Deadpool 3. That’s just what the movie is called, isn’t it? Ever since Fox released Deadpool 2 way back in the Before Times (before the Disney takeover, before COVID, before Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham… you choose) of 2018, Marvel fans have been eagerly awaiting a movie we’ve always known as Deadpool 3. But now that it’s almost here, we’re learning that we might have to adjust to a different name for it.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise given that we’re living in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, aka the saga that’s previously brought us such awkward appellations as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Apparently the days when a superhero film could be simply called Iron Man 2 are long behind us. Given the sharp subversive stylings of the Deadpool franchise, though, we can understand why Reynolds and company would want to have some fun with the title.
But what is the “real” name of Deadpool 3?
What is Deadpool 3 actually called?
As of Super Bowl Sunday, the official title of Deadpool 3 appears to be Deadpool & Wolverine. Despite early rumors suggesting that the title was Deadpool & Friend, the latest teaser trailer dropped by Marvel right at the start of the Super Bowl tells a different story.
Deadpool & Friend would have been an equally perfect title, in-character way for the movie to poke fun at Hugh Jackman’s much-anticipated return as Wolverine while also paying homage to Reynolds and Jackman’s beloved social media slinging matches. But if it’s the primary keywords Marvel is going for in the marketing build-up to this already highly-anticipated release, then Deadpool & Wolverine sums it up pretty darn nicely.
Marvel likely made a wise choice here, as with the meaningless Quantumania and, in particular, the too-generic The Marvels, Deadpool & Friend ran the risk of being too clever for its own good. It may be a controversial film, but DC’s Batman v Superman made $875 million back in the day thanks to that canny combination of superhero names. It might be a more boring title, but Deadpool and Wolverine could better suit the movie in the long-run. Folks are likely to flock to theaters to see it regardless, but Marvel’s box office performance in 2023 suggests that it’s not a given.
