Every Way Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Could Return In Deadpool 3

We've known for some time that Ryan Reynolds has been working on a third "Deadpool" movie. Together with "Zombieland" writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, the actor/gin peddler/Welsh football team co-owner continued to work on the project even after Fox was purchased by the Walt Disney Company. Except. now that the film rights for the Merc with a Mouth and the other X-Men characters were reunited with the likes of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Defenders, the fan-favorite character is finally able to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shortly after that, Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin were tapped to work on a draft of the script and filmmaker Shawn Levy signed on to direct. But there has been radio silence since then.

That all changed when Reynolds popped up on our social media timelines on a random Tuesday to announce that Hugh Jackman would reprise his role of Wolverine for "Deadpool 3." Considering the last time True Believers saw the character on the big screen was in "Logan," which was a beautiful send-off for the character and the actor who played him for so many years, it's hard to imagine just how the man once known as James Howlett will be able to cross paths with Wade Wilson.

To make it easier, we've come up with a few different explanations for how this return could be possible. Ranging from logical to far-fetched, these possibilities may seem a little out there, but the important thing to remember here is that anything can happen in the multiverse.

Speaking of the multiverse, while Jackman is returning to play Wolverine in "Deadpool 3," neither he nor Reynolds were specific enough to say which Wolverine he was going to play. There's a possibility that this Logan may look and sound like the one Wade met back in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but he could be from a different universe entirely. Maybe this one lived happily ever after with Jean Grey. Maybe he's from the timeline that didn't fix history in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Or maybe this version of Wolverine didn't go through the Weapon X program and doesn't know Deadpool at all. 

Considering that Variants are popping up all over the MCU these days, it's well within the realm of possibility that the character Jackman is returning to play is from another universe that we haven't seen yet. Plus, it would definitely spice up that DP/Wolvie road trip that's been teased in the past if this iteration of Logan isn't familiar with Wade's whole schtick.

It would truly be a shame if Wolverine's appearance in "Deadpool 3" retconned "Logan." The Academy Award-nominated film by James Mangold is highly regarded by fans and critics alike, so to remove that from MCU continuity or flat-out ignore it would be ridiculous. I mean, it can't really be overwritten unless that branch was clipped by the TVA, but it seems like that universe has been around long enough to solidify its place in the multiverse.

Either way, assuming that "Logan" is part of the Sacred Timeline, then why can't "Deadpool 3" pull an "Avengers: Endgame" and travel back in time? Somehow, Wilson could come across a younger Logan from the time between "X-Men: The Last Stand" (which was altered thanks to "DOFP") and "Logan." That way, Jackman could participate in a few more action-heavy sequences and badass fight scenes before he presumably hangs up the claws for good after this movie. (But with "Avengers: Secret Wars" on the horizon, never say never.)

As we saw in "WandaVision" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," there's some incredibly powerful magic out there in the MCU, and not just anyone can wield it — we're looking at you, Donny Blaze. But Deadpool occasionally has some straight-up dumb luck. Things just work out for him sometimes, especially if he's using his fourth-wall-breaking abilities. So it's entirely possible that he's still alive during the events of "Logan" and he finds some kind of magic solution to bring Wolverine back to life. 

Of course, it would require the assistance of an extremely powerful witch, wizard, or some other kind of magical entity so they can harness the kind of dark magic required to raise someone from the dead. So whether that means consulting the current Sorcerer Supreme, the Scarlet Witch, Morgan Le Fay, or Illyana Rasputina AKA Magik, there's probably somebody out there who can help Deadpool raise the dead. That said, it would likely come at a steep price that he may not be willing to pay, and that would definitely get darker than "Deadpool 3" is likely looking to be.

Alternatively, Wade could take this idea more literally by digging up Wolverine and playing "Weekend At Bernie's" with his body. That's totally something Deadpool would do.

Another explanation for Wolverine's return could be that he hasn't actually returned at all. Instead, he could just be a figment of Wade Wilson's imagination. Hugh Jackman could be returning to play a Logan that only exists in Deadpool's head to give the assassin advice or perspective about whatever happens to be going on in the movie. It could even be an exaggerated version of Wolverine that says Bub way too much because that's what Wade thinks his former colleague sounds like. Then, to everyone else around him, it looks like the dude in the red suit is just talking to himself.

To take it a step further, Logan could appear like a Force ghost from "Star Wars." Disney owns Marvel and Lucasfilm, so any Yoda or Mace Windu jokes are absolutely fair game. 

But yet another route they could take along the same lines could be inspired by the 2012 comic series "Deadpool" by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, Tony Moore, and Val Staples. In that story, Deadpool was working with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Emily Preston to hunt down an army of zombie presidents. (Yes, like FDR, JFK, etc.) 

At one point, Agent Preston is attacked by zombie George Washington. To save her consciousness, a fellow agent and semi-amateur magic user known as the Necromancer transfers it into Wade Wilson's brain because there's "more than enough room" in there. Eventually, Preston's essence gets transferred into a Life Model Decoy, but there were a number of issues where she and Deadpool occupied the same body. "Deadpool 3" could totally take a similar route if they're looking to get real weird.

Finally, the last possibility (that I could think of) to explain why Wolverine is in "Deadpool 3" comes down to one word: Skrulls. 

The shape-shifting aliens were first introduced in the MCU by way of "Captain Marvel," set in 1995, and they've been working closely with Nick Fury ever since. However, as we'll see in the upcoming Disney+ series "Secret Invasion," a group of rogue Skrulls are on a mission to infiltrate Earth's society and take over. They're going to target high-profile individuals that could help them get into all corners of our world. When it comes to the mutant community, one of the most powerful and resilient mutants is Wolverine. If the Skrulls were looking to pose as a mutant to get close to Professor Charles Xavier or Magneto or some other important mutant leader, Wolverine might be the guy to disguise yourself as in order to do so.

Deadpool could come into play because he probably doesn't know about Skrulls. In his mind, when his old buddy Wolverine asks to go on a road trip to the X-Manor, Wade just thinks he's doing a friend a solid. By the third act, Nick Fury and Talos could get Wade to wise up, and the three of them spend the third act kicking Skrull ass.

Admittedly, since "Deadpool 3" is set to come out on September 6, 2024, and "Secret Invasion" has been scheduled for some time in 2023, things might not line up perfectly. But again, anything is possible in the multiverse.