Deadpool & Wolverine merch confirms the introduction of new characters, one of which may have already been introduced in a 15-year-old X-Men movie.

One of Wade Wilson’s multiversal MCU variants in Deadpool & Wolverine could put a fresh spin on Fox’s least popular X-Men movie. Phase 5’s Deadpool & Wolverine integrates Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman’s Logan into the MCU through a bold multiversal plot that involves the Time Variance Authority and Fox’s complex X-Men timelines. Therefore, Deadpool & Wolverine’s packed cast not only includes the titular heroes and a number of X-Men and MCU cameos, but also multiple variants of the same characters, including Deadpool himself and possibly Wolverine as well.

In April 2024, new Deadpool & Wolverine promo merchandise confirmed the appearance of four new Deadpool variants: Lady Deadpool, Kidpool, Dogpool, and Headpool. In the source material, these Deadpool variants create the Deadpool Corps. in order to defend the multiverse from being consumed by an evil force called “the Awareness.” Originally, Headpool is the disembodied head of the Marvel Zombies universe’s Deadpool variant. But in the MCU, Headpool could be the only surviving body part of a Wade Wilson variant introduced 15 years earlier.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s Headpool Variant Could Be The Return Of Ryan Reynolds’ First Wade Wilson

Before the success of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool solo movies, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the first movie to introduce Reynolds’ Wade Wilson. In the 2009 film, the Weapon XI project turns Wade Wilson into a mouthless monster with assorted mutations. Wolverine seems to kill him by decapitation, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s post-credits scene reveals Deadpool’s head opening his eyes. Considering how closely Headpool’s eyes in Deadpool & Wolverine’s merch resemble Deadpool’s eyes during his surgery in Wolverine’s first solo movie, it’s possible that Headpool is actually the disembodied headof X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s Deadpool.

Counting X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Deadpool 2 ‘s post-credits scene, Deadpoll & Wolverine marks the third time the titular characters meet on the big screen.

Why Ryan Reynolds’ First Deadpool Role Is So Unpopular

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an infamous installment in Fox’s X-Men movie franchise due to several factors, such as its poorly retconned continuity, its rushed visual effects, and its inaccurate depiction of multiple characters. Its version of Deadpool is particularly flawed, as it goes against everything that makes Wade Wilson such a beloved character. Instead of an immortal assassin with fourth-wall-breaking abilities, X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s Deadpool is a nearly invincible creature with several unrelated superpowers. And instead of being so extroverted that he earns the moniker of “The Merc with a Mouth”, this Deadpool is an all-serious, mute killing machine.

Now that Ryan Reynolds’ definitive version of Deadpool has been established, Deadpool & Wolverine can revisit X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s Weapon XI and turn his infamy around, similarly to how Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness took Anson Mount’s Black Bolt from ABC’s infamous Inhumans series and gave him a memorable role within the MCU. Perhaps the X-Men Origins: Wolverine timeline succumbed to a worldwide zombie virus, only leaving Deadpool’s head behind, or perhaps the prime Deadpool stayed behind to decapitate his past self after shooting him in Deadpool 2‘s post-credits scene, where he traveled back in time.