Deadpool & Wolverine ending explained: Are they in the MCU now?

Deadpool & Wolverine’s ending may leave you with some burning questions about the MCU: is Earth-10005 safe, is Cassandra Nova dead, and will they return?

When we last saw Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth, he was “abusing” his newfound time-travel abilities with Cable’s temporal dial. In Deadpool and Wolverine, he’s eventually apprehended by the TVA… but for a different reason entirely.

He’s offered the chance to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because the TVA believes he has a higher purpose (although Mr Paradox doesn’t know what that is). Instead, he escapes to save his own world – the Fox universe.

After discovering that his universe’s Wolverine is actually dead, he steals one from another timeline. However, they both end up in the void and face off against Cassandra Nova.

Deadpool & Wolverine ending explained

Deadpool & Wolverine ends with the titular heroes together and living in peace in the Fox universe. Wade gets back together with Vanessa, Logan reunites with Laura (aka X-23), and the TVA takes Mr Paradox into custody after his Time Ripper shenanigans.

Wolverine convinces Cassandra Nova to let them return home and save her brother’s (Charles Xavier) world. They flee via a sling ring portal (just before Alioth arrives and swallows everyone up) and run into Mr Paradox, who can’t believe they managed to escape from the Void.

Unfortunately for him, things get worse quickly: Nova arrives through her own portal and kills Pyro after he confesses to trying to kill her for Paradox. She tells him she’s going to use the Time Ripper to “play god” and destroy every timeline until only the Void remains.

She blasts Deadpool and Wolverine into a shop, but before they can rush after them, they have to fight the Deadpool Corps, an army of bloodthirsty Deadpools from across the multiverse (including Lady Deadpool, Cowboy Deadpool, and Headpool).

Wolverine finally puts on his mask, and the duo take them all on. They emerge on the other side, forgetting they’ll all regenerate – but they’re saved when Peter shows up and tells them to stop, and it becomes clear that Peter is Deadpool’s favorite person in every universe.

This gives Deadpool and Wolverine a chance to stop Nova from using the Time Ripper, but it’ll come at a cost: according to Mr Paradox, the mixture of matter and anti-matter required to short the machine’s fuse pretty much guarantees their annihilation.

Wolverine volunteers, but Deadpool Armageddons him and pushes him to the side before locking the door. Yet, just as it seems Deadpool is about to fail, Wolverine bursts through and grabs the other cables, and together they manage to overpower the machine, kill Nova, and survive to tell the tale.

B-15 from Loki shows up, revealing Deadpool and Wolverine’s actions have saved their world from dying. Logan initially bids Wade farewell, but the film ends with them sitting with all their friends (including Blind Al, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Yukio).

Are Deadpool and Wolverine in the MCU now?

Yes, but also no: they’re in the wider MCU multiverse, but they’re not in the same world as Spider-Man and the Avengers.

When Deadpool arrives at the TVA, he discovers that his world is slowly falling apart after its “anchor being” died: Logan, aka our Wolverine. Mr Paradox says he can join Earth-616, the “Sacred Timeline”, and he sees several moments from the movies and TV shows.

However, not only does he choose to save his world instead of leaving it for the MCU, but he gets to stay in the Fox universe… which is now part of the MCU.

If that confuses you, it’s this simple: every Marvel movie (every Spider-Man film, The Punisher, and even F4NTASTIC) has been absorbed into the franchise via the multiverse.

So, to reiterate: Deadpool (and Wolverine) has joined the MCU, but he exists in his own universe, and he’ll no doubt be plucked out of it for the next Avengers movies in Phase 6.

Who dies?

Cassandra Nova is the biggest casualty of Deadpool and Wolverine, though there are several presumed deaths by the end of the film.

Nova dies after Deadpool and Wolverine short the fuse of the Time Ripper, causing matter and anti-matter to collide inside her body, and she explodes.

All of the major guest characters die, including Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Blade (Wesley Snipes), Elektra (Jennifer Garner), and Gambit (Channing Tatum).

The latter three join Deadpool and Wolverine’s charge against Nova’s base. They’re last seen smiling at the duo as they hop through the portal, with Alioth about to engulf the place in its cloud of death.

Johnny is killed off in one of the worst ways imaginable; in Wolverine’s words, he’d be screaming for death if he somehow survived.

Deadpool tells Nova that Johnny complained about her behind her back, but he did no such thing. It doesn’t matter, because Nova punishes him anyway… by snatching the skin and flesh from his bones like a tablecloth. He stays standing for a moment, before collapsing into a heap of bloody bones.

All of the Deadpool Corps survive, on account of their regenerative abilities. However, one variant dies: Nicepool, who doesn’t have the same powers as Wade or any of the other Deadpools. Nevertheless, Wade uses him as a human shield and his head gets blown off.

Oh, and Deadpool makes light work of a handful of nameless TVA agents in appallingly gruesome fashion. RIP.

What are Earth-616 and Earth-10005?

Earth-616 is the Sacred Timeline where the majority of the MCU takes place. Earth-10005 is the Fox universe, home to Deadpool and the X-Men timeline.

This is a subject of slight controversy. In the wider Marvel universe (films, TV shows, comics, and even games), different worlds have been assigned their own Earth numbers.

For example, the X-Men Animated series (and X-Men ’97) takes place on Earth-92131, while Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy unfolds on Earth-96283.

However, Earth-616 isn’t just any number: in the comics, it’s the prime universe; the center of everything. Crucially, it’s the home of several stories that haven’t been adapted in the MCU.

There’s also the fact that the MCU’s timeline was once described as Earth-199999 as recently as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. So, how can the MCU be Earth-616? It’s simple: because Kevin Feige says so.

The MCU is best perceived as a multiverse completely detached from the comics, so it can have its own “prime universe” without infringing on the wider Marvel franchise. In other words, it’s only confusing if you want it to be.

Why was Thor holding Deadpool?

Thor holding Deadpool may be a tease of his fate in Avengers: Secret Wars (should he appear), but here’s something you may not have noticed: it’s just an edited version of Loki’s death in Thor: The Dark World.

Deadpool doesn’t interact with any of the Avengers (unless you count Chris Evans, but he’s playing Johnny Storm). When he arrives at the TVA, he sees Captain America in The First Avenger, and a brief clip of Thor crying as he holds a bruised and bloodied Deadpool.

Deadpool asks for an explanation, but Mr Paradox doesn’t give him an answer. It’s likely a meaningless gag, but if the Merc with a Mouth joins Earth’s mightiest team, maybe he’ll finally die as the hero he believes he can be.

With the movie in cinemas now, check out our Deadpool & Wolverine review, our breakdown of the Marvel movies in order, and our ranking of the best superhero movies ever made.