Foul-mouthed mercenary Wade Wilson gained a regenerative healing factor through brutal experimentation. His Fox universe films are essential viewing before Deadpool & Wolverine, which officially fold him into the MCU multiverse.
Wade Wilson exists in a category of his own. Created in the Fox X-Men universe and defined by fourth-wall-breaking metahumour, his two solo films (2016, 2018) are R-rated comedies built around a character who treats his own fictional status as a given. The films are simultaneously parodies of the superhero genre and sincere genre entries — a balance Ryan Reynolds maintained by treating Deadpool's emotional throughline (the relationship with Vanessa, the cancer diagnosis, the search for belonging) with genuine seriousness beneath the irreverence.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) is the character's MCU arrival and one of the most structurally ambitious films in the franchise: a movie that exists explicitly because of the Disney–Fox merger, uses the TVA established in Loki to fold the Fox universe into the MCU multiverse, and turns Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's real-world friendship into its emotional core. The film requires no prior MCU knowledge for casual viewers, but rewards it significantly — every Fox Marvel reference carries weight if you know what it's saying goodbye to. Watch the two Fox Deadpool films first for full context.
Deadpool
Wade Wilson's origin as Deadpool. Deadpool & Wolverine (Doomsday-essential) is the direct payoff — you'll appreciate it far more having seen this.
1h 48m
Deadpool 2
Vanessa is killed at the start. Cable arrives from the future. Deadpool forms X-Force (most die immediately). Sets up the found-family theme that carries into Deadpool & Wolverine.
1h 59m
Deadpool & Wolverine
The TVA is erasing the Fox universe. Wade and Logan must save it. They defeat Cassandra Nova and save the Fox timeline — which is why the entire original X-Men cast can appear in Doomsday. This film is the bridge.
2h 8mDeadpool appears in 3 titles — 3 movies and 0 TV series — totalling 5.9 hours: Deadpool, Deadpool 2, Deadpool & Wolverine.
Follow the story order shown above, which tracks the in-universe timeline. Start with Deadpool and end with Deadpool & Wolverine for the best narrative experience.
1 of Deadpool's appearances are marked essential: Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Mark every appearance as watched, plan your marathon, and know exactly when you'll be ready for Doomsday.
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