The Real Reason Marvel Cut Gambit's Deadpool & Wolverine Post-Credits Scene

"Deadpool & Wolverine" was so positively stuffed with Easter eggs, cameos, and the Merc with a Mouth's usual wanton hijinks that it's hardly surprising that some choice bits got left on the cutting room floor. Fans of specific characters might've felt a tad burned three months ago knowing that their favorite folks got short shrift on the big screen, but everyone should know by now that these moments will eventually be included at the very least as deleted scenes on the Blu-ray and digital releases, if not added in an extended cut. And when it comes to the "Deadpool" franchise, you have to know that star, co-writer and producer Ryan Reynolds cares deeply about how his movies play as a whole. His job is to make a great superhero film, not offer up unmitigated fan service.

Still, now that we know Gambit was supposed to make it out of the Void, wouldn't it have made sense to include that sliver of incident somewhere prominent in the theatrical cut (like, say, in the background on the Time Variance Authority monitors)? After all, it leaves open the possibility for Channing Tatum having further adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and, just maybe, a shot at finally making the standalone Gambit movie that got kiboshed at 20th Century Fox.

According to "Deadpool & Wolverine" editor Shane Reid, the decision to exclude Gambit's escape was not arrived at lightly.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Reid explained that once the Legacy reel (the behind-the-scenes footage from the Fox films that plays as a bittersweet farewell to an up-and-down series of Marvel movies) had been cut, he and the film's other creatives knew that would, in classic Deadpool fashion, strike a heartfelt note that would then be immediately undermined by our hero popping up post-credits with video footage of Chris Evans' Johnny Storm delivering his profanity-laced rant about Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). This left the Gambit moment feeling out of place.

As Reid told Screen Rant:

"[...][W]e knew that we had this really wonderful mic-drop-coda with Johnny Storm that was going to close the film out. I think the Gambit Sparkle Circle feels like a traditional Marvel coda, and I think what these guys were always trying to do was sort of subvert the audience's expectations in that sense."

Reid added that the scene was "in at times and out," but that Reynolds ultimately thought it would be fun to drop Gambit's Sparkle Circle moment later on through social media. As for whether Tatum's Gambit will ever return to the MCU, Reynolds has said that he'd love to bring the character back for more fun with Deadpool. Whether that means a solo film, however, is up to Bob Iger and Kevin Feige. So, if you're a Gambit superfan, that's where your politely phrased letters exhorting these bozos to get off their money-stained mitts and greenlight the movie should go.