Biggest Unanswered Questions In Deadpool And Wolverine

Contains spoilers for "Deadpool and Wolverine"

2024's "Deadpool and Wolverine," the third live-action "Deadpool" film — but the first in the official Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity — deals with a lot of multiverse and time-travel shenanigans (as befitting the MCU's chaotic post-"Avengers: Endgame" phases). Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), is having a hard time after his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) leaves him for not doing something more with his life (and also flaming out in his attempt to join the Avengers). He eventually becomes a sad sack, stuck working as a car salesman with mustachioed "Deadpool 2" fan favorite Peter (Rob Delaney).

This all gets upended when Wade is captured by the TVA (Time Variance Authority) at the behest of a rogue TVA agent named Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen). Paradox says that Wade's universe is going to be destroyed after the death of Logan, aka the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), sets it on the path to an untimely demise. Deadpool fights back and travels to find another Logan to replace his universe's dead one, only for him and the Logan variant to be sent into The Void. There they have to escape the villainous clutches of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), who rules this wasteland at the end of time, and eventually find a way back to Wade's universe to save it from Mr. Paradox's destruction.

With all its different universes, multiple variants of classic characters, and aforementioned timey-wimey shenanigans, the film leaves a lot of unanswered questions in its wake. Let's see which ones we can sort out.

The plot of "Deadpool and Wolverine" kicks off when Wade is informed that his universe is going to be destroyed by Mr. Paradox, due to the fact that Logan was an "anchor being," and that his death at the end of 2017's "Logan" destabilized Wade's universe. Apparently in the MCU a universe can't exist without an "anchor being," and — like the name implies — an "anchor being" is an individual who acts as the central force in maintaining a universe's equilibrium. While this destabilization usually takes thousands of years to destroy a universe, Paradox creates a machine that will prune the universe in less than 72 hours.

After Wade hears this, he goes to dig up Logan's corpse, only to find that — despite his healing factor — that version of Logan is indeed dead. However, this brings up a huge problem with the timeline as established in the films. It's explicitly stated in "Deadpool and Wolverine" that it begins in 2018, and then has a six-year time jump, setting it firmly in 2024. But "Logan" is set in 2029, so how could his death affect Wade's universe if, according to the timeline, he isn't dead for another five years? Not to mention that we see Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) walking around, so mutants obviously still exist? It doesn't really make logical sense.

Although the Deadpool Prime (as he calls himself) seen in "Deadpool and Wolverine" is the same Deadpool from 2016's "Deadpool" and 2018's "Deadpool 2," there are still some inconsistencies that contradict the canon laid down in the previous live-action "Deadpool" movies.

One such example is the appearance of an alive-and-well Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), who is seen showing up to the surprise birthday party for Wade that bookends the film. The problem is, Shatterstar is one of the characters who died gorily on screen as part of the ill-fated X-Force team in "Deadpool 2," alongside Bill Skarsgård as Zeitgeist and Brad Pitt as Vanisher. In that film, Shatterstar falls into the rotating blades of a helicopter, splattering green alien blood everywhere.

While this incident is indeed referenced in "Deadpool and Wolverine" by Deadpool himself (when he tells Happy Hogan about his superhero career in his attempt to join The Avengers), Shatterstar's reappearance remains inexplicable. While in the comics Shatterstar had some regenerative abilities (though not to the level of Deadpool or Logan), there's nonetheless no reference to Shatterstar's powers including regeneration in the films, and his death seemed permanent — until now.

It's implied that all the characters trapped in the Void are from pruned universes that were destroyed by the Time Variance Authority. Both Blade (Wesley Snipes) and Elektra (Jennifer Garner) even make references to how they feel bad that they couldn't even fight to save their universes. However, why then is X-23, aka Laura (Dafne Keen), there? At first glance, that seems like a question that doesn't really need answering. It could easily be implied that, like Logan, Blade, Elektra, Gambit, et al, she's just a variant X-23 from a universe we haven't seen before.

Except that it also seems like "Deadpool and Wolverine" keeps trying to insist that she is indeed the same X-23 from 2017's "Logan." This includes Laura putting on her iconic pink, flowery glasses that she got from the gas station in that film, right before she helps the others raid Cassandra Nova's base to get Juggernaut's helmet and defeat Nova. However, if that's the case, why is she in The Void prior to the destruction of Wade's universe, which would also be her universe? Did Mr. Paradox do the same thing to X-23 that he did to Wade, by also giving her an opportunity to be spared after the destruction of her universe, which she also refused? Either way, the film doesn't tell us.

