They Hid So Much In The Deadpool & Wolverine Trailer
The first teaser trailer for "Deadpool & Wolverine" gave fans a decent idea of what's in store in the upcoming threequel, but we've now gotten a much better look at the movie thanks to the first official R-rated trailer. Where the teaser focused more on the TVA storyline and kept things relatively family-friendly, the full trailer is much more centered on Wade Wilson's (Ryan Reynolds) love-hate relationship with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) himself.
There are F-bombs, sword fights, one-liners, and lots of team-up scenes for the two titular heroes. Jackman looks fantastic in his blue and yellow super-suit, and it seems like he really hasn't missed a beat since the last time he played Logan. The trailer is also packed with subtle details and Easter eggs for fans to watch out for. There are curious sets, "Mad Max" homages, classic comic book characters, and some fearsome foes from "X-Men" adventures past. In short, there's a lot hidden in the "Deadpool 3" trailer, so let's break it all down.
The trailer sneaks in an X-Men: First Class callback
If there's one thing we've learned from the new trailer for "Deadpool & Wolverine," it's that old man Logan just can't seem to drink in peace — no matter what timeline he's in. Right when the trailer opens, we see Deadpool sidling up to a very weathered and somber-looking Logan as he attempts to get one more drink before he's thrown out of whatever diver bar he's in. The plot-related takeaway from this scene is that, wherever he is, Logan seems to be a pariah — perhaps this bar is on Logan's Earth, where voiceovers tell us he's a disgraced hero who failed to save the world. Whatever the circumstances, this dour bar reunion harkens back to a much lighter yet eerily similar moment that fans will surely remember from over a decade ago in "X-Men: First Class."
As the story follows a young Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, respectively) trying to recruit mutants to their cause, their journey takes them to a dive bar not unlike the one seen in this trailer for "Deadpool & Wolverine." Like Wade, Charles and Erik approach a figure from behind who turns out to be Logan (an at-the-time unexpected cameo from Hugh Jackman). All the two men get is a curt "go f*** yourself" before they turn and leave. The parallels between these two moments are too perfectly stark to ignore — though, a bar is admittedly one of maybe three places one would realistically find an off-duty Logan.
What kind of Wolverine lets an entire world down?
The multiversal stylings of "Deadpool & Wolverine" make it pretty clear that the Logan we see isn't the one from the previous movies ... assuming, of course, that the character from "Logan" is the same guy who appears in the various "X-Men" movies. The multiverse is tricky like that. What the trailer does confirm, however, is that this Wolverine is incredibly unpopular. In fact, both the barkeeper and Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) make clear in no uncertain terms that this Logan's world considers him an outcast due to some unspecified, costly failure.
It remains to be seen just what this means for the character, and given all the other chaos in the trailer, chances are that he won't be a direct adaptation from any single comic book version of Wolverine. However, his outcast status and the fact that Deadpool almost immediately comments on his age could very well be a nod to "Old Man Logan," a version who stars in an arc of the same name — and who has spent decades in self-imposed exile after letting his people down in a major way. To discuss precisely what Old Man Logan does could be a potential spoiler for "Deadpool & Wolverine," but if the movie has something similar in mind, having to wear a blue and yellow superhero costume is the least of the mutant's worries.
Color-coded balloons
Everybody loves a themed birthday party, especially when it foreshadows a long-awaited superhero team-up. If you look closely in the background of the party shots in the "Deadpool & Wolverine" trailer, you'll see that the balloons adorning the festivities are blue, yellow, and red — the colors of Deadpool and Wolverine's suits. The balloons are assembled in little clusters, mirroring all the team-up (and face-off) shots included with the two characters elsewhere in the trailer and the movie's marketing.
It's a subtle detail that doesn't really mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it's the kind of small Easter egg that the film is likely to be rife with. Fans have been waiting a long time to see these two characters meet up again after the debacle of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," and now that it's finally happening, it's worth celebrating, especially with aptly colored balloons. We have to say, it's a compelling color trifecta.
