Disney has censored the upcoming Marvel Phase Five movie Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), revoking its R-rated status.
On July 26, 2024, Shawn Levy’s Deadpool vision will officially become a reality.
Boasting a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as the titular duo, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first time Fox’s X-Men franchise characters have headlined a Disney and Marvel Studios movie–not counting the surprise addition of Kelsey Grammer’s Hank McCoy/Beast in the mid-credits scene of Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023).
Judging by recent rumors and reports, as well as the official trailers themselves, Deadpool & Wolverine looks set to not only introduce Wade Wilson and Logan into Kevin Feige’s MCU but also reboot it.
From the inclusion of the Time Variance Authority to Wade Wilson’s proclamation that he is “Marvel Jesus” to the obvious Multiversal elements at play with reported mechanics like “The Anchor,” a rule that allegedly sees whole universes collapse after a Variant from that universe is killed in the Battleworld-style arena present in the film, major change is afoot.
Of course, answers won’t be revealed until the movie’s premiere this summer. Further reports from entertainment insiders have also surfaced regarding a “mind-blowing” post-credits scene. Marvel Studios is known for setting up entire story arcs in its mid and post-credits scene action, and it seems that Deadpool & Wolverine will be no different.
The third Deadpool movie will be different in the way that it will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first R-rated movie. Sure, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) dropped that surprise f-bomb, but no movie in the MCU has stretched past the PG-13 status since its inception.
Being from the 20th Century Fox era of superhero storytelling, Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) were R-rated, featuring foul language and gore. Levy’s new Marvel film will continue that journey, solidifying Disney CEO Bob Iger’s 2019 comments that they hoped to keep Deadpool as R-rated inside the MCU.
Even with two trailers–the first which debuted during Superbowl LVIII–that showcase what type of movie Deadpool & Wolverine will be, Disney has recently censored an iteration of its promotion, removing its R-rated status.
Per The Direct, the version of the first trailer that Marvel released for Deadpool & Wolverine has been made family-friendly on Disney+.
Instead of fans hearing the “pegging isn’t new to me” line in the trailer, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) instead says, “R-rating isn’t new to me.” The change officially reads, “The R-rating isn’t new for me, friendo. But it is for Disney.”
Another change comes in the form of an f-word removal, replacing “OH MY F—” with “O-M-G.”
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The changes made to this trailer on Disney+ show that Disney wants to promote the movie on its popular streaming platform without offending family-friendly audiences, its core customers.
Many may wonder whether a censored–or PG-13 version–of Deadpool & Wolverine may be released on Disney+ following its theatrical run, but both Tim Miller’s Deadpool and David Leitch’s Deadpool 2 are available on the platform in their R-rated glory.
Deadpool & Wolverine welcomes not only Reynolds and Jackman but also several other Deadpool franchise characters to the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Rob Delaney as Peter, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Shioli Kutsuna as Yukio, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus, and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar also appear.
Aaron Stanford and Jennifer Garner reprise their roles of John Allerdyce/Pyro and Elektra Natchios, respectively, from other Fox movies. Stanford first appeared in X2 (2003), while Garner starred alongside Ben Affleck’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Daredevil (2003).
Related: Marvel Officially Bans Deadpool, Now-Removed Star Speaks Out
Newcomers include Matthew Macfadyen as Time Variance Authority agent Mr. Paradox, who is seen bringing Wade Wilson into his Multiversal plan, and Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. Nova, who is Charles Xavier’s (AKA Professor X) sister in the Marvel Comics lore, will seemingly serve as the villain of the movie.
As for those rumored cameos, both Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been slated to appear. The former, who just released the chart-topping “The Tortured Poets Department” amid her record-breaking Eras Tour, is being eyed by fans to play Dazzler, while Lively could appear as Lady Deadpool.
Deadpool & Wolverine will be part of the MCU’s Phase Five, following on from The Marvels and preceding Captain America: Brave New World (2025), which releases on Valentine’s Day next year.
In the last few days, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed a major change to the studio’s distribution process following the decrease in quality with projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), The Marvels, and Secret Invasion. No more than three feature films will drop yearly, and no more than two Disney+ shows.
With four movies already on the 2025 slate, three with weight behind them (Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four), and one in development hell (Blade), will Marvel Studios once again shake up its schedule to comply with its new restrictions?
Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine arrives exclusively in movie theaters on July 26, 2024. Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese return to pen the script, teaming up with Levy, Reynolds, and Zeb Wells.
Will you be heading to see the MCU’s first R-rated movie this year? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