In the middle of "Deadpool and Wolverine," it's eventually revealed that Mr. Paradox's plan to use a new machine he's  designed — which he dubs "The Time Ripper" — to quicken the destruction of Wade's world from thousands of years to merely a few days is not actually authorized by the higher-ups at the Time Variance Authority. Thus, Wade realizes that Paradox is going rogue under the Authority's nose in an attempt to usurp their leadership.

But while Paradox is still pretending that his operation is on the up-and-up, he tells Wade about his plan to destroy the latter's world, as if he expects that revelation to go well. If Paradox's plan is indeed a clandestine operation, why does he risk everything by getting Deadpool geared up and righteously angry in the first place? Sure, there's arrogance on the part of Mr. Paradox, in that he assumes Deadpool would rather be in the Avengers than save his crappy life as a lonely, single car salesman, but it still seems an unnecessary risk for not much gain.

And while it's true that Paradox mentions "higher-ups at the TVA" (an obvious meta-nod to Kevin Feige and the shareholders at Disney seeing Deadpool as a reliable cash cow) wanting Deadpool around after his universe's destruction, this is revealed to be a ruse. So then why does Mr. Paradox pretend that it isn't? In fact, Mr. Paradox might have succeeded if he didn't bring Wade in at all.

Logan and Wade eventually defeat Cassandra Nova during the raid on her lair. But even though they have a chance to kill her, Wolverine spares Nova's life, since that is what he feels her twin brother Charles Xavier would want. In gratitude, she creates a portal with a sling ring (apparently taken off a Doctor Strange variant) and grants them passage back to Wade's world, where they attempt to save it. 

However, Cassandra herself arrives there along with the Deadpool Corps, a large army of Deadpool variants who emerge from The Void to attack Wade and Logan. This group includes Lady Deadpool (widely believed to be played by Ryan Reynolds' real-life spouse, Blake Lively), Headpool (a floating zombie head), the foul-mouthed Kidpool, and more. An extended bloodbath ensues as Deadpool Prime and Wolverine take them out in an attempt to get to Paradox's Time Ripper machine and shut it down.

However, the film never addresses why are there so many more Deadpool variants compared to other Marvel characters. Cassandra even mentions that it's rare to see Charles Xaviers and Logans in The Void. Then why so many Deadpools? On one hand, Deadpool was a popular character in the early 2000s, so Marvel created a lot of versions of him to capitalize on that. But it still doesn't explain why it's true in the film. Also, why are they all purely villainous? Even the Deadpool Corps from the comics were morally ambiguous like the OG Deadpool.

When Mr. Paradox first introduces Wade to what he claims is the Time Variance Authority headquarters at the beginning of "Deadpool and Wolverine," he shows Wade images from the Marvel universe of Earth-616, aka "The Sacred Timeline." The images on the TVA screens show classic moments from the MCU's past, such as the iconic circling hero shot from 2012's "The Avengers" and others.

However, since the TVA can be at all times at once, one image that catches Wade's eye is a close-up on Thor (Chris Hemsworth) — visibly bloodied from some off-screen battle — tearfully holding the face of Wade himself, also bloodied and beaten. As Wade watches more closely, it seems clear that Wade is dying, his mask ripped up, his face bloody and burnt, and his eyes also full of tears.

Wade, of course, asks Paradox about that image, which Paradox is also understandably cagey about. Is that just a joke scene, a little Easter egg to cynically cram in one more hero cameo? Or is there actually something more to it? Since all those scenes shown on the TVA screens are from the official MCU of Earth-616, could it be that we're seeing a flash forward to "Avengers: Secret Wars?" Will Wade be killed off in some glorious battle in a future superhero team-up, dying dramatically in Thor's muscular arms? Only time — or the TVA — will tell.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" doesn't delve into the finer details about why Elektra, Gambit, and Blade are in The Void. It's implied that their timelines were destroyed when they mention not getting a chance to fight for their worlds in the same way Deadpool is. However, that remark can also be interpreted as a comment on being taken from their universes against their will, as they also reveal that they were unexpectedly pruned at their front doors. The rest is history.

