The third installment in the Merc with the Mouth’s cinematic franchise — though judging by the size of said mouth, we could easily call him “the Mouth with the Merc attached to it” — is a little over a month away from deploying to cinemas, and boy do we have enough to speculate about. This is Deadpool’s official entry into the MCU, and fans have long speculated about Wolverine’s appearance and who might portray the character following Hugh Jackman’s departure from the role.
It would seem that Ryan Reynolds is quite persuasive because both Wolverine and Jackman are confirmed to appear in the movie, with the latter portraying the former — as he has done so beautifully and viciously for more than 20 years. But that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating further about the appearance of other prominent Marvel characters and the introduction of other superheroes from Fox’s era of comic book adaptations, including Jennifer Garner’s Elektra from the same-name movie from 2005.
Now, for those who aren’t aware of or hadn’t been born yet (yes, this makes us feel old), Fox used to film comic book adaptations before the MCU was a thing. While X-Men and its subsequent releases were among the major ones, Fox also produced three Fantastic Four movies — all of which were disappointing — and 2003’s Daredevil and its 2005 spin-off, Elektra, with Jennifer Garner in a leading role.
That movie really didn’t fare well with the critics, mostly due to seemingly poor writing. It was ridiculed so badly that it killed any hope for a sequel of any kind in the series. Admittedly, Ben Affleck’s Daredevil fared slightly better than Elektra, warranting a sequel that was later canceled, with Affleck stating that he would return to the character if Fox would adapt the Guardian Devil or Born Again storylines. Actor Jason Statham and Frank Miller entertained the possibility of the former portraying Daredevil, but none of that ever came to fruition.
Despite Elektra‘s unfavorable reviews, Jennifer Garner’s performance as the eponymous heroine was actually quite enjoyable, and both the critics and the audiences agreed that the 13 Going on 30 actress definitely deserved a better movie to flourish in. Now, almost 20 years later, Garner might finally have the chance to reprise her role once again in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie scheduled to release on July 26, 2024. And, if rumors and details surrounding the movie hold any truth, her cameo is going to be far greater than any other Fox cameo in the MCU.
When asked about her possible appearance in the upcoming Deadpool 3, Jennifer Garner maintained that she isn’t aware of any such arrangements. However, this isn’t the first time Marvel has kept character appearances under tight wraps surrounded by NDAs. Deadpool & Wolverine doesn’t feature Tom Holland, whose track record of accidentally revealing information could come in handy in this situation. Remember just how much speculation there was surrounding the Illuminati appearance in Doctor Strange 2 and the appearance of Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home?
So, it’s entirely possible that both Garner and the MCU are keeping Elektra’s appearance under wraps, though listing Jennifer Garner in the US Copyright filing for Deadpool & Wolverine hardly constitutes keeping things secret. That’s right; the US Copyright filing for Deadpool & Wolverine lists the film’s main cast, including Jennifer Garner as Elektra. What makes the whole situation even more interesting is the fact that the filing lists Garner as number four on the main cast list, which is actually above the film’s presumed antagonist, portrayed by Emma Corrin.
This further suggests that Garner’s Elektra might not be a single-scene cameo appearance but a role that’s far more integral to the film’s plot and the X-Force’s battle against Charles Xavier’s evil twin sister, Cassandra Nova. Whether or not that’s really the case remains to be seen. One can never truly know with Marvel, at least not until the official release date. Still, the mere idea of Jennifer Garner’s Elektra appearing in the upcoming Deadpool movie is exciting for the fans, as it pays homage to a fantastic performance the actress delivered in a 2005 flop.
With that said, several other appearances have been announced, such as Henry Cavill portraying an alternate version of Wolverine, which isn’t as ridiculous as it might initially sound. Logan is canon to the MCU, which means that Hugh Jackman is also portraying an alternate version of the very character he has become synonymous with over the past 20-something years. So, Cavill’s alleged and unconfirmed cameo portrayal isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
This is particularly true because we see the involvement of the Time Variance Authority previously introduced in the Loki series and Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa still alive, suggesting that Deadpool has found a way to jump through space and time. Not only does that open the door for Jennifer Garner’s appearance as Elektra, but it could also potentially introduce characters we all collectively failed to remember. Oh, and it could finally provide a complete introduction of the X-Men into the MCU.