Warning: Major Deadpool & Wolverine spoilers are ahead. Read at your own risk.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now ruling the box office and is on its way to crossing the $500 million global box office mark. Well, it’s easy to see why. Aside from featuring the titular characters’ Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, it’s also full of exciting rapid-fire jokes, Easter eggs, and cameos. However, aside from the surprising appearances, like Wesley Snipes’ Blade and Channing Tatum’s Remy LeBeau / Gambit, it also teases the deaths of some of the most iconic Marvel characters.
After Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) epic fight, the two pass out and are brought by the Resistance fighters to their hideout in the wasteland. There, they meet Elektra (Jennifer Garner), Blade, Gambit, and X-23 (Dafne Keen). As they plan to attack Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in The Void, the group reveals they have lost several major members to the fight.
One of the Marvel characters they mention is Daredevil (Ben Affleck). Though they don’t reveal how he dies, Elektra makes a meta-joke about her former husband in Deadpool & Wolverine. As Deadpool apologizes after hearing the sad news, Elektra says, “It’s fine,” referring to their real-life separation.
They also mention The Punisher. Though it is unclear whose version of the Punisher dies, with Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson previously playing the role, one of them is already dead in the threequel’s timeline. But despite his death, Blade uses his iconic Bazooka to shoot Cassandra’s army.
Also, Quicksilver is said to be dead. However, it is also not specified which version of the character dies. But as Deadpool & Wolverine gives a nod to Fox’s X-Men movies, they are probably referring to Evan Peters’ mutant role in Bryan Singer’s 2014 X-Men: Days of the Future Past and 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse, David Leitch’s 2018 Deadpool 2, and Simon Kinberg’s 2019 X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Last, and probably the saddest of all, is Magneto (Ian McKellen). As fans expect to see the Master of Magnetism in Deadpool & Wolverine, he dies during the final war as the rebels try to kill Cassandra. Professor X’s twin sister melts his helmet down so that he can’t use it to avoid her powers.
Though these characters don’t appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, the film bids goodbye to these heroes from the Fox-Marvel universe after being cut out early and recast. Those who have survived Cassandra’s wrath, like Blade, Elektra, X-23, and Gambit, are the ones who don’t receive their proper due probably because they are ahead of the timeline (Blade), don’t get the chance to be part of a larger saga (X-23) and don’t make it out of development (Gambit).
Ryan Reynolds Says Goodbye to 20th Century Fox Amid the Success of Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine ended the Fox-Marvel universe after Disney’s acquisition of the studio in 2019. And to say a proper goodbye, Reynolds shared an emotional post on Instagram as he recalled his time with 20th Century Fox. The actor shared a photo with other stars who were part of the studio back then, from Jackman to James McAvoy. It also included Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Michael B. Jordan, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, and Oscar Isaac. And though Tatum’s Gambit movie didn’t happen, he was also part of the picture as he was supposed to play the character.
“This isn’t just Deadpool saying ‘Oh, Hello’ to the MCU. It’s Deadpool – and Hugh, Shawn and me – saying farewell to a place and an era that literally made us,” he captioned the snap.
The Canadian actor added he would be forever grateful to the “fun, weird, uneven, and risky world” of 20th Century Fox, calling it their origin story. And though they’re now part of the MCU, they wouldn’t trade Fox for anything.
“And thank you to Kevin Feige and Disney for allowing us to share it,” he continued.
Deadpool & Wolverine not only end the Fox-Marvel era but also start the stories of mutants and other characters in the MCU. Now that Marvel Studios is working on an X-Men reboot and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans must see how they will fit into the franchise’s timeline.
