Disney CEO Bob Iger wants to keep making Deadpool sequels, now that the company owns Fox. The big deal everyone was bracing for finally happened this morning. Disney officially announced they acquired Fox for a hefty price, and in doing so, Marvel Studios is getting access to the X-Men, plus the Fantastic Four. Fans have been looking forward to such a deal for years, but no one anticipated this would be the way it would go down.

One of the biggest questions fans plaguing the minds of fans was what the future will hold for Fox’s R-rated X-Men properties, specifically Deadpool. The growing concern of Disney - a very family friendly studio - owning these properties led many to wonder if Ryan Reynolds’ days as the Merc With a Mouth are numbered. Thankfully, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Speaking to the press about the Disney/Fox deal (including WSJ’s Ben Fritz), Iger was receptive to the possibility of more Deadpool sequels, saying “There may be an opportunity for an R-rated Marvel brand as long as we let audiences know what’s coming.” Not only does it sound like Iger is open to Disney broadening their library and the MPAA ratings of certain titles, but he specifically mentions Deadpool as being a franchise they they intend to continue in that direction.

This statement from Iger, while not an official statement of their plans, certainly is a step in the right direction. Fox has enjoyed great success of late thanks to their venture into R-rated superhero movies, so it’s easy to see why Disney would be hesitant to shut that down. Iger specifically mentioning a future for Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth is good news for the long-term plans that Deadpool 2 may set in motion. Plus, it should ease any concerns Reynolds may have personally about the deal.

The question will soon become whether another Deadpool movie will immediately be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any sequel or future appearance from Deadpool after his sequel won’t come until the MCU is in Phase 4, and by that time this deal should be officially finalized and approved. Marvel Studios has yet to show any interest in making R-rated movies, so future Deadpool movies from Disney may wind up falling under a separate banner altogether.

That said, all future Deadpool films will be released by Disney, so even though they could still be R-rated, they may not push the envelope quite as much. Deadpool is an incredibly violent and raunchy character, and if he is going to interact with the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange down the road, then he may be watered down before then in order to make a PG-13 appearance less jarring. However, that might be a difficult thing to do, so hopefully any and all future Deadpool sequels from Disney will maintain the same R-Rated feel.

MORE: Disney Will Pay Billions If Fox Deal is Blocked

Source: Ben Fritz

  • Deadpool 2 Release Date: 2018-05-18 New Mutants Release Date: 2020-08-28 X-Men: Dark Phoenix Release Date: 2019-06-07