Marvel Studios is venturing into new territory with their first R-rated project. The third entry in the Deadpool franchise will continue where the latest left off with the same vulgar we’ve come to love from the character. Yet, unlike the previous entries, we know that this new entry will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even with the R-rating. Ryan Reynolds will return to tackle the role of the merc with a mouth. As far as we know, he is the only confirmed returning character from the previous films, and it opens up the question if the upcoming threequel will soft reboot the franchise. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin are hard at work on the script. So, nothing is set in stone for now. Yet, there is a chance that Marvel Studios and Disney may have accidentally hinted that the upcoming Deadpool film will work on its own merits.
A few months ago, Disney+ expanded in specific markets through the STAR brand. It was a gateway for adult and R-rated projects to find their way into the usually family-friendly platform. Marvel already included a variety of the 20th Century films under the tagline “Marvel Legacy.” They had two separate stacks for the films and animated projects. Interestingly enough, the TV shows Legion, Agents of SHIELD, and others are titled “Marvel Live-Action Series.” Now, as you can see in the image below, even though the third entry of Deadpool will be an MCU project, its first entry is classified as a Legacy film in the Disney+ selection.
The list goes out of its way to highlight which projects are part of the MCU. Now, there is a chance that they might not have a placement for Deadpool, as his films tie into the other Legacy films from the X-Men franchise. Yet, that is a loose connection at best, because it seems to take place in the modern era, but we see the cast from X-Men: Apocalypse, which takes place in the 80s. Plus, the second film ended in a sequence where the merc with a mouth jumps through time. If it remains the same character from the previous films, they can easily retcon the character into the main timeline of the MCU as a result of his actions.
So, he still has his fourth-wall-breaking mentality and experience from the previous films, but he ended up screwing the timeline that he ended up breaking through the multiverse. That way, they can write off the previous entries as Legacy films while the third is a soft-reboot into the MCU. It’s just speculation but with the Star Wars Vintage branding separating non-canon Star Wars projects, it seems quite deliberate that it was given the Legacy title. We’ll have to see how they approach the project, as there are rumors of a Hulu Deadpool series in development that may be hinting at a bright and bloody future for the iconic mercenary.
