How Deadpool 2 Breaks The X-Men Movie Timeline AGAIN

May 16, 2018 May 16th, 2018

1. And What Universe Is This Even In?

This one is a little more complex, partly because of the fourth wall breaking gags that are so liberally spread throughout both movies. Thanks to the first movie, we could mostly all accept that Deadpool's version of the Marvel universe is a different one to the Logan universe, which was fine because we were also told that Logan's was an alternate universe to the main timeline.

Interestingly, the first movie also suggested that Deadpool was actually in the MCU, thanks to the presence of a SHIELD helicarrier. But that can't be the case because Deadpool refers to Cable as Thanos, meaning he knows Josh Brolin plays Thanos, so Avengers: Infinity War has to be a movie he could watch in his universe, just as Logan was.

Either that or Deadpool's powers allow him to see through characters to the actors beneath the facade without complicating matters with an entirely new universe, which would explain how he signs his name Ryan Reynolds at one point in the movie. It doesn't explain how he can execute Ryan Reynolds and not wipe himself out of the timeline though, so maybe not.

There was also some argument to suggest he was in the mainline X-Men movie universe, but that he was just kept away from the other mutants by coincidence, which the cameo here further confirms. As further evidence to that, Deadpool acgtually travels back in time (rather than through dimensions to get to X-Men Origins). But then, once again Deadpool mentions Patrick Stewart as having worn Cerebro, as opposed to Professor Xavier, so again, the X-Men movies have to exist as movies in his universe too, somehow.

Basically, if you think too much about it, it gets way too confusing. Despite travelling back in time both to the Origins set and to Ryan Reynolds reading the Green Lantern script, he can't be in OUR universe, because there aren't mutants (secret government conspiracies aside) and he talks directly to the audience at times.

The most likely reasoning is that he's in an entirely separate part of the multiverse with a very astute perception of the relationship between alternate dimensions. And to be honest, that probably solves the issue of the timeline being messed up.

Unfortunately, if the Disney deal goes ahead and Marvel decide to put Deadpool into the MCU, it's going to mess things up even more. But we'll have to deal with that when we get to it.