Having already done the unthinkable once and convinced Hugh Jackman to return as Wolverine, Deadpool 3 has already proven that it’s going to pull out every possible stop to try and deliver the best possible version of the Merc with a Mouth’s hotly-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter who else ends up boarding the ensemble, because there’s no chance it’ll be as earth-shattering as the confirmation Jackman would be growing out his sideburns and hitting the gym to finally make his own MCU bow. However, an intriguing fan theory that’s been making the rounds on Reddit suggests that another fan favorite X-Men character could appear in Deadpool 3, except this one didn’t even escape from development hell.
Channing Tatum spent close to a decade trying to get Gambit off the ground to no avail, and the actor has reiterated on a number of occasions that it still haunts him. Several directors cycled through the project, and it came close to getting in front of cameras a couple of times, but in the end the Disney’s takeover of Fox turned out to be the final nail in the coffin.
However, Ryan Reynolds has an awful lot of celebrity friends, and Tatum just so happens to be one of them. Not only that, but he also made an extended and uncredited cameo appearance in last year’s Free Guy, while John Krasinski’s cameo as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness highlighted that Marvel isn’t above blatant fan service casting when the need arises.
Combine those three elements together, and there’s no reason why we couldn’t see Tatum swing by as Gambit in Deadpool 3, even if it’s only for a quick gag at his expense.
