Made by 20th Century Fox as part of the X-Men series, Tim Miller's Deadpool isn't connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- but that didn't stop it from making references to the sister franchise. Not only is there a nod to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige early in the film (in the form of a pizza parlor called Feige's Famous Pizza), but the final battle actually takes place on top of and around a decommissioned Helicarrier. They are wonderful little hidden jokes for fans, and it turns out Feige himself can be counted among those who appreciated it. He recently told me,
I thought it was very funny. I think that's one of the great things about Deadpool, both in the comics and what Ryan has done with him in the movies, is you can break the fourth wall. They mention DC in the new trailer! They can get away with that, and it's great. That was the only way to have done it, from the comics in the movies, and it's great that they did. Versus earlier incarnations of Deadpool in earlier X-Men movies...
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kevin Feige yesterday during the Los Angeles domestic press junket for Avengers: Infinity War, and after a great chat about the upcoming film, our interview ended with me asking about his Deadpool thoughts. I mentioned the various Easter eggs as well as the shout-out to Thanos in the most recent Deadpool 2 trailer, and Feige smiled and laughed as he explained not only his appreciation for the references, but also how it's a wonderful expression of what makes the Merc With The Mouth a great character in general.
The conversation didn't end there, however, as I had a follow-up question about Deadpool's potential future. Specifically, thanks to the Disney-Fox deal that is currently in the works, it's possible that the mercenary anti-hero could eventually find his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I asked Kevin Feige what he thought of that possibility, but he responded saying that it's not really something he's focused on right now. Said executive/producer,
I mean, look - I can get excited about a lot of things. In this case in particular, there's no deal until they say there's a deal, so I'm not thinking about any of it, honestly, any more than I ever have, which is to say, of course, I would always think about it because I can't help it. But not specifically, and between our premiere tomorrow night, Ant-Man & The Wasp finishing its cut, Captain Marvel filming, Spider-Man about to start filming, and us about to seriously getting in the cutting room on Avengers 4, there's a lot to do.
We may one day see Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool hang out with the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- but for now we'll just have to settle for the two entities having their own separate, insanely exciting 2018 summer blockbusters. The Avengers: Infinity War, for starters, will be out this Friday, April 27th, and be sure to stay tuned for a whole lot more from my interview with Kevin Feige this week!
