This Fantastic Four Detail from Deadpool & Wolverine Suddenly Makes Sense

Deadpool & Wolverine has continued to make waves at the box office, amassing over $1 billion in just three weekends. Recently, we explored various aspects of Deadpool 3 including its ingenious Avengers connection, the Spider-Man mystery, and critical plot points that Marvel needs to address.

One Fantastic Four detail in the movie caught our attention, leaving us puzzled initially. Although it’s not a plot hole, it’s an intriguing Easter egg that Marvel included to tie Deadpool & Wolverine and The Fantastic Four into the Multiverse Saga.

Since Deadpool & Wolverine premiered, Disney’s D23 2024 event has provided additional context. During the event, Marvel showcased several trailers, including one for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This leaked trailer sheds light on the significant Fantastic Four Easter egg in Deadpool & Wolverine. For those yet to watch Deadpool 3, be warned of upcoming spoilers.

One of the standout cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine is Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. Initially mistaken for a Captain America variant, Storm reveals himself as the Human Torch variant from Fox’s original Fantastic Four film. This was a clever twist that amused audiences and even fooled Deadpool, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds.

In subsequent scenes, Deadpool, Johnny, and Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, are captured. As they’re transported to Cassandra Nova, Johnny explains that they’re in the Void, a concept first introduced in Loki season one. The Void is where pruned individuals and universes reside, dodging Alioth and Cassandra to survive.

This particular Johnny Storm’s Fantastic Four no longer exist, but Johnny mentions that Reed Richards, also known as Mr. Fantastic, had knowledge of the Void as “a metaphysical junkyard.” He described it as a place where the TVA sends people who don’t fit into the multiverse.

How did Fox’s Reed Richards know about the multiverse? This question led me to recall Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where another Reed Richards, played by John Krasinski, understood the multiverse’s intricacies and its dangers.

It’s plausible that different Reed Richards variants from alternate realities could discover the multiverse independently. Various characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have come to similar conclusions. For instance, in Loki, Kang variants engaged in a war for multiverse dominance. In What If…?, an Ultron variant discovered the multiverse on its own.

Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen respectively, are also aware of the multiverse. The Avengers discovered it during the events of Infinity War and Endgame, albeit unknowingly as they believed they were merely traveling through time to retrieve the Infinity Stones.

Initially, I thought Johnny Storm’s line in Deadpool & Wolverine was just another layer of multiverse exposition. However, the leaked trailer for The Fantastic Four introduced a new Reed Richards, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, who is just beginning to theorize about alternate universes.

This revelation suggests that the MCU’s Fantastic Four might explore the multiverse rather than space. Johnny’s mention of Reed’s theories in Deadpool & Wolverine indicates that most Reed variants are sharp enough to figure out the multiverse and take proactive steps.

Pascal’s Reed is at the nascent stage of multiverse discovery, while Krasinski’s Reed has a more profound understanding of it. The Fantastic Four reboot, set in the 1960s in an alternate reality, aims to narrate the story of the MCU’s Fantastic Four. These heroes will eventually cross paths with Earth-616’s Avengers.

They’ll be pivotal in the battle against villains like Doctor Doom or another antagonist in Secret Wars. Their advanced knowledge of the multiverse might be crucial for the Avengers’ success.