Why Deadpool Didn't Include Many X-Men

When Deadpool ripped into theaters earlier this summer, audiences went in wondering whether they would see any iconic X-Men cameo in the film - and they did not. The low-budget superhero flick decidedly avoided using characters like Cyclops or Professor X and opted for lesser-known heroes like Negasonic Teenage Warhead. The absence of the X-Men did not hurt the film's box office, but fans were curious as to why Deadpool refrained from using more popular heroes. Now, screenwriter Paul Wernick has answered those fans' question in full.

During a recent screening of Deadpool, Wernick admitted, "We didn't want to populate his world with X-Men. They're two separate franchises, and I think had we done that, we would have been making a mistake. Even if we did have the budget."

Fans shouldn't necessarily expect Deadpool 2 to feature those missing X-Men figureheads either. The much-anticipated sequel will have a large budget as its disposal, but Wernick said the team wants to approach the blockbuster as if it were still on a low budget. He said, "Going into the sequel, we are embracing this idea that it's a small budget movie. And we're not gonna populate it with the entire X-Men cast."

Clearly, the folks at 20th Century Fox want to keep Deadpool and the X-Men in separate corners for the time being. The studio has undeniable franchise potential with Deadpool, and no one wants to see its future weighed down by messy continuity. After all, 20th Century Fox has experienced previous growing pains with their once-touted X-Men films. The franchise debuted to commercial success but has gradually become more derided by fans because of its knotted timelines.

If Deadpool does break into the X-Men franchise, it would likely be done through an X-Force film. This year, rumors began swirling that folks were already working on Deadpool 3. Sources began reporting that Fox wanted the film to include the X-Force, a more militant and violent superhero team than Professor X's squad. Past members of the team include Deadpool, Cable, Cyclops, Domino while characters like Psylocke currently populate it.

Back in May, fans were teased with the possibility that Deadpool would mingle with his fellow mutants after Bryan Singer commented on the crossover's potential. "If you take a character as irreverent and meta as Deadpool and connect him to something as grounded and serious as X-Men, you have to do it carefully and gently," Singer told Variety. "When you drop them all in together it can be a disaster. That has to be done delicately, but there's plenty of room to do it."

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Moving forward, it seems like more and more X-Men figures will make their way into the Deadpool films to ease the latter's entrance into an already established universe. With so much money attached to Deadpool's irreverence, Fox would be amiss to keep the mercenary away from crossovers. At this point, fans feel like a Deadpool/X-Men mash-up will happen; It's just a matter of time.

Deadpool 2 is currently slated to land in theaters on March 2, 2018.

[H/T] The Playlist