Warning: Minor Spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way HomeEver since Tony Stark snapped half of the universe back into existence and sent Thanos and his band of merry villains packing, things have been crazier than ever in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thanks to Marvel reacquiring all of their properties and characters from Fox, the team behind the largest cinematic universe in history is now allowed to go even bigger and bolder than ever before by incorporating all prior Marvel movies and adding them into the official MCU canon.

With the recent success of Spider-Man: No Way Home truly embracing the concept of the multiverse by bringing back beloved web-slingers Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield from the first two Spider-Man film franchises, it seems Marvel is finally leaning in and going full-tilt in bringing some of their long-awaited characters to the MCU. The latest trailer for the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirmed what fans had suspected about some of the Fox properties that Marvel took back – a.k.a. the arrival of the X-Men in the form of Charles Xavier/Professor X himself. Unfortunately, one of the most beloved X-Men, Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds), claims he won’t be making an appearance. But that doesn’t mean he won’t.

Reynolds Takes the Maguire/Garfield Route

     Sony Pictures Releasing

Despite the X-Men (or at the very least, one of them) reportedly making appearances in Doctor Strange 2, Reynolds has insisted that the merc with a mouth isn’t going to be buddying up with the Sorcerer Supreme anytime soon. In fact, while speaking to Variety about his recent film The Adam Project, Reynolds was specifically asked about Deadpool possibly making an appearance in Doctor Strange 2, and he responded by saying, “I guess I’m really not supposed to say anything about that, but I’m really not in the movie.” When pressed further and asked if he could be lying, Reynolds doubled down and swore that he wouldn’t be featured in the film by stating, “I’m promising, I’m not in the movie.”

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Now, this wouldn’t be the first time that an MCU actor lied about not appearing in a film (and it assuredly wouldn’t be the last) as actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both swore on their hands and knees that they wouldn’t appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Audiences now know that not only was that complete rubbish but the former Spidey’s actually had significant plot-related roles instead of just cameos. Take into account Charlie Cox lying about his character Daredevil/Matt Murdock also not making an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which he did. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Reynolds is just taking a roundabout way of pleading the 5th.

Deadpool Might Not Appear, but His Voice Might

     Marvel Studios 

Regardless of Reynolds insisting that Deadpool won’t be in Doctor Strange 2, his interview with Variety does have a telling piece of information that eagle-eyed fans of the MCU could very easily read into. During the interview, after being pressed about potentially lying, Reynolds starts his quote by saying, “I could be an unreliable narrator,” before concluding with his promise of not making an appearance. This could just be Reynolds poking fun at his own sarcastic brand of comedy… or perhaps he’s subtly hinting at something further.

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Fans not as familiar with the sneakiness of the MCU might just take the comment as a witty jab at Deadpool’s nickname (Merc with a Mouth) or take it as a joke at his most-notable superpower of being able to break the fourth wall and talk to the audience. However, the recent trailer for Doctor Strange 2 shows the titular character traveling through a multitude of different universes. So, with the X-Men already rumored to appear, it wouldn’t be that far of a stretch to have the very recognizable voice of Reynolds pop in for a quick narration-cameo while Stephen is falling in and out of different realities. It would be an easy, comedic, and believable way to bring Deadpool into the fold without cramming an extra cameo into a film that will assuredly have plenty to go around.

Other Ways Deadpool Could Appear

     Marvel Studios

Even if Reynolds’ comments are nothing but banter and his potential voice-cameo is just speculation, there are still other ways that Deadpool could cameo in the film, despite his promises of not appearing. Another shot from the recent Doctor Strange 2 trailer shows Strange falling out of an animated universe (even though the film is live-action), and it wouldn’t be hard to picture an animated Deadpool (still voiced by Reynolds) showing up just long enough to make a quick joke about the Sorcerer Supreme being in a pickle.

Another possibility would be to have Deadpool appear in a comedic after-credits scene, just like he did in the original Deadpool. Multiverse of Madness is geared up to be a full-on superhero-horror story. With slightly lighter material like Ms. Marvel and Thor 4 following the film, it could be in Marvel’s best interest to let the comedic Deadpool walk the audience back to the lighter side of the MCU after darker projects like Moon Knight and Doctor Strange 2.