Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool 2 are in play. Details from the new sequel will be discussed in this guide. So if you're not up to date on the latest film, bookmark this page for future enjoyment.
Much as any superhero franchise has the potential to do, Deadpool 2 opens the world of Fox's Marvel-verse up to some wider mutant fun. In particular, it brings the likes of the X-Force to living, breathing life, as only the world of Wade Wilson's merc-with-a-mouth could. "A super duper fucking group" that's "tough, morally flexible, and young enough to carry their own franchise for 10 to 12 years," the X-Force looks ready to save the day by time the credits have rolled on Deadpool's latest adventure.
But what is the X-Force? Also, who are the X-Force? Better still... why is the X-Force? Yes, that's a gag left over from the Avengers: Infinity War coverage, but those questions still stand, as this new group is gearing up to branch out into a potentially lucrative hub franchise of their own. With this first movie comes a lot of questions, and a potentially new team, all influenced by the comic past of the X-Force.
What Is The X-Force Release Date?
An official release date for X-Force has not been set just yet, but there are plenty of opportunities for the film, as Fox has spots staked out for untitled Marvel projects as early as June 7, 2019. That date seems way too early for X-Force to be released, barring some sort of surprise announcement after Deadpool 2's opening numbers are tallied, but even the next spot on the untitled Fox/Marvel calendar, November 22nd, 2019, seems a bit rushed. If we were to make an educated guess, we'd say 2020 would be the year for X-Force's debut, with June 26th, 2020 being the most likely date for the film's release.
Who Is Directing X-Force?
With a big comic book movie comes a director's chair that's waiting to be filled by one simultaneously lucky / unlucky individual. In the case of X-Force, that Schrodinger's director would be writer/director Drew Goddard. Goddard's best known as a writer on such shows as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Lost, and Alias, as well as the co-writer / director of the cult hit The Cabin In The Woods. This gig is his second directing job with Fox, as his film Bad Times At The El Royale marks the first time he's helmed a picture under their watch. An irreverent streak runs through his work, which is perfect for bringing Deadpool's X-Force into reality.
Who Is Writing X-Force?
Originally, Blumhouse's Truth or Dare director Jeff Wadlow was developing X-Force into a motion picture. However, after Deadpool became the smash success that it was, Fox switched gears and handed the project off to other writers, in hopes of better integrating Wade Wilson into the team's ranks. After Wadlow's departure, Joe Carnahan took over and contributed a draft of X-Force, but even he found himself ousted in time, and rightfully so. The current writer on X-Force is none other than its director, Drew Goddard, and seeing as he's already invested in the universe as a consultant on Deadpool 2, it makes sense for him to follow through.
What Will X-Force Be Rated?
Typically, a comic book movie finds itself squarely within the walls of the PG-13 box that the genre has made its home in historically. However, with Deadpool's mega success, the concept of an R-rated superhero film has gained a lot of traction, so whomever sits in the decision making chair won't have a hard time pushing for a hard R bonanza. Ultimately, as Ryan Reynolds has sworn in the past and affirmed in the present, it's all about what X-Force's story requires -- though as a matter of presence, he's in the R-rated camp as well.
What Will X-Force Be About?
At the moment, there's no concrete notes as to what X-Force will be about. The Cable-centric draft of the film's script has already been worked over by two sets of writers, allowing for a more Deadpool inclusive version of the story. Based off of the end of Deadpool 2, whatever the X-Force team will face, it'll be right in line with their slightly dirtier methods of world saving. Don't count out the continuation of Cable's story, though, as his time travel device is now fixed, and there are sure to be more adventures across the seas of time ahead of our heroes.
X-Force In The Comics
Created by Rob Liefeld in 1991, the X-Force was a new group formed with members of the New Mutants group. Using a more black ops / military style approach to solving their problems, the team formed by Cable was intended to be an edgier sort of X-Men franchise in the world of Marvel Comics. The original run ran from 1991 to 2001, with several other runs occurring up until the present day. The line-up has changed over the years, with even Cable eventually no longer being part of the group, and proper X-Men like Wolverine and Cyclops being part of the team for various stints.
Deadpool
The merc with the mouth, the smartassed badass, and a unicorn's best friend. These are all of the ways that Wade Wilson can be described, as the killer for hire turned mutant Freddy Kruger is as quick with his quips as he is with his katanas. As the leader of the X-Force, Ryan Reynolds' super-duper hero will obviously still be front and center for the new film. But with the more ensemble-focused approach for X-Force, he may actually sink into the background a little, adding humor when needed.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead
While her given name is Ellie Phimister, we'd like to think that if you called her anything other than "Negasonic Teenage Warhead," she'd blast you away with her atomic voodoo. Brianna Hildebrand's origin story sidekick from Deadpool is part of the X-Men team, and declines to join up with the X-Force at the end of Deadpool 2, favoring the X-Men team instead. It still wouldn't be surprising if she decided to jump in at the right moment and save the day, giving Wade Wilson more reason to love and despise her as a friend.
