying their reality.
By the end of the movie, although Deadpool’s reality is saved, he remains on Earth-10005 rather than the MCU (Earth-616). Wade and Logan not only save their reality but also manage to regenerate it.
So, what does this mean for the MCU? It indicates that Deadpool won’t be appearing in every MCU project going forward; he’s still comfortably settled in his own universe. However, with access to the TVA, he could make appearances in the MCU when needed. There are strong rumors suggesting that both Deadpool and Logan might show up in Secret Wars.
It’s also possible that the incursions could bring him back to the Sacred Timeline, especially since Paradox and Nova have further disrupted the multiverse. This creates additional reasons to explain why space-time is collapsing.
What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!