Deadpool 3 Can Make The First Movie's Deleted MCU Connection Canon

The first Deadpool movie almost had clear connections to the MCU, but the sequel Deadpool 3 can revisit them as part of the newly combined franchise.

An unused and unofficial MCU connection in 2016’s Deadpool can be revived in the upcoming Deadpool 3, taking advantage of its newfound place in the franchise and possibly connecting it to another Marvel property. The first Deadpool included a major MCU Easter egg and deleted scene that almost featured a famous Marvel location that appeared later that same year in Captain America: Civil War. With the MCU seemingly building towards a Thunderbolts movie, Deadpool 3 is in the ideal position to tie into it and canonize its deleted MCU connection from the 2016 original.

Deadpool was a faithful and surprisingly heartfelt adaptation of the famously irreverent Merc with a Mouth, frequently directing its jabs at various Marvel film continuities, particularly the two timelines in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. Deadpool’s theatrical release included a third-act action sequence set on a decommissioned SHIELD Helicarrier, though the movie didn’t call any attention to the vehicle, which had already been made famous by the MCU’s Avengers movies. An additional scene, which was left on the cutting room floor, would have also shown Deadpool’s antagonist, Ajax, being released from the maximum-security prison The Raft. The MCU’s Captain America: Civil War featured the setting mere months later.

Deadpool will be part of the MCU in his upcoming third installment, Deadpool 3, which not only allows the first movie’s deleted scene featuring The Raft to become retroactively canon but also can be used to connect Deadpool to the rumored MCU version of the Thunderbolts. The Raft and/or Ajax could easily be referenced in Deadpool 3, and the MCU’s potential Thunderbolts adaptation could easily include Deadpool, given Wade Wilson’s experience on a team of (mostly) superpowered beings in Deadpool 2 and the fact that the Thunderbolts typically consists of antiheroes and supervillains. The version of The Raft in Deadpool’s detected scene isn’t the same as Captain America: Civil War’s version, but whatever brings Deadpool into the MCU may meld the two continuities, tweaking lore from the first Deadpool installment to fit with the MCU version.

Although Marvel Studios has not formally announced a Thunderbolts adaptation, recent MCU properties are seemingly building towards one. Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has appeared in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow, recruiting both John Walker and Yelena Belova. This could gradually lead to a reimagined version of the Thunderbolts team in the MCU, which Wade Wilson would be ideal for.

Deadpool may have a high body count in his two movies thus far, but he’s not entirely unscrupulous. In both Deadpool installments, he’s shown to be motivated by more than money, with his second outing having him form a team to prevent a young mutant from becoming a supervillain — rather than simply killing him. The comic version of the Thunderbolts carries a theme of redemption, which is fitting for the film version of Deadpool.

Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are not part of the MCU, but Wade Wilson could enter the franchise via an incursion, which could meld the lore of the two film franchises. With Deadpool’s movies possibly being the only parts of the Fox X-Men universe joining the MCU, his history could be altered to conform to Marvel Studios’ franchise, making The Raft, which almost appeared in 2016’s Deadpool, become The Raft seen in Captain America: Civil War. If acknowledged in Deadpool 3, this would canonize the deleted Raft scene from Deadpool, making it a legitimate connection to the MCU.