By the time it hits theaters, Deadpool 3 may have more rumored cameos than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Week after week, more scuttlebutt hits the gossip sites. Virtually every actor who ever played or was in the running for a superhero role in a Fox movie is supposedly in the upcoming flick. It’s reached the point of being ridiculous, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from Ryan Reynolds and the gang.
If the rumors are to be believed, Channing Tatum, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, Elizabeth Olsen, Famke Janssen, and even Taylor Swift have joined the cast. However, one of the most obvious choices remains a lingering question mark.
Given all the speculative additions to Deadpool 3, it’s reasonable to assume that Dafne Keen will return to her Logan role as an adult Laura Kinney. It’s not like she isn’t interested, and the actress has said she wants to play the part again. While insiders are claiming it won’t happen, there’s reason to believe we will see Laura join the MCU. After all, the hallmark of Phases Four and Five has been the prevalence of female leads. There have also been more teenage superheroes, most notably Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, and America Chavez. Adding the 18-year-old Keen into the mix puts huge checks on both those boxes.
For the time being, it’s anyone’s guess as to what characters will stroll across the screen in Deadpool 3, but the chance of seeing an X-23 return should have buyers scoping for Laura’s key issues.
NYX #3
Way back in 1994, readers spotted a test tube labeled “X-23” in the pages of Wolverine #80. Some collectors consider this a first appearance, but it’s more of an unintentional tease. Even Larry Hama, who wrote that particular issue, has said there’s no connection between that vial and Laura Kinney. That leaves one clear-cut favorite when it comes to her debut: Nyx #3.
This has been the go-to collectible for X-23 fans for years. With Marvel christening her as the all-new, all-different Wolverine, that upped the ante for the higher grades. Although the fair market values have ebbed and flowed as comics do, it has remained a popular issue to own thanks to her MCU appeal. Depending on what happens post-Deadpool 3, this could become the hottest comic on the secondary market.
UNCANNY X-MEN #450
This is the issue that should get a serious rub from all the Laura Kinney rumors. If we do see Keen reprise the role, that could mean we get a bloody Logan/Laura brawl in Deadpool 3. No doubt buyers would comb the auction sites on the hunt for the pair’s first meeting in 2004’s Uncanny X-Men #450.
In true Wolverine fashion, their introduction quickly led to a fight between the two. What else would you expect from Logan and his most famous clone?
X-23 #1
In today’s game of collecting and investing, it’s the unwritten rule that you need a character’s first solo comic to call your sets complete. A year after entering the Marvel stratosphere, Laura was given a starring role in her own series.
Over the past 18 years, she’s been the featured attraction in a number of comics, but there’s no replacing that first adventure when it comes to comics.
ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1
After Logan met his rather anticlimactic demise in 2014’s Death of Wolverine, Marvel handed the classic yellow and blue costume to his successor, X-23. For years, she was the official Wolverine of Earth-616. Even after Logan’s highly predictable return from the grave, Marvel still referenced her as both Wolverine and X-23, though mostly the former. If there’s any indication at all that the MCU’s X-Men will feature Laura as Wolverine, All-New Wolverine #1 will be a major seller.
NEVER LET LOGIC STAND IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY
When last we saw Hugh Jackman don the famed claws and mutton chops, he starred in arguably the best superhero movie ever made, 2017’s Logan. At the end of filming, he professed he was retiring from the role only to return for Deadpool 3. By way of the Multiverse, Wolverine will be resurrected, though Reynolds is adamant the events of Logan will not be undone. Sure, the timelines may not align for Laura to hop straight into the MCU without missing a step, but when has logic ever stopped Marvel Studios?
