Almost no Marvel Comics character’s MCU debut has been anticipated more than Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which just opened in theaters, has fueled speculation that fan-favorite anti-hero Thanos might make an appearance.

When Deadpool was rumored to be featured in the Doctor Strange 2 poster that debuted with the film’s Super Bowl trailer in February, fans began to believe this. The Andrew Garfield incident from Spider-Man: No Way Home made it impossible to tell if Reynolds was lying about being in the movie, even when he vehemently denied that he was.

When Doctor Strange 2 opened, it was clear that Reynolds had kept his word, as there was no mention of Deadpool during Doctor Strange 2’s 126-minute running time. This freed Reynolds up to work on another project in the future. However, a new report suggests that it may not have always been the case following the release of the long-awaited sequel.

Deadpool in Doctor Strange 2?

According to James Clement, a podcaster for The Weekly Planet, Marvel had planned to include Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in Doctor Strange 2’s post-credits scene.

One of Clement’s sources told him that scenes for five different characters, including the MCU’s prime Baron Mordo, were shot but ultimately cut from the final version of the film. As he mentioned Magneto and a few other characters, he also mentioned Deadpool at the end of his remarks on the subject:

James Clement: “So somebody sent me a list of five characters that were going to be in this movie that were cut… So apparently, yeah, the Wanda killing MCU Mordo, that was real. That was going to happen. Michael Fassbender was going to turn up as Magneto… I said [to my source], ‘Were any of these filmed?’ And this person said, ‘Filmed but ultimately cut from the theatrical version,’ which is what my source relates… Balder the Brave as mentioned, though not given a name… Ghost Rider, which is very interesting as a member of the Illuminati…”

Nick Mason: “Oh, he was going to be in the Illuminati?”

James Clement: “Yeah, I guess? He was going to fight Wanda and probably die… and Deadpool was going to be in the post-credits scene.”

There Was Almost Another X-Men in Doctor Strange 2

The second post-credit scene in Doctor Strange 2 showed Bruce Campbell’s Pizza Poppa being freed from his painful spell. but the first post-credits scene in Doctor Strange 2 introduced fans to Charlie Theron’s Clea as she and Strange looked ahead to the Dark Dimension. No one knows for sure if Deadpool would have been in one of these scenes, but it’s fun to imagine what could have been.

Perhaps Wade Wilson was the one who jolted Campbell awake from his trance of self-punching? The multiversal madness could he have been in his own scene, breaking the fourth wall and commenting on? It’s possible that Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine found his way into the MCU so that Wade could kill him again, à la Deadpool 2.

Since Deadpool has been confirmed to be a part of the MCU for some time, it’s impossible to know how Marvel would have presented him during this post-credits scene. Even the head writer of Doctor Strange 2, Michael Waldron, confirmed that the anti-hero was once discussed for an appearance in Doctor Strange 2.