Marvel Had One Important Demand For Wolverine's Movie Return

When it comes to mapping out one of the biggest dream team-ups in comic book movie history, it's understandable that it comes with a checklist to stick to. Even the original "Deadpool" had rules everyone had to follow on set, so this was no different. In the case of "Deadpool & Wolverine" — the eagerly anticipated threequel that finally sees Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and Logan (Hugh Jackman) cross swords and knuckle knives — one essential detail was that Wolverine was of the comic-accurate kind, by rule of MCU head Kevin Feige.

It had already been revealed that drugs were the one thing Marvel actually banned from the movie. However, during the world press tour, "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy recalled (via ComicBook.com) the demands he was given by Feige, who was an associate producer on the original "X-Men" movie. "[Feige] said, 'Yes, but he wears the yellow. Can he finally wear the yellow?'" the director recalled. "And we began." 

It might seem like a simple task, but backtrack a few years in the "Deadpool" movie timeline, and the idea of even seeing these two characters on screen one more time seemed impossible. In Feige's eyes, "Let's f***ing go" was more "Hell f***ing no" — until one half of this super-dysfunctional double act gave the other half a call out of nowhere, allowing wheels to turn and claws to be sharpened once more.

There was a time when one of the most anticipated films of 2024 was taking forever to happen. Ryan Reynolds, who was also in attendance at the event, explained, "I had met Kevin Feige six years ago to discuss this, and the first thing I said to him, 'I just want to make Wolverine and Deadpool together. I just want these two together on screen.' At the time, Kevin said, 'Forget it. It's never going to happen.'" Not the best reaction to get from the top hat of Marvel Studios. Thankfully, though, after a variety of script ideas didn't come to pass (including a special effects-free road trip with Wade's taxicab pal, Dopinder), a chance call turned things around.

Reynolds continued, "And then one day, we were on our last pitch. We were about to say to Kevin Feige, 'I think we're going to walk away and we'll come back later, maybe in a couple years, when we have a better sense of things.' And Hugh [Jackman] happened to call me." Striking while the adamantium was hot, Reynolds changed tacks immediately. He explained, "Shawn [Levy] and I just pivoted in the middle of our pitch to Kevin and said, 'Look, this thing just happened. It seems kind of miraculous. Hugh called me, what do you say?' And for some reason, Kevin immediately said yes." With the future of comic book movie supremacy hanging in the balance, Reynolds got his answer. Chimichangas all round!