As it turns out,Deadpool 2may have revealed some of the biggest plot points inDark Phoenixlast year, long before the movie ever hit theaters. The latestX-Menmovie is set to be the final of this particular version, as Disney completed their merger with Fox in March, which means the mutants will, eventually, be folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, for better or worse, this is the finale of a series that has been going for nearly two decades. AndDeadpool 2might have given away the fates of two characters, all thanks to a cameo.
Warning: majorspoilersahead forDark Phoenix. Those who haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to have it spoiled should turn back now. That said,Deadpool 2contained a surprising and hilarious cameo from the coreX-Mencast, with a couple of notable exceptions. Those exceptions being Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey and Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique. Coincidentally, both of their characters bit the dust inDark Phoenix. So was this scene from Wade Wilson’s last solo adventure intended to foreshadow these events? Or was it something more pragmatic?
Just to recap, at one point during the events ofDeadpool 2,Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilsonheads to the X-Mansion. He’s giving a speech, complaining about the lack of A-listX-Menin the movie, in something of a fourth-wall breaking moment. All the while, a door is open behind him that reveals the likes of Cyclops, Beast, Storm, Professor X, Nightcrawler and Quicksilver. They quickly shut the door and Wade is never the wiser. It’s a hilarious moment and a very fun cameo that connects the Deadpool movies to the largerX-Menuniverse. So why weren’t Jean and Mystique there?
To answer that question, we have to set aside the whole timeline discussion, because the timeline of this franchise has been an absolute mess for years. That aside, the explanation would seem to be that both Jean and Mystique die inDark Phoenixand, as a result, wouldn’t be alive whenDeadpool 2takes place. Simple enough, right? Though, that could just be something of a coincidence and may not have been the intent. BothSophie Turner and Jennifer Lawrence, at the time the cameo was filmed, could very well have been busy with other projects. At the time, for example, Turner was still working onGame of Thrones. So it’s quite possible that they just weren’t available to shoot the scene.
Either way, this does sort of work now as something that connects well enough toDark Phoenix. Sadly, the movie itself isn’t doing very well.Critics have largely panned director Simon Kinberg’s entry in the seriesand, thanks in part as well to a very crowded summer box office, the movie isn’t exactly raking in the dough either. As of this writing, it’s made just $146 million worldwide. So, unfortunately, theX-Menare going out with something of a whimper. The only character from the20th Century Foxera that is expected to make the jump to the MCU is Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. So we at least probably haven’t seen the last of him.
