The trailer builds to a moment in which Wolverine arrives in silhouette and stands over Deadpool’s prone body. While examining that final shot, Twitter user Erik Voss noticed something to Wade Wilson’s right: a torn up issue of Marvel’s second Secret Wars comic book series…
More specifically, that’s 2015’s Secret Wars #5, written by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by Esad Ribić, colored by Ive Svorcina, and lettered by Clayton Cowles. Secret Wars featured a Marvel Universe recreated by Doctor Doom, who claims the role of God Emperor. But a small band of heroes who remember the world as it was before God Emperor Doom, led by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, fight back and put the world back to right.
Interestingly, the fifth issue reveals exactly how Doom became God Emperor. As the 616 universe and other parts of the multiverse fell to entropy, Doom and Doctor Strange, along with the all-powerful but also mentally-disturbed Molecule Man, faced the Beyonders, the creatures who create the various Marvel Universes. Thanks to Molecule Man’s power, Strange and Doom disrupted the Beyonders. But when the Beyonders’ power came loose, Strange paused while Doom acted, allowing him to recreate the universe.
On one hand, it might not be a big deal that Deadpool is lying next to Secret Wars #5. The appeal of Deadpool has always been, in part, his ability to break the fourth wall. And as his glance at the camera at the start of the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer shows, he seems to know about Disney and Fox even before the TVA picks him up.
Given that Marvel already announced Avengers: Secret Wars as the last movie in the Multiverse Saga, it stands to reason that Deadpool would make jokes about it. Furthermore, the issue seems a bit worse for wear, and the future of the MCU is up in the air, so Deadpool might be making a joke about Secret Wars coming off the schedule.
But others have noted a quick shot of a figure on the Mad Max-esque vehicle seen driving through the desert where much of the trailer takes place. There we see a masked and hooded man in green, carrying a gun.