Domino
When it comes to Domino's abilities and survival skills, it's best that you heed one rule: never tell her the odds. No, seriously, don't waste your breath, because she doesn't care. She doesn't have to ,either, as her powers can literally alter probability to side in her favor. Played by Zazie Beetz in Deadpool 2, she's another member of the X-Force team that seems pretty likely to turn up in the team's ensemble adventure. Not only does she survive the events of this latest film, but she's bound to be a fan favorite that folks will demand shows up to the battle in X-Force.
Cable
A time traveler from the future who sent himself back to our time, Cable was set to kill Firefist in order to prevent his family's death. With that whole scenario avoided now, there's an open road of destiny for the son of Scott "Cyclops" Summers and Jean Grey's clone, Madelyne Pryor. Though, considering the man also known as Nathan Summers came back from a war-torn future, there's always the possibility that he'll need to get a crew together to prevent whatever horrific fate falls upon the Earth.
Bedlam
When you hear that someone can mess with electricity, you'd be poised to make as many jokes with the word "shocking" in them as you can. If you did that around Terry Crews's Bedlam, you'd be lucky if you remembered even making that mistake. Being able to manipulate electromagnetic impulses, due to his constant generation of said energy, he can really do a number on his foes and his microwave. At least, he would have been able to if he'd survived his first X-Force jump in Deadpool 2. One strong wind was all it took to put him into a public transit windshield, so it looks like he's not going to be in on the spin-off.
Zeitgeist
Acid blood and vomit are not only intensely cinematic powers, they're also absurdly dangerous to the hero that possesses them and any team they're on. Zeitgeist is a perfect example of a mutant that needs a bit more handling with care, rather than just being hired randomly off of a Craigslist ad. And, he not only winds up in a wood-chipper in Deadpool 2, but he also ends up killing Peter when he gets shredded. Seeing as Bill Skarsgard's schedule is about to get busy with IT: Chapter 2 filming, and the fact that it'd be impossible to put him back together, Zeitgeist looks like he's a one-time deal on the X-Force.
Shatterstar
As he was in the comic, Shatterstar was a founding member of the X-Force team in Deadpool 2. Bragging how he could do everything better than anyone, the alien mutant would have shown us his super strength, shockwave powers, and even teleporation abilities. We're saying this in the past tense because, much like most of his X-Force compatriots, Shatterstar met an untimely death, courtesy of a news helicopter's active blades, and some rough winds during the team's chopper jump.
Peter
He's an amateur bee-keeper, a killer regional sales manager for Excalibur Cutlery Co., and now a full-fledged X-Force member! And yet, Peter W., played by Catastrophe's Rob Delaney, doesn't have any powers. Merely reading the Craigslist ad and interviewing got him the gig, and it paid off, as Peter got to do something most people don't ever dream of: he was saved from dying a second time, thanks to Deadpool's adventures through time. Not only is Peter a possible X-Force team member for the long haul, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick think that he could be worthy of his own spin-off. If they had the right idea, we'd totally watch Peter sell some knives, and possibly use them on his foes.
How Will X-Force Affect Deadpool 3?
As far as all of the talk surrounding X-Force is concerned, this project will be more akin to an Avengers film, as it's an "ensemble" piece, according to Rhett Reese. In terms of how Deadpool 3 fits into the mix, X-Force is definitely next in line when it comes to Wade Wilson's adventures. Though, already it's been noted in further comments by Reese that Deadpool 3 would dial back down the scope of Wade Wilson's adventures, making him the center of attention once again. Deadpool 3 isn't a given, especially considering Ryan Reynolds and Rhett Reese's differing viewpoints on the project. It's comforting to know that we're at least guaranteed another shot of Deadpool action with X-Force, but he'll have to share his snacks with the rest of the class.
What Other Members Could Join X-Force?
By the end of Deadpool 2, there's an X-Force team already in place. While it's not a completely traditional team, nor is it a completely mutant team, there's a good chance that Colossus and Dopinder from the Deadpool movies could be on the team as full time members. Also, much like her girlfriend Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio could find herself going back on her pledge to be more of an X-Men style hero, and join the grittier team of the X-Force in the nick of time. At this point, anyone could join the X-Force, especially when you factor in the presence of the New Mutants.
How Could New Mutants Affect X-Force?
The original Jeff Wadlow draft of X-Force focused on Cable assembling the team from members of the New Mutants, while at the same time working Deadpool into the structure of that ensemble. While the X-Force's current incarnation has Deadpool front and center, forming the team himself, there's still a chance that this film and next year's New Mutants could cross paths. While Fox's Marvel-verse is somewhat cohesive, at the very least in the way of other timelines and universes as per Deadpool's "Stewart or McAvoy" crack in Deadpool,
Fox could still continue to stitch their loosely adjacent universe together by bringing some of those new mutants from New Mutants into the game, especially considering that Wolfsbane and Cannonball are both in New Mutants, while also being eventual members of X-Force in the comics. Marvel / Fox's Mutant-verse could be tied together, with X-Force and Deadpool as the lynch-pin, with New Mutants and X-Men being support. Now that Cable's time travel device has been fixed, there's a chance that he can go back in time to meet with the New Mutants, recruiting for the X-Force team worthy of saving the future once and for all.
