Deadpool 3 Easter Egg Might Confirm a Major Avengers 5 Theory

Something is amiss in Marvel’s multiverse, and its fate seems to be resting in the capable hands of Wade Wilson. The mercenary otherwise known as Deadpool is back for an all-new adventure, this time with Marvel Studios. Since Marvel’s parent company, Disney, acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, Deadpool’s native cinematic universe has been annexed. That’s left a trail of loose ends for the merc to resolve, at least according to his upcoming adventure, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool has been pulled out of space and time for his latest task. The Time Variance Authority introduced in Loki needs his help, and while Wade is all too happy to crown himself “Marvel Jesus” and save the multiverse, fate likely has other plans. The first trailer for Deadpool 3 doesn’t give away much, but it does offer us a glimpse into the conflict to come. Our hero is nearly recruited by the TVA, evidently to save the multiverse from itself, before Wade seems to go rogue and teams up with none other than Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

Of course, their friendship will be hard-won. The trailer’s final moments tease a duel of epic proportions... and they might also include an Easter egg for the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars. While Wade lies on the ground recovering from his bout with Wolverine, fans spotted a copy of one of Marvel’s most popular comics. Secret Wars #5, written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Esad Ribic, rests at the edge of the frame. Its placement seems deliberate, especially considering the secrecy shrouding Deadpool 3 before now. But what does this actually mean for the film and its role in the MCU?

Hickman’s run of Secret Wars dealt with the effect of incursions. These are caused when two universes collide, and in the comic event, multiple incursions rendered the multiverse beyond repair. Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom stepped in to salvage what remained, creating one big planet called Battleworld where Marvel’s heroes, villains, and all their surviving variants existed simultaneously. Secret Wars #5 essentially explains how he did it: with the help of Owen Reece, aka Molecule Man. Reece’s role in the multiverse is a bit too complicated to explain in one sitting, and it might not be relevant in the Marvel films to come. But with a new Fantastic Four film on the way, a Doom reference can’t be brushed away that easily.

Given Deadpool’s track record, it’s hard to say whether the inclusion of a Secret Wars comic is a genuine Easter egg or more of a tongue-in-cheek misdirection. Deadpool’s creative team has to assume fans will be poring over the trailers with a fine-tooth comb, so is this particular reference meant to trip us up, or tease a genuine conflict? Fantastic Four will debut in 2025, followed by a Secret Wars film in 2027. With so much to do and very little time to do it, it would make sense to seed the introduction of Doom in Deadpool 3. Marvel has laid some groundwork for incursions in Loki, The Marvels, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but for the MCU to truly adapt Hickman’s 2015 comic, things need to get a whole lot weirder than they are right now, and Deadpool 3 is uniquely poised to make that happen.

If we’re truly meant to take this all at face value, then Deadpool 3 could introduce Doom as Marvel’s next Big Bad. Fans caught a glimpse of a masked and hooded figure in the trailer who bears a passing resemblance to Doom’s quintessential comic book look... but it can’t be that easy, can it? Probably not, but the real Doom could just as easily pop up at some point. Marvel still needs to fill the void Kang the Conquerer left in his wake, and Doom feels like the most natural alternative. We likely won’t know the truth until Deadpool 3 hits theaters, but its first trailer has already given fans plenty to chew on.

Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26.