Ryan Reynolds is returning to the MCU as Wade Wilson’s Deadpool following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, and Hugh Jackman has been confirmed to join him as James “Logan” Howlett’s Wolverine in September 2022. Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine is set to be released on July 26, 2024, as part of the MCU’s Phase 5, and will introduce Deadpool and Wolverine into the MCU proper for the first time.
While the debut of Deadpool and Wolverine to the MCU is much anticipated, the duo is set to be accompanied by several of their multiversal counterparts.
While Lady Deadpool and X-23 have not yet been confirmed to feature in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, the female versions of Deadpool and Wolverine would be ideal for the Phase 5 film. Deadpool and Wolverine will see the titular characters recruited by the Time Variance Authority for a mission spanning several timelines of the MCU’s cosmos, so it’s likely they’ll encounter multiple different forms of themselves. This presents an ideal chance for Lady Deadpool and X-23 to make their MCU debuts, with the possibility of them remaining in the franchise’s future.
Dafne Keen previously played Laura, also known as X-23, in 2017’s Logan, which is largely recognised as one of the best films in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. While there has been conjecture that Keen could reprise the role, this time as an older and wiser version of X-23, the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine supposedly takes place before Logan suggests that this is unlikely. Keen might play a whole different version of X-23 than the one in Logan, especially since Hugh Jackman is believed to be portraying a new Wolverine, or the character could be recast.
Ryan Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, is rumoured to be playing Lady Deadpool in the MCU, which would create an incredible dynamic between her and Reynolds’ Deadpool. The first teaser video for Deadpool & Wolverine sparked rumours about Lady Deadpool’s presence, as a character wearing different gloves than Deadpool was seen firing Uzis, Lady Deadpool’s hallmark weapon in Marvel Comics. Merch for Deadpool and Wolverine has confirmed that various Deadpool variants would appear in the MCU, and while Lady Deadpool isn’t mentioned in this promotional material, she would be an excellent addition to the highly anticipated Phase 5 project.