Ryan Reynolds is rumored to returning as Deadpool

It appears that the X-Men will be getting the same kind of all-encompassing Hollywood treatment that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) created. With a Deadpool movie coming in early 2016, followed by the highly-anticipated X-Men: Apocalypse, the executive producer of the film franchise has confirmed that a larger universe is at play.

The MCU, as both a blockbuster franchise and unique storytelling creation, is something that all the other comic book franchises are struggling to catch up with, from X-Men to Sony’s Amazing Spider-Man series, and even to the DC Comics Universe. X-Men franchise producer Simon Kinberg said recently that he’s drawn inspiration from the huge MCU to bring all of the X-Men movies together, just as the disparate Marvel movies adding up to The Avengers (2012), but still retaining their original independence. While the Deadpool spinoff may not be directly related to Apocalypse, it will expand the universe much farther than could have happened without it.

Fans have been calling for a Deadpool movie ever since Ryan Reynolds appeared as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. Viewers will remember the post credit scene where a decapitated Deadpool opens his eyes and stares directly at the audience, opens his previously sealed lips and says “Shh,” calling back to the comic book Deadpool’s tendency to break through the fourth wall. It’s hard to predict what exactly happened to Deadpool after that, but whatever happens, the X-Men franchise will be all the more lucrative with this fan favorite finally returning.

Whether or not Deadpool will actually appear in X-Men: Apocalypse will remain up to debate until plot details are released. But, with a cinematic universe at play, viewers are more likely to view all the X-Men movies with a new eye toward looking for Easter eggs and possible plot lines to be played out with Deadpool or the cast of X-Men Apocalypse, or both.