Rob Liefeld gets another name drop
After Deadpool and Wolverine get the obligatory meet-and-fight out of the way, the pair moves to another superhero classic: the dramatic walk. At 1:21 of the trailer, they walk together on a street that's seen better days, eyes fixed on an unseen enemy. However, just to remind the audience that this is a "Deadpool" movie, a wrecked shop behind the pair bears a sign that comic book aficionados may very well appreciate: "Liefeld's Just Feet."
The sign is a joking homage to comic book artist Rob Liefeld — the Deadpool co-creator who recently retired from the character to focus on other projects. Liefeld is notorious among the fandom for his perceived inability to draw feet, and the "Deadpool" movies have poked fun at this before. In "Deadpool 2," the titular character cracks a joke about Domino (Zazie Beets) — another Liefeld creation — and her powers being something a guy who's unable to draw feet might create. In all fairness, Ryan Reynolds did clear that joke with Liefeld, so it's probably fair to assume "Liefeld's Just Feet" has the creator's stamp of approval as well.
Tony Stark's personal hot rod makes an appearance
Several shots in the trailer present a desolate, "Mad Max"-like world where figures from the "X-Men" franchise seem to be thriving in the anarchic chaos. It bears a striking resemblance to the Void seen in the Disney+/Marvel Studios series "Loki," which may imply that everything and everyone seen in these sequences are refugees of timelines pruned by the Time Variance Authority. If true, this would explain one delightful and entirely unexpected inclusion — a hot rod with flames so loud and obnoxious, it could only belong to Guy Fieri or Tony Stark.
For our money, we're almost positive it belongs to the latter (unless the TVA finally pruned Flavor Town). If you look very closely at the vehicle's front at the 1:54 mark, you can just make out what appears to be an Iron Man hood ornament. It's also likely no coincidence that Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was working on a 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster with the exact same design in the original "Iron Man" film.
The implications of this vehicle's presence in the trailer depends a lot on what this location actually is. If it is indeed the Void, then it's probably just one of a billion pieces of Stark Industries junk littering the area, waiting to be vaporized by Alioth.
The TVA is not okay with Wade, after all
After the original teaser was released, theories were circling online that Wade found himself in the snow-covered spot the Avengers took out in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," but now, after some more swordplay, we know exactly who he's fighting. During a bit of bloody brutality, Wade can be seen decapitating what looks to be a TVA agent in a gruesome fashion — but how can that be if it's the aforementioned agency that sent him on his mission in the first place? Well, one theory is that Wade has done what they asked of him and now they're simply trying to tie up loose ends.
Mr. Paradox might have sent Wade on his way to become a hero, but what if he's more of a disposable errand boy that the TVA plans to get rid of secretly? It would make sense that after Deadpool takes down one potential anomaly in the timeline (Nova), he might be the last one they want to get rid of, along with every other loose 20th Century Fox-based thread. Honestly, where's a former god of mischief to put things right when you need him?
Deadpool's got shiny new guns
Deadpool has some new additions to his already impressive arsenal in "Deadpool 3," as is only fitting for the third film in such a popular franchise. In fact, it looks like he might get multiple upgrades over the course of the film. In the scene where he confronts Wolverine in the bar and tries to recruit him to his cause, he aims one of his pistols right at Logan's head. The engraving on the tip of the barrel reading "Smile, wait for the flash" is still there, as it has been in previous movies, but this time the lettering is colored in gold.
Later on, after the two characters seem to have properly teamed up, Deadpool is seen carrying entirely gold pistols — different from the ones in the bar scenes, which are mostly black and just have gold engravings. It's only right that Wade Wilson would be given some top-of-the-line gear to prepare for the task, given that this is the climactic third film (although, according to director Shawn Levy, it is not "Deadpool 3"). Plus, the new guns look great.
