Deadpool 2: How does it fit into the crazy X-Men movie timeline?

WARNING SPOILERS FOR DEADPOOL 2 AHEAD

He may not been keen to join up, but Deadpool is part of the X-Men movie universe.

And with X-Men: Days of Future Past having disrupted the timeline, where on earth does Deadpool 2 fit in?

Sure it’s set in the present day and the first outing was released after Wolverine’s time travelling escapades, but it’s all even more confusing thanks to Cable channelling the Terminator in this movie.

Before Cable goes back in time, he seems to be in a post-apocalyptic future, not too dissimilar to the one the X-Men found themselves in in X-Men Days of Future Past.

But that was all corrected by Wolverine’s actions, so maybe this is a different future in the new timeline.

It’s certainly safe to assume Deadpool and Deadpool 2 occur in the new timeline, similarly because they were released after Day of Future Past.

But there’s a couple of other issues.

Firstly the prequel series X-Men cameo at the X-Mansion, even though it’s set in present day.

No doubt this was more a matter of convenience with X-Men: Dark Phoenix having been shooting at the same time.

That movie is set in the early 1990s, so it doesn’t really make sense for it to have been James McAvoy’s Professor X over Patrick Stewart’s.

Secondly, Deadpool went back in time and shot himself in X-Men Origins: Wolverine – a film that takes place in the original unaltered timeline.

What makes this even more confusing is Deadpool 2’s screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have confirmed this change – and him saving the lives of X-Force members and Vanessa – as canon.

On Reddit they said: “Yes, the after credit scene is CANON.

“Don’t expect that [time travel] device to stick around beyond this movie, though!”

So, taking into account all the wibbly wobbly timey wimey…stuff, Deadpool 2 – due to its meta-nature – may just be beyond being placed in the X-Men timeline.

After all, the whole thing is lampooning the franchise’s inconsistencies – so why not just go with the flow and enjoy it?