It doesn’t look like ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and Wolverine will make an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, and I’m pretty sure it’s because the MCU is setting up a big moment for Avengers: Secret Wars instead. Their inauguration into the MCU in 2024’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine helped to prove how the two characters are a boon for any MCU production, as the MCU’s first R-rated foray became one of its most profitable. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine broke cinematic records by grossing $1.3 billion worldwide and is now the MCU’s sixth-highest-grossing movie overall.

It would stand to reason, then, that Marvel would want to include these two immensely popular characters in its first Avengers movie since Avengers: Endgame. Marvel recently confirmed the first cast members due to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, and sitting among expected names like Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Pedro Pascal were some that set online discourse ablaze. These included the likes of Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, and James Marsden – to name a few – but just as surprising as their appearance was the omission of many others.

Hugh Jackman & Ryan Reynolds Haven’t Been Confirmed For Avengers: Doomsday’s Cast

Hugh Jackman And Ryan Reynolds Were Two Of The Most Surprising Omissions

Many cast members from Fox’s X-Men franchise were confirmed to be starring in Avengers: Doomsday, with each of them expected to reprise their X-Men movie roles. These included some of the most prominent stars like Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and James Marsden (Cyclops), as well as more surprising additions like Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique). Even Channing Tatum, who debuted as Gambit in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, padded out the X-Men contingent – but both Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were absent.

The absence of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine stars is especially noticeable considering Hugh Jackman, in particular, played such a central role in Fox’s X-Men franchise, with his Wolverine being the entire franchise’s de facto protagonist. Ryan Reynolds’ ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool has also interacted with Fox’s X-Men, and technically belonged to the same franchise – even returning to their timeline in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine. Still, I think it is ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool’s loose and practically nonexistent relationship with the X-Men franchise’s main cast that clues us into why he was ultimately omitted.

Avengers: Doomsday’s X-Men Cast Additions Mean Saving ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine For Secret Wars Could Make A Lot More Sense

Introducing ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool And Wolverine To The X-Men Will Be A Special Moment

We are most likely to see the stars of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine reprise their roles in the MCU, especially as Logan brought an unᴀssailable end to the Wolverine variant who starred in Fox’s X-Men franchise. If that is the case, then it’s worth noting that neither ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool nor Wolverine have actually encountered the confirmed X-Men cast on-screen, save for Channing Tatum’s Gambit. In fact, ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine‘s “Worst Wolverine” comes from another universe where his X-Men team was murdered, and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool makes repeated jokes about never encountering the X-Men despite being part of the same franchise.

This should make their first encounter with Fox’s X-Men team special. ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool has desperately attempted to meet with the core X-Men team for three solo appearances. Worst Wolverine, meanwhile, still grieves the loss of his X-Men. This makes their moment meeting Fox’s X-Men franchise more befitting of the Multiverse Saga’s answer to Avengers: Endgame, namely Avengers: Secret Wars, as it will be a moving culmination. Instead, I think Avengers: Doomsday should focus on establishing the confirmed X-Men cast’s MCU presence first – making their future meeting even more special.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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