Breakdown
- Wolverine is haunted by a failure in his own universe.
- Cassandra Nova will be the main villain of Deadpool 3.
- There is a dead giant Ant-Man surrounded by villains in the film.
- Deadpool will utter a reference to Kevin Feige, cocaine, and Disney's Frozen.
- Wolverine and Deadpool will go through a magic portal reminiscent of Dr. Strange.
The hype continues as the clock counts down to July when Marvel releases Deadpool & Wolverine. As part of this, the production has launched a second trailer, this time with a sneak peek at what the story would most likely be for the Merc With a Mouth’s first outing within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There are numerous reasons why everyone should be looking forward to Deadpool & Wolverine. Aside from the return of Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, the new trailer shows that the stakes are higher for Deadpool than they have been in his first two movies.
Let’s break down the Easter Eggs and plot clues revealed by the second trailer. Spoilers are ahead, so you might want to skip them if you don’t want this kind of content.
Wolverine Is a Demotivated Hero in This Movie
From the start, the yellow and blue costume was a big giveaway that this Wolverine is not the Wolverine we’ve seen Hugh Jackman portray in the previous Fox movies. However, we had no information on this Logan’s story until this trailer came along.
Roughly a minute into the trailer, we hear Deadpool getting a briefing about Wolverine. He has failed big time in this universe and will need a little prodding to convince him to join the mission. Whatever that failure is, we will need to wait until July to find out.
Aside from the short tease, this scene appears to be a nod to similar scenes in the first X-Men movie, the first X-Men: First Class film, and Days of Future Past.
The 20th Century Fox Logo
In what appears to be a brutal callback to 21st Century Fox's long ownership of the film rights for X-Men and other mutants, the new Deadpool & Wolverine trailer features a destroyed 20th Century Fox logo that's half buried in the snow.
Disney acquired the rebranded 21st Century Fox in 2017, which means that the House of Mouse now owns not only the Mutant film rights but also IPs like the Predator and Alien franchises.
The Villains Have an Ant-Man Connection
As Deadpool’s first foray into the MCU, we can expect it to connect to previous films in the continuity. We’ve all been shocked by Deadpool’s arrival at the Time Variance Authority (TVA) in the Super Bowl trailer, but this new trailer takes the connections a step deeper into Marvel’s timeline.
Near the 2:00 mark, as Wolverine and Deadpool battle several enemies to the tune of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, we see a short glimpse of the villain base, where you can find a familiar helmet, which opens up to reveal a skull.
That’s Ant-Man’s helmet and why it is now the headquarters of the two Weapon X alumni's opponents; that’s for us to find out on July 26.
This is the second time a Giant Man reference has been made in an MCU project. In one episode, the Disney+ series Loki also showed a giant Yellowjacket helmet, indicating that a variant of the villain from the first Ant-Man film had died in the Quantum Realm.
Speaking of villains, one of the characters in this shot is brandishing five claws. Only one villain in X-Men fits this description—Lady Deathstrike, who appeared in X2 and was portrayed by Kelly Hu.
The other characters with her could be Toad, Calisto, and Glob Hermann.
More Unknown Characters
Whatever their connection to the dead Giant Ant-Man, several characters are in that short segment from the film. Based on their looks, these could be:
- Azazel
- Colossus
- The Russian
- Pyro
- Sabertooth
Pyro and the Red Skull Road Warriors
Another scene in the new trailer that seems to confirm Pyro's appearance is the vintage power car seen ploughing through the sands of the Dune-like wastelands. This is the Red Skull's vehicle, which, based on screenshots from the first Deadpool and Wolverine trailer, is in Aaron Stanford's Pyro's hands.
Dogpool
Avid fans of the Merc with a Mouth will undoubtedly recognise that cute little dog that Deadpool is cuddling at some point in the trailer. That is Dogpool, a canine version of our main character.
Created in 2010, Dogpool is everything that Deadpool is known for, except that he is a dog. He has all his attitudes and powers, which means a world of comedic possibilities in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Cassandra Nova Makes an Appearance
We also see a scene where Wolverine tries to fight but gets pinned down by somebody who practices telekinesis. While the previous Dr Strange movie teased fans of the return of Charles Xavier, this particular mutant is actually his sister, Cassandra Nova, played by Emma Corrin.
There is no explanation yet for why Cassandra Nova is the villain in Deadpool & Wolverine. However, Marvel’s decision to replace her with Mr Sinister as the mastermind of the attack on Genosha in episode 5 of the X-Men 97 animated series means that this version of Nova will have all the time in the world to shine.
Third Act Flashback?
Deadpool faces off with Wolverine and asks him what could've happened to his world, which makes him reluctant to help save another. When Wolverine does not answer, Deadpool asks if they should wait for a third-act flashback.
This is a nod to the flashback at the end of The Old Man Logan's Act Two run. This is yet another breaking of the fourth wall, with Deadpool wondering if they'd have to wait for a major set-piece action to occur before Wolverine decides to open up his heart.
Copper Heads and Liebeld's Just Feet
As Wolverine and Deadpool enter from the right and walk towards an unseen enemy in front of them, we see a bar door with the name “Copper Heads.” This could reference the villain Copper Head, who is, in turn, a member of the terrorist organisation Serpent Society.
There is another Copper Head in the Marvel Comics realm, but the second one is more relevant because of the Society’s links to Captain America. Marvel is currently getting ready to give Anthony Mackie his film debut as the new Captain America after the character Sam Wilson officially took on the mantle in the finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
We could also see another store on the left, "Liebeld’s Just Feet.” This is a dig at Rob Liefeld, who created Deadpool’s character with Fabian Nicieza. Liefeld was known in the '80s and '90s for hiding his characters’ feet in fog or smoke in his artwork.
Kevin Feige, Cocaine, and Frozen
Breaking the fourth wall has always been a trademark of Deadpool’s in both the comics and the films. This time, not even Disney itself or Kevin Feige are safe from his uncalled-for statements, as shown in this trailer.
Near the end of the trailer, Wade Wilson is seen talking with Blind Al, who requests that they bring cocaine to the birthday party. However, Wilson refuses, stating that cocaine is one of those items that Kevin Feige has declared off-limits.
Blind Al also ticks off other alternate code names for cocaine and ends with, “Do you want to build a snowman?” Wilson replies, “Yes, but I can’t!”
This line references Disney, which has since acquired Fox, the ownership of the X-Men film rights, and the animated film “Frozen.” However, it is also another cocaine reference, thanks to a song about drug use that used the melodies of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
The Portal
This is the ultimate reveal in this trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine. In the final act, Wolverine and Deadpool give each other pep talks and say, “Let’s f***ing go!” before they leap into a portal.
Marvel fans know what this portal is and who it is associated with, but nobody knows where that portal leads. We may not even find out in the film, as it’s probably an indication that Deadpool and Wolverine will join a massive battle at the end of this MCU phase, similar to Avengers: Endgame.