But let's dig deeper.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" reveals that the TVA has shady members like Mr. Paradox , who is hell-bent on destroying dying worlds to preserve the Sacred Timeline. He also has a dodgy agreement with Cassandra Nova, who needs to feed powerful beings to Alioth to remain in The Void. As such, were the Fox heroes illegally pruned as part of the deal between Paradox and the villainous mutant? After all, the Fox franchise timelines aren't highly regarded due to most of their movies flopping, so no one would miss these heroes if they were gone, right? That's one possible theory.

Of course, we shouldn't overthink this question. In reality, Elektra, Gambit, and Blade are in the Void so that Deadpool can make jokes about their movies and the actors' personal lives. This is a "Deadpool" movie, and explaining the TVA's pruning logic isn't its main objective.

Chris Evans reprising the role of Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, is a highlight of "Deadpool & Wolverine." The Merc with a Mouth expects to hang out with Captain America (a role Evans made famous in the MCU) when he sees him, only to discover that it's the guy from the maligned Fox franchise. That said, why is Johnny in The Void?

The 2000s "Fantastic Four" movies were critically panned, making its characters the ideal candidates to facilitate some of the Multiversal madness in a wacky comedy like "Deadpool & Wolverine." However, the Human Torch is the only member of the iconic superhero team to be found, and we never learn what happened to the rest of his squad. Were they also pruned and disposed of in the Purgatory dimension? If they weren't, surely a scientist as smart as Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) would have found a way to save his friend from the wasteland?

Chris Evans loves "Fantastic Four," as he has fond memories of playing Johnny Storm, so at least he got to enjoy one last hurrah as the Human Torch. Unfortunately, Cassandra Nova ensures that Storm will never get to tell us what happened to the rest of the Fantastic Four.

Elektra, Gambit, and Blade are in The Void because, with the implication being that their respective universes were wiped out — though it's also possible that they were individually pruned. It isn't clear. That said, their heroism seemingly earns them another chance at life beyond the wasteland, but their fates remain uncertain.

The ending of "Deadpool & Wolverine” sees Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) tell Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) that they couldn't have saved the day without the aforementioned heroes' help. He then requests that Blade, Elektra, Gambit, and X-23 get a second chance, and B-15 agrees. However, she doesn't detail any of the TVA's plans for them.

Given that their universes might have been destroyed, it's possible they've been sent to other dimensions. After all, Mr. Paradox is willing to send Deadpool to another universe before the Merc with a Mouth turns on him. Meanwhile, Logan (Hugh Jackman) is allowed to hang around with X-23 and Wade when it's all said and done. However, "Deadpool & Wolverine" isn't clear about whether the other heroes' worlds were destroyed, so it's possible they got sent back to where they truly belong.

As far as things stand with the TVA's most wanted, Wade Wilson isn't as high up on the list as some of the other ne'er do wells they've encountered. Its biggest issue for some time (or well, all-time) was He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), who is killed at the hands of Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) at the end of "Loki" Season 1. His death sends ripples through all timelines and beyond, begging the question of how that might've impacted Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). The answer is, not a lot. That's if you exclude profiting off his death, at least.

While there's no mention of He Who Remains in "Deadpool & Wolverine," his death and exposure of his manipulation of the TVA leads to B-15 taking back control of the joint and Mr. Paradox performing his off-the-books activities. This in turn then leads to Wade's whole trip through realities, time, and every other area he can penetrate, much to the frustration of Nova. With all that to consider, it can be therefore confirmed that the death of He Who Remains has an effect on Cassandra and her gangland ruling in the Void. It just took a lot of time to get there.

With so much time spent in The Void and B-15 making doe eyes at honorary Deadpool Peter, it's understandable if you'd be expecting the God of Stories to drop in on "Deadpool & Wolverine" and address the mess that they've made. Unfortunately, while the film hosts a load of wild cameos, one person that didn't make the guestlist is Loki (Tom Hiddleston), probably because he's too busy keeping a hold on the other bajillion timelines he saved at the end of "Loki" Season 2. That doesn't mean the encounter won't happen, though, as we've already seen Wade cross paths with another Norse god, depending at what point in time you're standing.

Following Wade getting whisked up by the TVA in "Deadpool & Wolverine," the Merc with a Mouth catches a glimpse of himself seemingly dying in the arms of none other than Thor. He's quickly assured by Mr. Paradox that it happens somewhere in the future, but who's to say that the event doesn't see the return of the former God of Mischief too? Sure, it might just be Deadpool superimposed into the scene from "Thor: The Dark World," but if Wade is stepping in for Loki, does that mean he'll be somewhere in his future with the MCU? Watch this timeline, folks.