It may be hard to believe now but it was only five years ago that the test footage for Deadpool mysteriously made its way online. At the time, it seemed like the film would never come to fruition. However, following the leak and the overall positive response, Fox eventually moved ahead with the project with star Ryan Reynolds set as the antihero, and after the character's disappointing cinematic debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the studio sought to do him justice with the help of Reynolds and director Tim Miller.
Half a decade later, two solo Deadpool films have been and gone from theaters, and it appears Deadpool may just be finally readying to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe... in a few years time, at least.
Over the weekend, Reynolds decided to celebrate the leak's anniversary by posting a funny "conspiracy board," trying to determine the culprit behind the test footage leak. Unsurprisingly, Hugh Jackman and Betty White topped the list. Also on the list of potential culprits? Thor: Ragnarok -- and soon to be Thor: Love and Thunder -- director, Taika Watiti. And while the post itself was hilarious and much in line with Reynolds' humor, the biggest tease actually came from his caption on the photo. "Investigation heading into year 5. Or as I call it, 'Phase 5.'"
With that in mind, let's take a look back at Deadpool's journey to the big screen and whether or not the actor's post was truly a tease for Deadpool's MCU debut -- or if it was simply Reynolds purposely messing with fans.
Before we jump ahead to the Merc with a Mouth's future, we need to take a look back to what brought us here. On July 28, 2014, test footage for the long-gestating Deadpool film starring Reynolds surfaced online. The animated footage was shot on the day that Green Lantern, starring Reynolds in the titular role, premiered. At that point, Reynolds had been attached to the film since 2009, with director Tim Miller joining in 2011, and while the duo had been eager to move forward with the film for some time, the project didn't move ahead until September 2014 when Fox officially announced a release date for the film following the positive response online.
Still, despite the leak leading to Fox to finally greenlighting Deadpool, Reynolds stated in 2016 that he was "70 percent sure" he wasn't the one to have leaked the footage. However, he did agree that he, along with writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and director Tim Miller all agreed someone needed to leak the footage. Clearly, it was a good idea that that someone did, as the Marvel mutant has successfully starred in two R-rated films with fans eagerly awaiting any news regarding a third instalment. And it's entirely possible we may have gotten a better idea as to when Deadpool will join the rest of the MCU now thanks to Reynolds and his Phase Five teasing.
The problem is trying to figure out just where a third Deadpool film would fit into the MCU. During Marvel Studios' Phase 4 announcement at Comic-Con International earlier this month, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the entire Phase 4 slate. Part of the line-up included new heroes such as Shang-Chi and The Eternals, as well as the return of fan favorites like Loki and Doctor Strange. But there were a few notable absences from the line-up: Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 -- all films Feige confirmed are on the way.
They're all essentially be part of Phase Five, along with the incoming X-Men and Fantastic Four, with Feige having stated the studio has already plotted out Phase Five and the overarching story being told in Phases 4 and 5. Given how vague Feige's comments were regarding the X-Men, it would seem safe to assume Deadpool is very much a part of that slate, especially given the financial success of the first two films. Should that be the case, 2022 would seem to be the earliest we'll see Deadpool grace the big screen once again.
Of course, as it stands, next to nothing is known regarding the status of Deadpool 3 and pretty much everyone involved with the project seems to be clueless -- outside of Reynolds, presumingly. Recently, Deadpool 2 helmer David Leitch stated he had plenty of "crazy ideas" for a third installment. "I have a lot of ideas but I'm keeping them close to my vest. So, if they ever come and I'm grateful enough for them to call, I can share all my crazy ideas."
In January of this year, Reynolds reaffirmed that work on a third film was still underway despite the then forthcoming merger between Disney and 21st Century Fox. Since then, though, next to nothing has surfaced, suggesting that while work may still be under way on the project, it will be some time before we see it realized.
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