The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, to the joy of the fandom. When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties, it finally opened the door for the Deadpool franchise to join the shared universe. Deadpool 3 is now one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies, partly thanks to the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. A new rumor claims that the movie’s villain has a direct tie to X-Men’s Professor X. And if they’re true, it would be a pretty wild choice for an antagonist.
Information about Deadpool's return to theaters has been slowly trickling out, including which actors will make up the ensemble. Deadpool 3’s cast list includes a number of returning actors, as well as newcomers like Emma Corrin. It was confirmed that Corrin will be playing the movie’s villain, but the actual character hasn’t been revealed by the studio just yet. And a rumor on Twitter claims that she’s playing X-Men villain Cassandra Nova. Let’s break down what that might mean.
This report is simply a rumor, and therefore we should take it with a grain of salt for the time being. But if true, it’s an unlikely villain choice which should presumably give filmmaker Shawn Levy the flexibility to make bold narrative choices. What’s more, it could help establish the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the Marvel comics, Cassandra Nova is a being who is tied to Professor X. Her spirit is the opposite of Charles’, who formed as a twin while he was still in the womb thanks to his great psychic powers. He attempted to kill her while still in utero, destroying her body but not her mind/soul. Cassandra spends years becoming a physical form, before seeking revenge and killing millions of mutants.
Cassandra Nova isn’t a character that is super beloved by X-Men fans, aside from those who closely follow the adventures on the page. So if this rumor is true, it would definitely be a wild twist. But it would also presumably give Emma Corrin some freedom in how they’ll be approaching the role.
While we wait for confirmation of this character from the studio, it does seem logical that the Deadpool 3 villain would be an antagonist from X-Men lore. This would open the door for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to join, complete with his comics-accurate yellow suit. But with so little concrete information available to the public, this is all just rumors and conjecture at this point.
Deadpool 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 3rd, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
