The X-Men film series is starting to branch out beyond the main superhero group and Wolverine. New Mutants is establishing a new team of mutants to defend the world, but more importantly, Deadpool has opened up a new corner of this cinematic universe. The Merc with the Mouth is already slated to return for Deadpool 2, but because the first movie proved that an R-rated superhero movie can be critically and commercially successful, this has also paved the way for eventually introducing the hardcore team X-Force. Although Deadpool 2 will set up certain X-Force elements, the sequel is taking care not to let them overshadow the focus on Wade Wilson.
Writer Rhett Reese assured fans during an interview with Collider that fans won't be disappointed with how Deadpool 2 sets up X-Force, but Reese's partner, Paul Wernick, also made it clear that the goal is more to foreshadow the team without taking away attention from the eponymous protagonist. He said:
We never want to let the tail wag the dog. We want to tell the best Deadpool story we can. But I do think we have a responsibility to think about a larger universe in the way that Marvel does and start to put pieces in place. Some of these movies feel overstuffed and almost choking with the need to set up eighteen different things that pay off down the road, and we want to avoid that responsibility to the extent that it hurts us. We want to hint at things, we want to plan some characters, and we want to make some nods, but we're very, very cognizant about making sure that Deadpool is above all a Deadpool movie.
While the X-Men are seen as more traditional superheroes, the X-Force is more of an aggressive black-ops team that's willing to take on militaristic, morally grey missions, like assassinations. It's hard to introduce characters like that within the confines of a PG-13-rated story, but in Deadpool's R-rated world, it's significantly easier since there are less restrictions on gore, cursing, etc. Deadpool 2 won't focus on establishing X-Force on the big screen, but the groundwork can be laid while the main character is getting into fourth wall-breaking antics.
One of the main ways Deadpool 2 will set up the X-Force is by introducing Domino and Cable, two characters who worked alongside Wade Wilson on the team in the comics. Beyond that, no details has been revealed about Deadpool 2's plot, but the sequel will also see the return of Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Dopinder the cab driver. Following that, it was reported around the same time that David Leitch was announced as Deadpool 2's new director that Deadpool 3 will officially introduce the X-Force. That information hasn't been confirmed , but if it is true, perhaps then the X-Force movie will finally be released a few years later, giving the team their own cinematic platform three decades after being created.
Deadpool 2 is expected to hit theaters sometime in 2018, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the movie as they come in.
