Earlier this year, 20th Century Fox released a Deadpool short film titled "No Good Deed" both online and in front of Logan screenings. The short saw the Merc with a Mouth taking way too long to put on his costume, and he subsequently failed to stop a mugging. "No Good Deed" was darkly amusing, and one of the more interesting reactions to the short was some folks speculating that the old man killed was Spider-Man's Uncle Ben. Here's what Deadpool 2 director David Leitch, who also helmed "No Good Deed" had to say when asked what he thought about the theory:
That's a really interesting question. I think that people should continue to theorize who that old man was.
David Leitch's response was so surprising to Huffington Post interviewer Bill Bradley that Bradley admits he blurted out, "Whoa! What?" afterwards. So while Leitch wouldn't confirm if that old man in the Deadpool short film was indeed Peter Parker's uncle, the fact that he doesn't deny it either keeps the proverbial door open, too. For those who like the theory, they can keep imagining that in this continuity, Uncle Ben was gunned down while on his way home from the grocery store. Just like with every other adaptation of the Spider-Man origin story, this leads Peter Parker to start using his arachnid-themed abilities for good, and in addition to hunting down the man who killed his uncle, Peter also goes after the guy in the red and black costume who didn't call the police and, adding insult to injury, ate Ben's Cherry Garcia ice cream while leaning his head on the corpse.
You can re-watch the "No Good Short" short film below for a refresher on what went down.
Alas, because the Spider-Man characters rest at Sony (and to a certain extent Marvel Studios, since the two companies are working together), while the X-Men properties are under the Fox banner, we'll never know for sure if that old man was indeed the ill-fated Uncle Ben unless David Leitch, Ryan Reynolds or writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick decide to elaborate further. But at least Deadpool fans don't have to wait too long to see the fourth wall-breaking protagonist back on the big screen.
Deadpool 2 comes next out next summer, and while plot details are still being kept under wraps, it will involve Wade Wilson crossing paths with Cable and Domino, as well as battling Jack Kesy's villainous character, who is reportedly Black Tom Cassidy. As for Spider-Man, he's still flying high off the success of his latest movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Tom Holland's Peter Parker will be back next year for Avengers: Infinity War.
Deadpool 2 arrives in theaters on June 1, 2018.
