Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool posing in front of Marvel Comics' Squirrel Girl

In a new Deadpool & Wolverine promo video, Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson namedrops Squirrel Girl, a famous Marvel character who’s yet to make her MCU debut. With Deadpool & Wolverine‘s July 26 release date approaching, Marvel Studios’ promotion for the Phase 5 movie is now in full gear. Trailers, TV spots, interviews, and a Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket reveal all have heightened anticipation around Deadpool and Wolverine’s MCU arrival and all the surprises that come with it.

On X, the official Deadpool Movie account shared a video with the caption “A truly Hugh-nique specimen”. The video follows a real-life wolverine in the style of a nature documetary, with Ryan Reynolds’ voiceover describing the animal as “kind of a boring animal” with a “pungent aroma”. Reynolds then describes Hugh Jackman’s new Wolverine variant as “an older male Wolverine, sadly sulking out of its den one last time, probably for a paycheck,” and wonders if there could be “a Squirrel Girl team-up” when he sees a dead squirrel. Check out the full video below:

Marvel fans quickly understood the reference to the superhero Squirrel Girl, whose sense of humor is quite similar to Deadpool’s in the source material. Curiously, Squirrel Girl was set to star in Marvel’s canceled New Warriors show, where actor Milana Vayntrub would play the hero. Several users voiced their interest in a hypothetical live-action Deadpool and Squirrel Girl crossover, including X user Billy Conard, who says they’re willing to see the crossover twice in theaters.

user Davens_Castle suggests Squirrel Girl could show up as early as Deadpool & Wolverine in the form of a cameo and jokes that they won’t be able to see such a crossover anyway because they could only afford to watch Alien: Romulus in 2024:

User Michael Johnson doesn’t think Squirrel Girl will appear in Deadpool & Wolverine. Instead, they want to see Wade Wilson meet Doreen Green in a future sequel. This sequel, of course, would have to take place within one of the MCU’s new branches of the Sacred Timeline rather than within an X-Men universe.

User Rhodri Morgan-Smith simply voices his excitement about Squirrel Girl’s namedrop in the Deapdool & Wolverine promotional video. Clearly, Squirrel Girl’s absence in live-action hasn’t discouraged her fans. While Deadpool’s mention of Squirrel Girl may just be a simple nod, Doreen Green’s MCU debut may still be coming sooner than expected.

Ryan Reynolds Just Nailed The Weirdest Issue With Wolverine

Marvel’s Wolverine Has Nothing In Common With His Real-Life Animal Counterpart

Wolverine's sneering and holding up his claws, which glint in the light.

During Deadpool & Wolverine’s humorous “real-life Wolverine” spot, Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson brings up an oft-forgotten point about the clawed superhero. Apart from his claws and his hairy appearance, Marvel’s Wolverine has very little in common with his real-life animal counterpart. Real wolverines are small, bear-like scavengers from the weasel family. They’re more likely to hunt using their teeth instead of their claws, which are not long or powerful enough to take down other hunters like wolves or bears. Unlike Marvel’s Wolverine, real wolverines tend to be cunning instead of aggressive.

Wolverines are much less physically intimidating and less popular than wolves. In fact, according to an anecdote revealed by Hugh Jackman during an interview on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the actor originally thought that the character he was hired to play in 2000’s X-Men was based on a wolf, and he only found out about the existence of wolverines after a couple of weeks researching for the role. To top it off, Marvel’s Wolverine has always been more well-known than his real-life inspiration ever since the character’s 1974 debut.

Wolverine’s first costume included a mask with three lines around its mouth opening, which resembled whiskers.

Wolverine might be one of the superheroes with the least accurate animal-inspired name. Spider-Man climbs walls and shoots webs like a spider, Black Panther is agile and fast like a black panther, and Squirrel Girl controls an army of squirrels. Even Wolverine’s lifelong archnemesis Sabretooth resembles a real-life sabretooth tiger more than Wolverine resembles a real-life Wolverine, what with his blonde hair, long sharp fangs, and regular claws attached to his fingers instead of his wrists. In Deadpool & Wolverine, Wolverine’s superhero name and real-life inspiration could be one of the subjects of Deadpool’s mockery.