Potential spoilers follow for Deadpool and Wolverine.
A new, redband Deadpool and Wolverine trailer has been released – and it’s absolutely loaded with Easter eggs and other Marvel references that have set the internet ablaze.
Unless you’ve been offline for the past 24 hours, you’ll have seen the latest teaser for the Marvel Phase 5 film (the only Marvel movie of 2024, remember) and, like me, become even more excited about its forthcoming release. If you somehow fall into the former category, you can watch it below:
What you might not have done, however, is watch the trailer multiple times to unearth its biggest secrets and/or theorize about one of 2024’s most anticipated new movies. Well, dear reader, that’s where I come in. Below, I’ve *ahem* clawed my way through the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie’s latest footage, and picked out six big things you missed upon your initial viewing. Possible spoilers follow for Deadpool and Wolverine, by the way, so proceed at your own risk.
Gunning for laughs – and a Deadpool 2 call back
The latest trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine – previously known as Deadpool 3 – spares no expense when it comes to R-rated humor. It takes less than six seconds for the first f-bomb to be dropped in the film’s newest batch of footage, which sets the tone for said teaser and the upcoming MCU flick.
But Deadpool and Wolverine isn’t all swear words, rude jokes, and meta humor. Indeed, at the 0:27 mark – the moment where Deadpool points one of his handguns at an increasingly tetchy Wolverine – we see the phrase “Smile, wait for the flash” inscribed on its muzzle. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that’ll raise a chuckle from most viewers, but eagle-eyed Deadpool fans will remember that the same phrase was etched onto the character’s sidearms in 2018’s Deadpool 2. It’s an *ahem* double-barreled bit of fun that’s humorous and self-referential, then.
Putting your foot in it
Being poked at by the premiere funny man/mega-star of his age is an absolute honor! Make no doubt that this is a thrill and an honor. ⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/4lZgEVfPt5April 23, 2024
One of the trailer’s most niche Easter eggs isn’t anything to do with the MCU, nor does it tease anything about the plot of Marvel Studios’ next movie.
At the 1:22 mark, when Wolverine and Deadpool walk onto a war-torn street in slow-mo superhero fashion, a shop named ‘Liefeld’s Just Feet’ can be seen in the background. This isn’t just a reference to Deadpool’s original comic book co-creator Rob Liefeld, though – it’s also a not-so-subtle dig at the his apparent inability to be able to draw feet, which Liefeld’s X/Twitter post above seemingly confirms. Not even Deadpool’s co-inventor is safe from the antihero’s fourth-wall-breaking antics.
A nod to Captain America 4?
A reference to Liefeld isn’t the only Marvel-related one we get during this scene. Look behind Deadpool and you’ll see a snake-based, neon-pink sign that says ‘Copperheads’. To the untrained eye, this doesn’t seem all that important. To me, though, it’s a tease for Captain America 4, aka Captain America: Brave New World, which will be the next MCU film to arrive in theaters after Deadpool 3.
How so? In the comics, the third iteration of a villain called Copperhead is eventually inducted into the supervillain group known as The Serpent Society. The latter are rumored to be the secondary antagonists of Sam Wilson’s first movie-based outing as the new Cap. Add two and two together, and this reference starts to make more sense (no, it’s not a stretch on my part, shush).
To me, my X-Men!
We already knew that Cassandra Nova was going to be this film’s main villain (read our breakdown of Deadpool and Wolverine‘s first trailer for more details), and after watching the latest teaser you’ll also be slightly concerned for the fate of our heroes in their showdown with her. Hey, you only need to look at how easily Nova handles Wolverine during their one-on-one bout, or the fact that her headquarters are situated in a deceased Gi-Ant Man’s skull, for proof of how threateningly powerful she is.
What you might not have noticed, though, is that Nova has assembled her own team of misfit and/or misplaced X-Men. Again, we already knew that the likes of Pyro and Toad (two of the characters seen when the Gi-Ant Man’s helmet opens to reveal the aforementioned skull, as seen in the above image) would appear in Deadpool 3. However, now we have confirmation that two more characters from the first X-Men movie trilogy (find out how to watch the X-Men movies in order while you’re here) are part of the cast.
Indeed, the individuals flanking the Gi-Ant Man helmet/skull are none other than Lady Deathstrike, who showed up in X-2: X-Men United, and Azazel, who debuted in 2011’s X-Men: First Class. I wonder which other X-Men characters will make cameos…
Marvel meets Mad Max in another Captain America reference
Mere seconds after that X-Men reveal, we’re treated to another Marvel movie throwback. This time, it’s a souped up, reskinned version of Red Skull’s car from 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, which is being driven at presumably Mad Max-style speeds across the Wastela– I mean, across The Void. You know, the place at the End of Time where beings from pruned timelines are sent (by the Time Variance Authority) to ‘live’ out their days (i.e. flee from or be consumed by the sentient cloud known as Alioth).
It’s unclear who is behind the wheel of said vehicle – it looks like one of Nova’s lackeys, but I can’t be sure – so we’ll have to wait for the film to be released to find out more.
Deadpool, say hello to Dogpool
There has been widespread speculation that, considering Deadpool and Wolverine will tackle the Marvel Multiverse in its own bizarre, metatextual way, we’ll see multiple Deadpools in this flick. There’s legitimacy to those rumors, too, what with leaked on-set images and promotional art (I won’t be linking to them here, don’t worry) confirming that we’ll see some multiversal variants of the wisecracking antihero.
One variant who’ll definitely show up is Dogpool. At the 1:56 mark, we see Wade Wilson (Deadpool’s real name) getting up close and personal with his canine variant, much to a disgusted Wolverine’s chagrin. Funnily enough, Dogpool will be played by a pooch whose really is called Dogpool, too – and they even have their own Instagram page, if you want to follow them.
There are plenty more callbacks and references to other Marvel films in Deadpool and Wolverine‘s latest teaser. There are clear nods to 2017’s Logan and/or the messy nature of the X-Men movies timeline, Alioth (who first appeared in Loki on Disney Plus), and an interdimensional portal used by characters like Doctor Strange (who opens the one at the trailer’s end, though?) to name just three.
I suspect that this trio, plus the six I’ve gone into more detail about above, are only scratching the surface of the secrets that this fan-service-led flick contains, too. In short: roll on July 26, aka Deadpool and Wolverine‘s worldwide release date.