Deadpool 2 gets a PG-13 makeover with Once Upon a Deadpool - but is there an after-credits scene that sets up future Deadpool movies? As infamous as 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine is nowadays, it was also the film that cast Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson. The actor finally got his chance to do right by The Merc With a Mouth with 2016’s Deadpool solo movie, which was a smash hit both critically and commercially. Naturally, Deadpool 2 entered development shortly after and debuted in theaters this past May.
While not quite as lucrative or well-received as its predecessor, Deadpool 2 was still a success across the board. Now, Fox is releasing two movies for the price of one with Once Upon a Deadpool. The film recuts Deadpool 2 as a PG-13 action-comedy and includes 20 minutes of brand-new footage, primarily in the form of a framing device where Deadpool reads his sequel to a kidnapped Fred Savage (in a nod to his role from The Princess Bride). This is actually the second fresh cut of Deadpool 2, following the Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut from earlier this year.
Since both Deadpool 2 and The Super Duper Cut included post-credits scenes, it begs the question: does Once Upon a Deadpool follow suit? As it turns out, Once Upon a Deadpool features multiple after-credits scenes. The credits scenes in question include the original mid-credits scenes from Deadpool 2’s R-rated cut, as well as two near the very end of the credits. Of the latter, however, one is a proper scene, whereas the other is a tribute to the late Stan Lee (who passed away back in November).
The Deadpool franchise is in something of a curious position at the moment. Many see Once Upon a Deadpool as a good test run for a PG-13 Wade Wilson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, before Disney finalizes its purchase of Fox and brings the X-Men into the MCU. At the same time, it’s still not clear what Disney and the House of Ideas are planning for the Deadpool character specifically. There was a whole lot of talk about X-Force and Deadpool 3 ahead of Deadpool 2’s release in theaters, but it’s been radio silence on those fronts since then - primarily, because everyone’s waiting to see what the Mouse House has in mind for Wade first.
It’s not so surprising, then, that Once Upon a Deadpool pretty much wraps up the same way the R-rated Deadpool 2 did before it (sans the Stan Lee tribute, that is). In addition to providing Fox with a way to make more money on the same movie, Once Upon a Deadpool serves as a way for Reynolds to raise additional funding for his cancer-fighting charity campaign “Fudge Cancer” (which has been renamed from its NSFW original title). Indeed, for every ticket the film sells, a dollar will be donated to “Fudge Cancer” for the holiday season, making it a good cause on the whole. Just be sure and stay all the way through Once Upon a Deadpool’s end credits, if you decide to check it out.
