Is that a Doctor Strange portal in the ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer?

In addition to the official Deadpool & Wolverine trailer revealing new plot details and returning characters galore, it already has fans speculating about surprising inclusions, like the magic portal that appears for a few seconds that the title characters are seen jumping through.

Deadpool & Wolverine is responsible for prominently bringing the Mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which became possible due to Disney’s acquisition of Fox. Furthermore, as the first R-rated MCU project, the movie wants to make history by showing that Marvel heroes can turn a profit while focusing on adult-oriented stories. It’s fair to say that expectations are over the moon, especially since so many recent MCU projects failed to connect with the audience.

We’ve known for a while that Deadpool & Wolverine will journey through the Multiverse to explain how Ryan Reynolds’ fan-favorite iteration of the Merc with a Mouth will join the main MCU continuity. In doing so, the movie will also bring Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, a character he had retired after 2017’s Logan. However, Jackman is not the only actor crossing the barrier of time and space to relieve a character from non-MCU projects. Among the many cameos the trailers and behind-the-scenes interviews have already teased, there’s Aaron Stanford as Pyro and Jennifer Garner as Elektra. However, the magic portal in the trailer means we’ll likely see Doctor Strange characters in the movie, too.

Why is Doctor Strange’s portal part of Deadpool & Wolverine? 

The new Deadpool & Wolverine trailer has the titular characters fighting against the villainous Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) in a desolate place that nods at several iterations of Marvel characters. Since we can also see Loki’s Alioth in the trailer, the place is most likely the Void, where all unwanted variants go to meet their end. That’s probably why a giant Ant-Man head is used as the evil gal’s headquarters, and X-Men villains such as Toad and Lady Deathstrike will stand in the heroes’ way.

In a particular scene from the trailer, Deadpool and Wolverine jump through a portal identical to the teleportation circles conjured by sorcerers. These portals were first introduced in 2016’s Doctor Strange, but have since become huge assets in the MCU. For instance, the portals allow all the heroes of the MCU to unite on the battlefield against Thanos at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Usually, the portals show clearly what’s on the other side. However, the trailer uses a bright light to hide Deadpool and Wolverine’s destination. That means they can pop up in any significant MCU moment, including Endgame‘s final battle. The presence of the portal also indicates that some variants of Doctor Strange or his allies will be present in the Void. They may be enemies or perhaps help the duo cross timelines and reach safety. Whatever the case, we have one more mystery to solve once the threequel hits theaters.

Deadpool & Wolverine flips the MCU upside down on July 26, 2024.