Deadpool & Wolverine is the first major project to focus on the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a new dark theory for the movie gives a major mutant a tragic fate. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine command the show in the only MCU movie of the year. Deadpool & Wolverine has all the right ingredients to end up being one of the top earners of 2024 and perhaps the year’s highest-grossing release, judging by all the records it already broke. A large part of that is due to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s expansive cast.

The movie brings back Reynolds as Deadpool after his two solo films at Fox, Jackman as Wolverine after he was thought to have retired from the role with 2017’s Logan, and a whole roster of returning stars from Fox’s X-Men and Deadpool movies as well as newcomers to the Deadpool franchise and the MCU. Among those new players is Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova, who serves as the main villain of the film, and her contributions to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s plot could lead to a dark fate for a major X-Men character, according to a new theory.

Deadpool & Wolverine Theory: Cassandra Nova Has Already Killed 1 Version Of Professor X

She Is Charles Xavier’s Twin Sister

In Marvel Comics, Cassandra Nova is Charles Xavier’s twin sister. She makes it her goal to get revenge on him for what he did to her at the earliest of ages. When the two characters were still in the womb, Xavier’s powers allowed him to sense the utter evil that was within his sister, and thus, he tried to kill her right then. After surviving, despite being declared a stillborn, Cassandra would spend decades building a new body for herself. That backstory could come into play in Deadpool & Wolverine.

According to a dark Deadpool & Wolverine theory, Corrin’s Cassandra Nova has killed at least one Charles Xavier variant in her pursuit of revenge. The main evidence of the theory is the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s trailers have shown Cassandra Nova rolling in on Xavier’s wheelchair before she gets up and walks down the steps of her base — which happens to be Ant-Man’s corpse in giant form. With Deadpool & Wolverine being all about the multiverse, Cassandra Nova could have gotten her revenge, killing her universe’s Professor X, and now be after all other Charles Xavier variants.

MCU’s Other Professor X Setups Could Be Paid Off By Deadpool & Wolverine

Charles Xavier Has Already Appeared In The MCU

The MCU has been setting up multiple versions of Professor X in the Multiverse Saga. The character has even already appeared on the big screen. One of the biggest stars of Fox’s X-Men franchise, Patrick Stewart, came back to play Charles Xavier in the MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the actor played a variant of the leader of the X-Men, with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch killing that version of Professor X. While Cassandra Nova will not need to search for that Charles, Stewart’s MCU debut could lead to a return in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast in January, Stewart commented on a possible return as Charles Xavier in Deadpool & Wolverine. According to the iconic X-Men actor, talks about him being in the movie have happened, as Stewart said, “It has come up, there’s been a process.” That could lead to the actor playing one or more Professor X variants, playing into the theory that Cassandra Nova wants to kill all Charles Xaviers. The MCU has also set up another Professor X, as a variant of Kelsey Grammer’s Beast mentioned his Charles Xavier in The Marvels‘ post-credits scene.

Cassandra Nova Could Lead To The MCU’s Charles Xavier Debut

The MCU’s X-Men Movie Has Had Some Movement

The dark Deadpool & Wolverine theory could culminate in the debut of the MCU’s Charles Xavier. If Cassandra Nova were to be after Professor X variants, and Deadpool gets recruited by the TVA to join the MCU, then there is a chance that the villain could target Marvel Studios’ version of Charles Xavier. This would allow the MCU to bring back James McAvoy as Professor X, as the actor could still play Charles for a decade or more, or cast a new actor in the role.

While the project still has no release date, Marvel Studios is actively working on its reboot of the X-Men. Recently, the MCU X-Men movie received its first major update, with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes writer Michael Lesslie set to pen the script for the movie. With movement in the MCU X-Men reboot and Deadpool & Wolverine using the MCU, the multiverse, and X-Men characters, maybe Charles Xavier, Wolverine, and/or other X-Men could get their MCU versions by the end of the film.