Why wasn’t Spider-Man in Deadpool & Wolverine? Marvel & Sony deal explained
Marvel/SonyAudiences got to see plenty of MCU cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, but our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man didn’t make the cut. So, why didn’t Peter Parker show up?
It wasn’t an unfounded theory. Deadpool & Wolverine threw the Merc with a Mouth and his X-Men buddies into the multiverse, with an abundance of cameos and Easter eggs.
With so many characters showing up (Patch, Lady Deadpool, and more), it wasn’t completely insane if Spider-Man was to swing into the new movie one way or another… We even had our own theory going at one point.
But, alas, we were all wrong. Here’s everything you need to know about Spider-Man’s absence, and why Marvel and Sony’s odd relationship meant it was unlikely to ever happen.
Spider-Man wasn’t in Deadpool 3
Ultimately, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man does not show up in this movie. Neither does any version of Spidey (some fans thought Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield could make an appearance).
Spider-Man and Deadpool have a strong relationship across various Deadpool comic books, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before we see Peter and Wade team up in the MCU.
Deadpool’s Spider-Man reference explained
Fans spotted a reference to Spider-Man in the latest promo for Deadpool & Wolverine, in which Deadpool makes Spidey’s signature web-slinging hand gesture.
It takes place during a clip where Deadpool and Wolverine are in the car together, and Deadpool appears to mimic Spider-Man’s signature move.
You can see it for yourself below:
Because of this, fans thought Spider-Man himself might be showing up. Or at least, they hoped he would – maybe he could teach DP a thing or two! However, this turned out to be little more than a brief nod to the popular character.
Tom Holland was removed from Deadpool & Wolverine
In one early scene, there’s a shot that features the familiar photograph of Tony Stark and Peter Parker posing together. However, Tom Holland is carefully obscured, with only Robert Downey Jr. visible in the image.
It’s a photo shown a handful of times throughout the Marvel movies, as you can see below.
Marvel/DisneyIn the scene in question, the photograph is carefully angled to only show Tony Stark, with an Iron Man mask blocking Parker.
The fact the set design goes out of its way to hide Tom Holland’s face suggests Sony didn’t want to play ball when it came to licensing their character in the new Deadpool movie.
Sony and Disney are now under agreement when it comes to using Peter Parker in the MCU. However, they were probably not so hot on the idea of him being associated with the R-rated chaos of Deadpool.
For more, check out our guide to all the Deadpool variants and Wolverine variants from the movie. You can also learn about the cameos that did happen, like Henry Cavill’s Wolverine and Chris Evans’ return as Johnny Storm.