It is almost time for Deadpool and his reluctant companion, Wolverine, to make their streaming debut on The Walt Disney Company’s Disney+. But for streamer, which launched in 2019, it will mark a huge milestone.
Deadpool & Wolverine in the MCU
In late July, the Marvel Cinematic Universe gained its arguably most exciting project in recent memory. Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) had been touted as the MCU’s savior, an explosive Multiversal adventure that would potentially reboot the ailing franchise.
A reboot the Marvel movie was not–at least in the sense many anticipated–but it did create buzz for the MCU not seen since Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and the movie that caught its tailwind, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
With Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the leading roles, the Merc with a Mouth and the adamantium-clawed mutant cleaved their way to the top of the box office. Levy’s movie currently stands at an impressive $1.331 billion, with $633 million coming from domestic markets per Box Office Mojo.
Its impressive tally makes it the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, surpassing 2019’s Joker and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer epic from last year. Deadpool & Wolverine became the House of Mouse’s second billion-dollar hit in 2024, behind Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2 (2024).
The Pixar sequel secured its own milestone, too, surpassing Frozen II (2019) to claim the highest-grossing animated movie of all time title.
Deadpool & Wolverine‘s allure lay in its partnership of two fan-favorite Marvel characters as well as its callback to the legacy of Fox’s own superhero franchise. Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, including its 20th Century Fox banner (which it later renamed 20th Century Studios), in 2019 and subsequently abandoned projects already in motion.
Those projects included the third movie in the Deadpool franchise, as well as an X-Force movie, which the writers of Tim Miller (Deadpool) and David Letich’s (Deadpool 2) films, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, said was going to take the series in a new direction.
At the time, Reese stated that Deadpool 3 was set to be a quieter adventure, while X-Force would be an action blockbuster more akin to the previous entries.
Regardless of previous plans, Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios struck gold with what Deadpool 3 finally became (which Shawn Levy described as a clear two-hander and not “Deadpool 3”).
When will Deadpool & Wolverine start streaming on Disney+?
Now, almost three months on, many are wondering just when Deadpool & Wolverine will be made available to Disney+ subscribers. The answer? No one knows just yet, although if it follows the recent theater-to-streamer trajectory for the MCU–which is 89 days from release to Disney+–then the movie could be arriving as soon as October 23.
With its small-screen streaming debut unknown, one thing is clear: Deadpool & Wolverine will make Disney+ history when it lands.
Deadpool & Wolverine Will be History-Making
As The Direct reports, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first-ever Disney-distributed R-rated movie release to arrive on Disney+. There are other R-rated movies–such as Deadpool (2016), Logan (2017), and Deadpool 2 (2018)–on the streamer, but they, of course, were distributed by 20th Century Fox.
R-rated movies can be found across the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, and Deadpool & Wolverine will add to Disney’s growing catalog of adult-only content. As the House of Mouse reckons with an ever-changing entertainment landscape, it is seemingly finding itself at a crossroads of what content it should make and distribute and for what audiences.
Related: Parents Furious Over R-Rated ‘Deadpool’ Experience at Disney Parks
In the simplest sense, this year is proof that Disney fans are varied–and, in a lot of cases, also one and the same. Inside Out 2, a very kid-friendly and family-accessible movie, landed, and then, on the other hand, so did Deadpool & Wolverine. This combination may be a tactic that the Mouse House carries forward in a more strategic fashion moving forward.
That said, Inside Out 2—while at its core a family movie—did attract a heavy Gen Z and Millennial viewership, as AdAge notes.
With Deadpool & Wolverine about to make what is likely to be a large splash on Disney+, Disney parents might want to make sure their parental guidance settings are up to date.
Deadpool & Wolverine as an MCU reboot?
In the months prior to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s release, the MCU movie was touted as being a soft-reboot for the MCU, which had meandered through its Phase Five with nothing but James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) keeping it alive.
However, even with reports of “Anchor Beings” and the Time Variance Authority’s (TVA) involvement, Deadpool & Wolverine was mostly a self-contained story, being–for the most part–an epilogue of sorts for the now defunct Fox superhero franchise.
Many classic characters like Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), X-23 (Dafne Keen), and Blade (Wesley Snipes) concluded their legacy in Levy’s movie–although some were given a chance at a future in the MCU.
A big element of Deadpool & Wolverine was its cameos, and there was a barrage of talent involved in the Deadpool Corps–the clan of Merc with a Mouth Variants that arrived in the final act of the Marvel film.
Leading the charge was Lady Deadpool, or Ladypool as she became known, and while many thought music icon Taylor Swift was in the suit, it turned out to be Hollywood actress (and Reynolds’ wife) Blake Lively (It Ends With Us).
Joining Lively in the Deadpool throng were hers and Reynolds’ children, Inez and Olin, who played Kidpool and Babypool, respectively. Percy Jackson actor and Reynolds’ The Adam Project (2022) co-star Walker Scobell was initially set to voice Kidpool, but puberty robbed him of the chance.
The most interesting story in the Deadpool Corps casting process was that Reynolds—who also plays the glossy-haired Nicepool—was set to voice Cowboypool. However, after a quick text to Matthew McConaughey, the actor was, in Shawn Levy’s own words, “fired.”
Related: ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’: Ryan Reynolds Reveals Actor Behind Top-Secret Cameo You Definitely Missed
Looking ahead, Phase Five of Kevin Feige’s MCU will end with Captain America: Brave New World (2025) in February and Thunderbolts* (2025) in May.
Phase Six will commence with the highly-anticipated The Fantastic Four: The First Steps (2025), which sees Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Susan Storm/Invisible Woman), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/Thing), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) making their MCU franchise debuts.
How do you feel about the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine coming to Disney+? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
