Deadpool and Wolverine is filled with plenty of surprises and shocks that will have you dropping your popcorn in cinemas. But it’s one of the more low-key appearances – by a familiar face, no less – that may have just spoiled the new Avengers movie in advance with a suitably meta joke.
Spoilers for the movie – including one of the Deadpool and Wolverine cameos – follow. You have been warned!
Early on in the movie, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is brought into the TVA by Matthew Macfadyen’s Paradox.
While Paradox explains that his Earth-10005 timeline is dangerously unstable, he accidentally plays a scene on his monitor that features Thor (Chris Hemsworth) holding a dying Deadpool in his arms.
"You're not supposed to have seen this yet," Paradox deadpans. He may as well have been winking to the audience.
In lieu of a Deadpool and Wolverine post-credits scene that sets up a future instalment, the breadcrumbs towards Deadpool’s next appearance might be right in front of us in the five seconds we see here.
The Merc with a Mouth has been no stranger to breaking the fourth wall, but literally playing a spoiler years in advance would top the lot – and we’re pretty convinced that’s what they’re doing here. The amount of times Deadpool brings it up later only adds fuel to the fire with this wild theory.
We have so many questions: What happened to Deadpool? Why is Thor so upset? And when does this take place?
Avengers 5 is set for release in 2026, but we think Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027 is the most likely candidate here – should it come to pass. Of course, this being Deadpool, it could be a misdirect to poke fun at Marvel’s leak culture or unlikely team-ups.
But this could be a Deadpool and Wolverine joke that ages like a fine wine, especially if they got Chris Hemsworth in to film a quick scene that would then be slotted into a future blockbuster starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Deadpool and Wolverine is now in cinemas. For more, check out our verdict of the new MCU movie with our Deadpool and Wolverine review.
In a more spoilery mood? There’s the full breakdown of the Deadpool and Wolverine ending, our list of some of the biggest Deadpool and Wolverine Easter eggs, and all of the Deadpool variants and Wolverine variants we spotted in the movie.
