Deadpool's wild MCU return isn't at all what we expected

After a sustained period of so-called superhero fatigue, Deadpool & Wolverine put the Marvel Cinematic Universe back on the map, reigniting fan interest.

There were other supporting elements that helped contribute, namely the axing of Kang as the saga’s villain and the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as replacement Doctor Doom.

It was Deadpool & Wolverine though that raked in the box office dollars, so you can perhaps understand why Marvel is in the midst of shoehorning Deadpool into every project and promo possible.

He’s unexpectedly become the face of Disney Plus which is funny considering that it wasn’t too long ago that Deadpool didn’t even fall under the Disney banner.

The character’s latest appearance came during the season three finale of What If…?, which also serves as the show’s final season.

And while it’s hardly surprising to see Deadpool surface in What If…? given what I’ve said above, this latest iteration of the character is, fair to say, rather unexpected.

Yet to dive into What If…?’s third season? All episodes are now available to stream on Disney Plus.

I’m going to be addressing spoilers for season three finale ‘What If … What if?’ from here on out.

The closing of the season finale featured a montage of unexplored ideas. For example, what if Thanos had Wolverine’s adamantium claws?

Personally, I don’t find that all that interesting of a concept but I suppose that’s why it was relegated to this montage and not given its own episode.

The sequence also made reference to a samurai version of Ghost Rider, a mash-up of Blade and Moon Knight, and a combination of The Punisher and Ironheart.

As for Deadpool’s appearance, well, it appears that What If…? has merged the character with Cable - but specifically a 90s comic accurate version of Cable.

The iteration we see of Deadpool during the montage is carrying a heavy arsenal on his back, much like Cable did during the 90s.

You can see canons, rifles, shotguns, and katanas all being carried by the superhero.

As for what his intentions are, I’m afraid we don’t know.

What if Deadpool sought ultimate power? What if Deadpool destroys the MCU? The creators of What If…? could have been pondering an infinite number of ideas.

Still, it’s nice to see Deadpool once again included in the MCU and I can only assume that we’ll comfortably be able to look forward to plenty more appearances.