Bringing Deadpool 3 into the MCU will be tricky, given that Fox's X-Men will exist separately; however, Disney has several options to bring Ryan Reynolds' wise-cracking character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe that can satisfy fan expectations. Reynolds, MCU head Kevin Feige, and notably Hugh Jackman have confirmed that an R-rated Deadpool 3 is coming to Disney — in stark contrast to the House of Mouse brand. This opens the door for various possibilities, especially since the movie rights to both X-Men and Fantastic Four are back with Marvel, which is how Professor X and Mister Fantastic appeared in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. While the big news is that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will be in Deadpool 3, it's still unclear whether the rest of the X-Men movies will be canon in the MCU's main continuity, which of course poses narrative problems for approaching Deadpool's MCU debut.
With brewing fan theories such as could feature the Infinity Stones, the pressure is on for Deadpool 3 to pull off the beloved character's MCU introduction. The ending of Deadpool 2 saw the mercenary playing with Cable's newly-recharged time machine, which very well could serve as a plot device to explain his sudden MCU appearance. It's also possible that the writers of Deadpool 3, Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux, won't explain his sudden appearance at all — instead leaving the continuity problems as material for the character's signature meta-commentary. Here are some viable ways for Deadpool to enter the MCU.
Ways Deadpool Can Enter The MCU
The easiest way to explain why Deadpool 3 is an MCU movie, rather than part of the Fox X-Men continuity (which factors into both Multiverse Saga timeline, as it's easy to explain MCU's Deadpool hailing from an alternate universe.
Given the franchise's history of epic team-ups, it seems unlikely that a character as popular as Deadpool would remain relegated to his own solo films. With so many Marvel projects being produced, there is ample opportunity to plant the seeds for Deadpool's introduction in the MCU before Deadpool 3 debuts. While many contemporary viewers no doubt associate Deadpool with meta-humor, he's actually not the only Marvel character to break the fourth wall. Both in the MCU and the history of Marvel Comics, the honor of being the first character to truly utilize meta-humor belongs to none other than She-Hulk. Deadpool's MCU debut may just take a cue from the She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law ending and go full meta, which wouldn't be out of character for everyone's favorite foul-mouthed merc — he could literally just move across on the Disney+ menu and insert himself into an MCU movie.
Ryan Reynold's Deadpool 3 Road Trip Joke Might Not Be A Joke
Shortly after the release of Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds had joked about Deadpool 3 being a road trip movie with Wolverine. Since recent developments confirm Deadpool 3 includes both, this "joke" might just be the real premise behind both Logan and Deadpool's MCU debuts. What's clear about the Multiverse Saga — which includes the MCU Deadpool 3 at the start of Phase 6 — is that a multiversal war/incursion is coming to the MCU. Following the unexpected X-Men universe cameos in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and how MCU Phase 5 features like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Agatha: Coven of Chaos could change the very nature of reality on Earth, Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine could be headed for a road trip across the multiverse in the very beginning of MCU Phase 6.
Since the different franchises based on Marvel Comics can now be considered alternate versions of the same universe, it's possible (even probable) that Deadpool and Wolverine moving to the MCU will happen literally. With the rights to Fox's X-Men in the MCU's hands, it wouldn't be that surprising to see Deadpool and Logan take their cross-reality road trip from the Fox X-Men canon to the MCU in Deadpool 3, maybe even in a way that sets up Kang's multiversal war in Avengers: Secret Wars.
