Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, recently changed his Twitter header into a painted panorama filled with some of his entertainment empire’s most beloved characters, from Mickey to Mulan, Elsa to Ariel, and Donald to…Deadpool?
That’s right, the Merc With a Mouth – soon to be made an official member of the MCU – can be found grinning in the bottom right corner of the image, and his inclusion is sure to come as blow to the face of the character’s creator, Rob Liefeld, who has spent the past week or so adamantly maintaining that Disney are not planning to move forward with Deadpool 3.
If you didn’t know any better, Liefeld’s claim would seem almost believable. After all, the studio has always been obsessed with maintaining a family friendly brand identity, one which the potty-mouthed, fourth wall-obliterating antihero contradicts with every fiber in his cancerous, constantly regenerating body.
But if you do know better, you’d know that Disney officials, including Iger himself, have been promoting their commitment to continuing Wade Wilson’s story ever since they acquired full rights to the property from their competitors.
Should you trust Deadpool’s creator more than his owner, though, there’s still plenty of evidence indicating that new projects concerning the Merc are indeed in the works behind closed doors. These include, among others, a production grid listing Marvel boss Kevin Feige and lead actor Ryan Reynolds as producers of an upcoming film, as well as an interview that Reynolds did for Live With Kelly and Ryan where he teased said film.
Why Liefeld is so set on contradicting Iger is not clear. However, many suspect it may be due to the fact that Disney execs are not giving the comic book artist as much of a say on the project as he had at Fox, which is frankly a little concerning for diehard Deadpool fans.