A head full of villain cameos
We knew that some familiar faces would appear in Wade's third outing besides Hugh Jackman's grumbly mutant hero, but thanks to a brief snippet in the new trailer, we've got a glimpse of a bunch of them from days of the franchise's past. In what is seemingly an alternate timeline where Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) didn't come out on top, his enlarged skull and helmet have been transformed into what looks like a lair for Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). To prove just how big a supervillain Nova is, it also looks like she has some of the old "X-Men" franchise villains at her disposal, judging by the familiar faces that are standing outside it later on in the trailer.
Forgive us if we're not totally accurate on who is hanging outside this Marvel-ized Cave of Wonders, but we can now expect some definite appearances. From left to right, there's what looks like Ray Park's Toad from "X-Men," Kelly Hu's Lady Deathstrike from "X2" (note the nails), and Jason Flemyng's Azazel from "X-Men: First Class" to name a few. How they've all found each other is unknown, but one wild but interesting bet is that the Disney/20th Century Fox merger caused these mutants that time forgot to unite and hold out in the wasteland of an abandoned timeline.
Zombie Ant-Man or a victim of Cassandra Nova?
One of the more striking (albeit brief) shots in the "Deadpool & Wolverine" trailer shows villain Cassandra Nova emerging to a crowd of "Mad Max" escapees in some sort of wasteland headquarters. Headquarters might actually be too spot-on of a term, though, as Nova quite literally emerges from the massive helmet of what would seem to be a giant, dead Ant-Man. The entire desert facility seems to be formed from Ant-Man armor, with the arms of the enormous suit forming walls. Inside, things are all post-apocalypse-y, and the combo begs a question: Could this dead Ant-Man be from some version of the Marvel Zombies universe glimpsed in "What If...?" or something else entirely?
Right now, that zombified reality is the only place where we've seen Paul Rudd's Ant-Man die (though Scott Lang is sort of resurrected later on). "What If...?" also includes a zombified version of Hope van Dyne aka Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), wreaking havoc in her giant form. Because the zombie universe is similar to the one shown in "Deadpool 3" as far as apocalyptic landscapes, there could be an intentional nod of some sort here. Of course, it's also possible that Cassandra Nova killed another incarnation of Ant-Man or that he died through mysterious means and she simply adopted his giant-sized suit as a base of operations.
Cassandra Nova camping out in Ant-Man's skull (or possibly his entire skeleton) is a likely reference to the "Old Man Logan" comic series, in which Giant-Man's skeleton is revealed to be a major landmark of the fictional Pym Falls, Connecticut. Whether the rest of the wasteland cops the "Old Man Logan" aesthetic is anyone's guess.
Cassandra Nova is comic book-accurate
Though Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are deservedly lapping up most of the attention this trailer will get (thanks to their already undeniable chemistry in the title roles), arguably the most novel aspect of this trailer is the extended look we get at the film's primary antagonist — Emma Corrin's Cassandra Nova. The ruthless telepath developed by rockstar comics creators Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely has been dying to get the live-action treatment since she debuted in 2001. Now, Marvel Studios has brought her to life — and based on what we can see in this trailer, she looks absolutely perfect.
The specific look Marvel has chosen for "Deadpool & Wolverine" is nearly identical to her most recognizable comic outfit. A simple trench-coat-and-button-down combo may not seem like much, but in a society where most don brightly colored spandex and symbolic iconography, something about this cold, utilitarian attire, mirroring Professor X's look, feels especially chilling. She's one of the most dangerous and terrifying foes the X-Men have ever faced in the comics, so it's only fitting she's dressed to kill for her MCU debut.
On a meta level, it's also arguably a promising sign that Marvel Studios will continue to embrace the wonderful costume designs from the "X-Men" comics as they integrate these revered characters into the MCU. Between Cassandra's look and a bright yellow-and-blue Wolverine, Marvel's mutants have never looked so astonishing.
Marvel visits ... Fury Road?
