While we wait for word on the status of Deadpool 3, it's worth taking a look back at the 2018 sequel. The second film in the franchise starring Ryan Reynolds shockingly turned the romance between Wade Wilson and Vanessa Carlysle a bit sour when Morena Baccarin’s character was killed off early in the film.
It was a disappointing aspect of the film for many fans especially considering the standout chemistry between Wade and Vanessa in 2016’s Deadpool. At least, during the post credits sequence, Deadpool uses Cable’s time travel device to save her (and kill his Wolverine Origins self and a pre-Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds), leaving room for her potential return. Here’s what Morena Baccarin thought about her screen time in Deadpool 2:
I can understand that people felt that way and I certainly was disappointed that I didn't have more to do, because I just loved the part so much. But in watching the film and reading the script, it felt like such an emotionally pivotal role in the film and the entire arc of his character in the film is set into motion because of what happens to my character, that it felt that I was very involved in the movie even though I didn't have a lot of scenes.
Now, that’s a classy answer. As Baccarin told ComicBook.com, like the fans, she too was bummed that Vanessa was left on the sidelines in Deadpool 2. However, she also felt it was a necessary sacrifice to be made within the context of the film’s premise. Without Wade Wilson witnessing the death of the love of his life, the events in the film would not have happened, nor would it have been as moving as it turned out to be. And hey, she made it out alive in the end anyways, right?
Still, it is a worthy conversation to get into. The comic book genre has a troubled past with “the superhero’s girlfriend” character, who is often thrown into the mix to bring stakes to the hero’s journey, rather than being given a well-balanced character arc of her own. Think about previous iterations of Superman’s Lois Lane and Spider-Man’s Mary Jane, for example. Deadpool 2 does play into this a bit, but at least the first movie gave us enough reason to feel the sting when she does get killed in the sequel.
In the comic books, Vanessa Carlysle is also a mutant going by the name Copycat, and she has the ability to shapeshift into anyone. If another Deadpool film wanted to give Morena Baccarin more to do, transforming her into Copycat could be interesting. Yet I can already feel some fourth-wall Mystique jokes coming on. Last year, Baccarin showed some hesitation about portraying Copycat since her and Wade’s relationship is at odds within that version. She did go on to say this:
It would be fun to see her transform for sure, but I would just be thrilled to come back in any form for those movies because it was such a blast to work on.
However, the introduction of Copycat would mean there are mutants in the universe, and Deadpool is technically part of the MCU family now since Disney purchased Fox. In that case, the next Deadpool movie may have to wait until after the studio introduces the X-Men for its established universe, which has been hinted at by Marvel Chief Kevin Feige but isn’t officially in the books through a specific release.
Stick with us here on CinemaBlend for updates on Deadpool and the future of Marvel on the big and small screens. Morena Baccarin is starring next with Gerard Butler in the thriller Greenland, which is set to be released on September 25.
