The marketing ofDeadpool & Wolverinefocuses squarely on the two heroes in the title. Dragging Hugh Jackman back into the role he’s occupied for two decades and finally letting him play with Ryan Reynolds' beloved take on Deadpool will guarantee fan excitement. However, they can’t spend the whole film’s runtime fighting each other. Something has to bring them together. That something will be Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova, but where will the first MCUDeadpool’s antagonist fit alongside her stablemates?
The Marvel Cinematic Universeneeds fresh blood. The existing heroes struggle to carry the weight of a franchise. The icons who built the foundation have gone their separate ways. Current fans seem excited about exactly two Marvel projects.Fantastic Fouris a new take on a beloved comic property with a fascinating cast list.Deadpool & Wolverineis the conclusion of a trilogy and the first test of Disney’s willingness to play with their new toys. One of those films will have to save the day.
Shawn Levy
Writers
Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy
Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, and Morena Baccarin
Release Date
Jul 23, 2025
Emma Corrin will appear inDeadpool & Wolverineas Cassandra Nova. Fans speculated on her character when Marvel announced her presence in the project without announcing her role. Nova is an almost hilariously evil presence in the original comics. She’s the eviltwin of Charles Xavier. When the future Professor realized the unquestionable malevolence of his sibling, he eradicated her with his pre-born psychic powers. Nevertheless, Cassandra ejected her consciousness from her mother’s womb and created a functioning body. The mental trauma of being destroyed in utero led her to believe that the universe was no different from her original home. She saw only herself and Charles as real, prompting her to work to rob Charles of everything else in the universe. Cassandra’s evil knows no bounds, but her place in the franchise will changewith Charles Xavier’s absence.
Marvel Has a Complicated History with Villains
Lackluster villains used to be the go-to insult for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Iron Manfocused heavily on the titular hero, but his rival, Obadiah Stane, was less impressive. This came at an interesting time for superhero movies. Before the MCU took over, Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy and Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightheld immense sway. Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, and Heath Ledger’s Joker were fresh in fans' minds. The same fanbaseblamedSpider-Man 3’s failure almost entirely on its lame depiction of Venom. These movies lived and died on their antagonists. Marvel didn’t follow that model and instead pitted its iconic protagonists against forgettable enemies. Some exceptions, including Loki and the Winter Soldier, broke the narrative. Thanos signaled the end of commentators writing off Marvel villains. While some still fail to impress, Marvel now faces bigger condemnation than their weak antagonists.
TheDeadpoolfilms have their own unique arc with villains. The first film pits Wade Wilson against Francis, the mad scientist who put him through nightmarish torture and ruined his appearance. Francis, AKA Ajax, isn’t a particularly memorable villain. Ed Skrein’s performance is serviceable, but he’s rarely given much to do. The gags about his name and his comedic demise are the only notable elements of his depiction.The second film takesa non-traditional approach. Josh Brolin’s Cable plays the villain for the film’s first two acts, pulling aTerminatorroutine to kill young mutant Russell before the boy becomes a brutal monster. When Cable switches sides, Russell becomes a sympathetic enemy, until Deadpool gets through to him. Above both of them, Eddie Marsan’s unnamed Headmaster provides the abuse that warps Julian Dennison’s Russell into a killer. Russell and Cable are excellent, but neither of them fully fits the supervillain role. Cassandra Nova will be a new frontier forDeadpool.
Cassandra Nova Could Be Something New
In the comics, Cassandra Nova is terrifying. She has the powers of Charles Xavier, with the madness and moral disregard to use them for evil. There’s a lot about her that fans don’t know. The trailer only lets her utter a couple of lines. She’s visibly stationedin Ant-Man’s dead body, which rests in the Void beyond the timeline. Her immense power can make her a Thanos-level threat, but she’s unlikely to appear multiple times. Cassandra might be a joke. She feels most at home with universal threats like Thanos, Kang, and Loki. Her portrayal will also link the discarded reality ofWolverine’s old 20th Century Foxuniverse with Marvel’s modern dimension.
Cassandra Nova can be a horrific presence inDeadpool & Wolverine. Sidelining her in favor of the title characters may diminish her impact, but it can also show Marvel’s growth in this issue. Nova may be a minor figure, but if she’s executed well enough, she can remainmemorable in a hero-driven movie. The paradigm that led to Marvel’s early critiques may be gone, but Cassandra Nova can demonstrate how far Marvel has come since 2009.
