The following contains spoilers for Deadpool 2. Obviously.
Deadpool 2 is following its predecessor to become a massive hit, and we know we're going to see the Merc with a Mouth in the not-too-distant future in an X-Force movie. What's less clear is when, or even if, we'll see a Deadpool 3 at any point down the road. Ryan Reynolds has made comments that make it sound like a third film isn't necessarily guaranteed like one might think, and after seeing Deadpool 2, I can't help but agree that Deadpool 3 may be an unnecessary movie. Instead, I strongly feel the franchise should focus on X-Force.
The first two Deadpool movies have been glorious, irreverent, hilarious and unlike anything else in the superhero or comedy genres. The first movie is a revelation as a proof of concept that Deadpool works on the big screen. It's a fairly traditional superhero origin story where we learn how the character got his special abilities, but what's most important from a character standpoint in the film is that Wade Wilson learns that, while he thought he had lost everything due to his cancer and the deformity that followed his attempt to cure it, he instead discovers that he never lost the love of those who cared for him.
From there, we move on to Deadpool 2. As Wade Wilson told us, it was a family movie, and it was. We see Wade dealing with the loss of Vanessa, and whether or not that actually remains part of the story going forward thanks to those excellent post-credits scenes, Deadpool finds himself a new family in his new X-Force, the ones who survived anyway.
We've heard an X-Force movie should be the next film in this story, and when it comes out in a year or two we'll watch this new family work together for the first time. Regardless, once that story has played out, and once the teammates have mostly worked out their differences (which will, of course, happen), why would we ever need to go back to another solo Deadpool movie? If the family is only together part of the time, or if they forget about each other and ignore each other part of the time, then they're not really family, are they? And adding to that family has been the consistent and central core to each of the movies we've seen so far.
What I'm saying is, moving forward with a Deadpool 3 at this point would be like doing a solo movie with one of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The point of the movies is that they're a team. They need each other, so making a movie where they are alone would remove the core of the story. Splitting Wade Wilson off again for another solo outing defeats the finale of Deadpool 2 and what we assume will take place in the X-Force film. The whole point of this new film should be that he embraces these people, eventually, and we hope that happens over time. That means not just one X-Force movie, but, assuming it's good, several of them should be what's next for the Deadpool corner of the X-Men universe. Perhaps, down the road, there will be value in making a movie where Wade Wilson loses his family, but for such a story to matter, we have to make X-Force matter to him, by making them a consistent part of his life.
There will still be plenty of Deadpool in the X-Force movies, he'll still be hilarious, but the character has found some peace. There's no place that his character really needs to go from here. The next few movies don't need to be about him, or at least not wholly about him. Deadpool 2 introduced several interesting characters who can and maybe should take the focus. Maybe it's time for Deadpool to help them in the way that they have been helping him.
Maybe there will be a reason for another standalone Deadpool movie down the road, but the upcoming X-Force movie potentially gives a lot of other great characters a chance to shine in a way they never will as a sidekick in a Deadpool sequel. We don't need another movie about Deadpool. We absolutely need a lot of movies with Deadpool in them, because he's fantastic, perfect really; but a series of X-Force movies will get that job done just fine.
