One major MCU Phase 5 theory connects Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine to Phase 6’s upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars crossover event.

One scene in the new trailer for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine connects directly to Phase 6’s Avengers: Secret Wars, according to a major MCU theory. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool was confirmed to be entering the MCU shortly after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, and Hugh Jackman was revealed to be joining him in in September 2022. Deadpool & Wolverine’s teaser trailer released in February 2024, revealing that Wade Wilson would be recruited by the Time Variance Authority for a mysterious mission, but Deadpool & Wolverine’s first official trailer unveiled even more exciting details in April 2024.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s official trailer put Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine front-and-center, and revealed more about the multiversal journey for the Merc with a Mouth and his clawed frenemy. As well as teasing new cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine’s trailer also provided a better look at Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova, the primary villain of the upcoming MCU project. It seems that Cassandra Nova’s assault will only be a small part of Deadpool & Wolverine, however, as the trailer shows the titular antiheroes jumping away from the villain into a portal that seems to have been created by a Master of the Mystic Arts.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s Portal Jump Could Bring Them Into Avengers: Secret Wars

Since Deadpool & Wolverine’s trailer showed the titular mutants jumping into a magical portal, theories have arisen as to where the pair might be heading on the other side. One popular theory suggests Deadpool and Wolverine may be jumping into the midst of Avengers: Secret Wars’ events, well-and-truly bringing them into the MCU. Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Secret Wars is currently expected to release in May 2027, and feature a cast of multiversal heroes from the MCU’s history and from other non-MCU Marvel franchises. This would be the perfect place for Deadpool and Wolverine to reappear following their Phase 5 debut.

Similarly to how Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and his magical friends opened a series of portals in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, he could do the same in Avengers: Secret Wars. While Strange’s portals allowed the MCU’s heroes to join the battle against Thanos in Endgame, the Master of the Mystic Arts could open portals throughout the multiverse in Secret Wars, enabling variants of the MCU’s heroes to join the battle against a greater threat. Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiversal storyline makes it the perfect project to set up Avengers: Secret Wars, and the connection between these two movies has already been teased.

Deadpool & Wolverine Has Already Teased A Secret Wars Connection

Deadpool & Wolverine’s first teaser trailer was released in February 2024, and gifted viewers a first look at the multiversal adventure that Reynolds and Jackman’s heroes will embark on. While focusing primarily on Deadpool, the teaser ended with the Merc with a Mouth lying in Wolverine’s shadow, though he wasn’t alone. An issue of Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars #5 from Marvel Comics’ 2015 Secret Wars crossover event appeared next to Deadpool in the teaser trailer, hinting at the connection between Deadpool & Wolverine and Avengers: Secret Wars. It’s possible that Deadpool & Wolverine’s official trailer has now continued this pattern.

Other Ways Deadpool & Wolverine May Already Be Setting Up Secret Wars

One of the most popular theories concerning the MCU’s Multiverse Saga is that the Void at the End of Time, first seen in Phase 4’s Loki season 1, will be transformed into a version of Marvel Comics’ Battleworld. In 2015’s Secret Wars event, Doctor Doom created Battleworld after incursions destroyed the multiverse, forming a safe place where survivors could live in his dominions. While Doom himself hasn’t been introduced to the MCU yet, and may not be prior to Avengers: Secret Wars, Battleworld could still be a key location following potential destructive incursions in Phase 5 and 6’s upcoming projects.

Deadpool & Wolverine seems to be taking place primarily in the Void, meaning huge hints could be made towards the formation of Battleworld. This could also be supported by the many MCU and X-Men cameos that have already been confirmed for Deadpool & Wolverine, including Pyro, Elektra, Thor, Lady Deathstrike, Azazel and more, as Secret Wars is expected to feature a huge number of cameos. Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine presentation at 2024’s CinemaCon also mentioned Avengers: Secret Wars, creating clear connections between the two projects, and suggesting Deadpool & Wolverine will lead directly into the Multiverse Saga’s final adventure.