Kevin Feige has confirmed that a third R-rated Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds is on the way as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to the Disney-Fox merger. This threequel will seemingly be part sequel following on from Fox’s Deadpool 2 and part reboot ingratiating ‘Pool into the larger MCU. The filmmakers should use this opportunity to bring back one key character whose on-screen portrayal was somewhat botched in the first two movies.
While she’s relegated entirely to a love interest role in the Deadpool movies, Vanessa Carlysle is a shapeshifting mutant in the comics. Her powers are similar to that of Mystique, but whereas Mystique can only change her appearance, Copycat can shapeshift on a genetic level. Unfortunately, she was killed off in Deadpool 2 before she had a chance to discover her superpowers and take on the mantle of Copycat. In the mid-credits sequence in Deadpool 2, Wade used Cable’s repaired time machine wristwatch to undo all the injustices in his life, like the deaths of the X-Force and starring in Green Lantern. One of the things he changed was Vanessa’s death. While this change would technically alter the entire course of Deadpool 2, it should be kept in the canon so Vanessa can become Copycat in the threequel.
In both the comics and the movie, Vanessa is a prostitute that Wade Wilson falls for. After he’s diagnosed with cancer, he breaks up with her. Where the two tellings of the story deviate is that, in the comics, the heartbroken Vanessa becomes a mercenary like Wade and discovers her own mutant powers, and in the movie, she becomes a stripper and later a damsel in distress that Wade needs to save in the final battle.
There was hope that Vanessa’s mutant abilities were being saved for the sequel, but the sequel killed her off in the opening scene. Before the opening credits have even rolled, a bunch of gangsters break into Wade’s apartment and shoot Vanessa dead. This death was rightly accused of “fridging,” which describes the death of a female comic book character that serves only to further the development of a male character she’s associated with. In Deadpool 2, the grief over Vanessa’s death is what inspires Wade to protect Firefist and form the X-Force.
In the comics, Copycat is an integral member of the X-Force line-up. Deadpool 2 featured ‘Pool’s first attempt at assembling an X-Force roster, which ended disastrously as they all died in quick succession at the beginning of their first mission. But the fact that an X-Force movie is on the way – and Domino and Cable survived to keep the team going – suggests he’ll take a second stab at forming the team in the future. When he does, he can recruit a resurrected Vanessa to join the team.
The Deadpool franchise’s R-rated sensibility could get plenty of comedic mileage out of Vanessa’s shapeshifting abilities. Just as the movies have wrung endless hysterical gags out of Wade’s invincibility and Colossus’ metallic junk, they could use Vanessa’s ability to seamlessly transform into other human being to create a ton of laugh-out-loud situations. Morena Baccarin has mostly stuck to straight drama like Homeland or other out-there genre stories like Firefly, but projects like Spy and How I Met Your Mother have shown off her untapped comedic abilities.
The love between Wade and Vanessa has been a great element of the series so far. Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin share incredible chemistry as a couple who are madly in love. Their interactions in the land of the dead throughout the second movie were a lot more emotionally charged than anything fans were expecting from a Deadpool movie. But if Vanessa’s entire characterization only ever revolves around being in love with Wade, then the movies are seriously underutilizing a fascinating character from the comics.
Deadpool’s ability to break the fourth wall and manipulate his own movies – paired with the extra meta layer of joining the MCU – should make it easier to bring back Vanessa than the average superhero movie resurrection. While they’re at it, they should keep Peter’s resurrection in the canon, too, because Rob Delaney’s hysterically mundane portrayal of him (and Wade’s over-the-top infatuation with him) are too hilarious not to revisit.
It seems likely that bringing back Vanessa is already the plan for Deadpool 3. Surely the writers of Deadpool 2 (Reynolds credited among them) wouldn’t have included a moment in this montage in which Vanessa comes back from the dead if it wasn’t going to be permanent. Unlike killing the unfaithful X-Men Origins version of the Merc with a Mouth, Vanessa’s revival isn’t a throwaway self-aware gag. It seems more significant than that, like a teaser for the future of the franchise. Maybe they threw it in there to test the waters and the overwhelming allegations of “fridging” have solidified resurrection as the best way forward for Vanessa’s character.
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