One of the most memorable scenes of David Leitch’s Deadpool 2 involved a cameo by the cast of Fox’ upcoming X-Men universe movie, Dark Phoenix. As you might recall, early on in the film, when Wade Wilson finds himself back at the X-Mansion, he roams the halls complaining about the fact that the studio couldn’t afford more characters than Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. But as he walks by an open door, we see almost all of the cast from X-Men: Apocalypse — Professor X, Cyclops, Quicksilver, Storm, Nightcrawler and Beast — who quickly close the door before Deadpool can see them.
While the cameo was quite brief, some fans were quick to notice that Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey, who is poised to take center stage in Dark Phoenix, was not a part of the cameo group scene. This instantly led to the theory that the reason Jean wasn’t in the scene was because the character dies in the upcoming X-Men film, which takes place years before the events of Deadpool 2.
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However, Jean’s absence from the scene wasn’t subtle foreshadowing. In fact, the reason she wasn’t alongside the rest of the X-Men is much simpler. In an interview with Den of Geek, Deadpool 2 director David Leitch revealed that it all came down to scheduling. “It might have been one of those things where we’re up against it,” the director explained, “and it’s like, who’s available that day by the time we had to get the shot and get it down to us…we’re grateful to have anyone we could get at that point.”
The upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix is based on the fan-favorite comic book storyline “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” an event that ended with the heroic sacrifice of Jean Grey. Of course, there is always the possibility that Leitch is being coy with his answer. The fact that he begins by saying “It might have been one of those things” could either be seen as something he barely recalls, or something he’s trying to avoid actively answering.
We’ll find out Jean Grey’s ultimate fate when Dark Phoenix hits theaters next year.
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Directed by David Leitch, Deadpool 2 stars Ryan Reynolds, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Stefan Kapičić, and Karan Soni, with newcomers Zazie Beetz, Josh Brolin and Julian Dennison. The film is available now on digital HD and will be released Aug. 21 on Blu-ray and DVD. Written and directed by franchise veteran Simon Kinberg, X-Men: Dark Phoenix stars Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Alexandra Ship as Storm, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler. The film is set to hit theaters Feb. 14, 2019.