One of the coolest but least MCU-style visuals in the trailer comes at the 1:58 mark, where an unidentified character rides some kind of retro-futuristic chariot rig in the desert. The vehicle seems like it's been put together from junk parts and drawn by several motorcycles that look a lot like Hydra's Lindworm-5 bikes. There's no real way to know who the character piloting this contraption is, but since the whole scene is some amps and one Doof Warrior short of "Mad Max: Fury Road," it wouldn't be surprising if "Deadpool & Wolverine" wasn't drawing inspiration from George Miller's post-apocalyptic action movie.
There are other moments in the trailer that also suggest a similar wasteland, from the remains of Giant-Man that have been turned into a gritty fortress to the strange hideout Wolverine gurgles his drink in — and there's even a cool rat rod-style car that also seems fits the same aesthetic. Seeing as cars play a notable role in the trailer and the strange chariot appears just as Deadpool enthuses about a massive action scene, it's tempting to think that "Deadpool & Wolverine" might have some "Mad Max"-style fun at some point down the (fury) road.
Is that Alioth in the clouds?
"Deadpool 3" appears to be dealing heavily with the Time Variance Authority, so it only makes sense for the film to overlap with "Loki" in other ways as well. One of the biggest nods to that hit Disney+ series is also possibly one of the villains we'll see in "Deadpool & Wolverine": one shot shows an at-first ordinary clump of clouds transform into a purple, snarling, cloud-like creature. While there are some other potential explanations, this is almost certainly Alioth, the guard dog stationed at the end of time by He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors).
Alioth is an incredibly powerful beast — a devourer of time and space who nearly ends Loki's own journey prematurely. What exactly the creature could be doing in "Deadpool & Wolverine" remains to be seen, but it likely won't be pretty for the heroes. In the comics, Cassandra Nova often pursues rampant destruction, and Alioth — a being capable of consuming nearly anything in its path — would be a terrifying weapon in that pursuit.
Dogpool gets to suit up
In a trailer that also includes gigantic corpses and magic portals, it's kind of strange that one of the most startling surprises is the appearance of a dog dressed like Deadpool. This good (or, more likely, very bad) boy could very well just be a normal canine who was unfortunate enough to be roped into Deadpool's crew — or he might just be the hero the MCU desperately needs right now.
In the comics, there is indeed a mutant dog with the same powers as Wade that goes by the name "Dogpool." Rather than merely being Wade's pet, Dogpool is a variant of Deadpool from another Earth who ultimately joins forces with a team of other variants dubbed the Deadpool Corps. One could theorize that this Dogpool Easter egg confirms — or at least teases — the team's introduction in "Deadpool & Wolverine. While it's possible, it does seem more likely that this obviously overstuffed adventure will leave it at Dogpool.
On the other hand, if "Deadpool & Wolverine" does end up taking us back to the Void, we'd give anything for a Dogpool-Throg team-up — with a confirmed "Pet Avengers" spin-off to boot. Pretty please, Kevin?
Deadpool and Wolverine jump through a sling ring portal
In the final moments of the trailer, we get a glorious shot of Deadpool and Wolverine hurling themselves through what is obviously a sling ring portal. While longtime MCU fans surely aren't scratching their heads at what that portal is, its appearance is subtly very telling in terms of the film's storyline.
While these are originally the work of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and other sorcerers, these portals can be created with the use of sling rings. They're common magical objects that have been wielded by even novice sorcerers like Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and, very briefly, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." One possibility for this moment is that somewhere in the Void-like wasteland Deadpool and Wolverine find themselves stranded in, they come across a rogue sling ring to escape (given that they're both seen fighting the TVA and that the TVA has more accessible transportation, it's probable that Deadpool is on the outs with the organization by this point in the film).
Another more titillating possibility is that Doctor Strange — or some variant of him (hopefully played by Joaquin Phoenix, who'd been offered the part of the Sorcerer Supreme) — is on the other end of that portal aiding in their escape. It may be a bit too "deus-ex-magika" for some, but his proximity to the multiverse makes it a reasonable theory.