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What's the Endgame of the running joke about Deadpool and Wolverine asking for Doomsday roles?

After an appearance by Hugh Jackman and (kinda) Ryan Reynolds at D23, we're wondering what the punchline to this ongoing MCU joke is going to be

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Mon Aug 17 2026

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So... what's going on with Deadpool and Wolverine? Not the billion-dollar buddy-flick that proved Marvel Studios can make an R-rated movie, I'm talking about its titular characters, who can't seem to decide if they're going to appear in Avengers: Doomsday or not. See, neither Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds were part of that 4-hour casting reveal or the trailers that have appeared ever since, but both have appeared in conjunction with major Doomsday announcements in the past couple weeks, only to...

Ask for a role?

We're bringing this up because, as you probably have heard about over the weekend, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds made something of a remote appearance at 2026's D23 in Anaheim. As you can see from Deadline's social media, Jackman appeared in a purposefully half-hearted video asking to "round out the cast," of what he then admitted was an already stacked movie. Then at the end of the clip, Jackman (with Reynolds's coaching), says he'll try to convince the cinematic Wade Wilson to join him in Avengers: Doomsday.

So what's the deal? Was this an announcement of their involvement or not?

Because if so, it makes Reynolds appearance in costume at SDCC last month kinda weird, because his brief moment during the Hall H presentation ended with Robert Downey Jr himself - the next Big Bad from Marvel Comics - telling him that there was no spot in Doomsday. Many fans interpreted this as confirmation that Reynolds will return in Avengers: Secret Wars, so to hear him and Jackman talk so forwardly about Doomsday at D23 made the two appearances seem to contradict.

Whatever the case, we won't have too terribly long to find out the truth - Avengers: Doomsday comes to theaters December 18.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.