Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Deadpool & Wolverine
Summary
EverythingDeadpool & Wolverineestablished about theMCUmultiverse may have been skewed by its human antagonist, as suggested by a Marvel fan theory. Deadpool experiences his biggest mission so far against his will inDeadpool & Wolverine, as he ventures on a multiversal quest to bring a new Wolverine variant to his timeline after being kidnapped by the TVA. Wolverine meets several ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s mutiversal cameo charactersand gets one of them killed by Cassandra Nova. Not only is Deadpool able to save his timeline, but he also saves more than one pruned variant along the way.
After capturing Wade Wilson, Andrew Macfayden’s TVA agent Paradox explains to him why his universe is in danger. Paradox introducesthe concept of MCU’s anchor beings— individuals so important and influential to their timeline that their death signals the eventual death of that universe. In the case of the X-Men’s Earth-10005, Hugh Jackman’s original Wolverine condemned his timeline with his death inLogan. While it seems like Deadpool saved Earth-10005 by bringing another Wolverine variant inDeadpool & Wolverine’s ending, it’s possible that his universe wasn’t in danger in the first place.
Paradox Might Have Lied About The Existence Of Anchor Beings
Paradox’s Wish To Terminate Earth-10005 Makes His Explanation Of Anchor Beings Quite Suspicious
Paradox explains to Deadpool that the original Wolverine’s death started the countdown to Earth-10005’s destruction. According to Paradox, timelines can decay for millennia after their anchor being dies, but he doesn’t want to keep watching over Earth-10005 for the next two thousand years. To speed up the process,Paradox commissions the Time Ripper, which eliminates the whole timeline without anyone inside noticing. Before Paradox gets into more detail about anchor beings, Deadpool steals his TemPad and brings a new Wolverine variant to replace the original Logan, kicking offDeadpool & Wolverine’s multiversal plot.
Although replacing the original Wolverine with a new variant seems to be an effective solution, there’s no solid proof that Paradox is telling the truth. Paradox is clearly willing to do anything to quit his tedious job overseeing Earth-10005, andHunter B-15’s shocked reaction to the existence of the Time Ripper reveals that Paradox isn’t exactly playing by the TVA’s rules. While explaining the situation to Deadpool, Paradox expresses his discontent about the TVA phasing out pruning, and he doesn’t expect nor welcome Deadpool’s spur-of-the-moment solution to Earth-10005’s anchor being problem, yet he doesn’t really explain why it isn’t a feasible solution either.
What Earth-10005’s Wolverine And Deadpool May Be, If Not Anchor Beings
Certain Characters May Still Be Important For The MCU Multiverse Even If They Aren’t Anchor Beings
Paradox might have lied about the existence of anchor beings just to justify his decision to eliminate Earth-10005. However, some characters may still play a special role in the multiverse. When Deadpool reminisces about his time-travel antics with Cable’s device, Paradox tells him that the TVA found them amusing and unthreatening. However, Paradox doesn’t elaborate on why the TVA wanted Deadpool in the first place. The TVA chases Deadpool at the beginning ofDeadpool & Wolverinebecause he had already stolen Paradox’s TemPad at that point. After the flash-forward,it’s unclear what the TVA really wants from Deadpool.
The TVA may know that Deadpool is going to be a key player inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars
Paradox waves away this question when he tells Deadpool that the TVA wants to rescue him from Earth-10005"for purposes even unclear"to himself. His higher-ups at the TVA may know that Deadpool is going to be a key player inAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, where Deadpool and other characters could take charge of a multiversal overhaul. Meanwhile, Paradox might have been able to use the Time Ripper on Earth-10005 secretly if the TVA hadn’t planned to save Deadpool, but once Deadpool entered the picture, Paradox needed to come up with the concept of"anchor being"to justify his actions.
In the comics,Molecule Man serves a similar purpose to anchor beings, as each of his variants' deaths causes the end of their respective universes.
Instead of anchor beings whose deaths automatically doom entire timelines, key Marvel characters like Earth-616’s Iron Man, Earth-10005’s original Wolverine, and Deadpool could be destined to save universes. For instance, Iron Man may have been destined to defeat Thanos, the original Logan may have been destined to save his universe’s last generation of mutant heroes, and Deadpool may be on track to fulfill his destiny. This change would explainwhy Deadpool seems to die in Thor’s armson the TVA monitors, and it would avoid the anchor beings' confusing implication that an entire timeline’s existence depends on a single mortal being’s short lifetime.
Deadpool & Wolverine: 100 Marvel Easter Eggs & References Explained
Deadpool & Wolverine quite literally has over 100 different Easter eggs, references, and cameos galore. Here are all the ones we found.
Another Paradox Detail May Reveal Why He Really Wanted To Destroy Earth-10005
Paradox May Have Invented The Concept Of Anchor Beings Because He Holds A Personal Grudge Against Mutants
After Pyro calls Paradox to inform him about Deadpool and Wolverine’s escape from the Void, Paradox hangs up and says to himself"ugh, mutants"with clear disdain. This brief line of dialog could suggest that Paradox has had to deal with many mutant variants throughout the eons, but it could also suggest that he’s disgusted by mutantkind in general.Paradox’s hatred against mutants would also explain why he wants to destroy Earth-10005 so quickly, as he would hate to watch over a timeline full of mutants for the next two thousand years.
Maybe Paradox just wants to fast-track Earth-10005’s destruction and move on to another timeline where he can witness mutants suffer
Humans tend to be the X-Men’s biggest enemies in most universes. Xander Rice and the Reavers persecuted and drove mutants to extinction inLogan, and humans launched a successful attack on mutantkind in the new Wolverine’s timeline. Maybe, Paradox and other TVA agents with a particular dislike for mutants helped shape these events. Or now that he has seen the end of mutantkind inLogan’s 2029, maybe Paradox just wants to fast-track Earth-10005’s destruction and move on to another timeline where he can witness mutants suffer.
Paradox’s Anchor Being Lie Would Confirm Doctor Doom’s Biggest Weapon (And Enemy)
Power In The MCU Multiverse May No Longer Be Measured By Superpowers Or Skills
Without any superpowers or special abilities, Paradox almost kills every mutant hero and villain in theX-Menmovie universe with the touch of a button. All Paradox needs to do to destroy Earth-10005 is commission the Time Ripper and use it in secret. If it weren’t for Deadpool, Paradox could kill every mutant character and no one would ever realize it. If Paradox really made up the concept of anchor beings to justify Earth-10005’s destruction, he would cement himself as one of the most dangerous MCU villains introduced so far:Paradox may have been close to destroying an entire universe out of pure boredom.
Once any villain gets their hands on a weapon likeDeadpool & Wolverine’s Time Ripper, they could immediately become more powerful than Thanos, Ego, and the Celestials themselves. They only need to acquire the TVA’s resources to wipe out countless timelines in the blink of an eye. Of course, most of the TVA would do their best to stop such a plan, andthe God of Time and Stories himself Lokiwould likely intervene. If Doctor Doom executes a similar plan to Paradox’sinAvengers: DoomsdayorAvengers: Secret Wars, he would need to get rid of Loki. After that, the multiverse would be his.
