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Deadpool can break the fourth wall, but can he break the rules of a magic spell? Apparently not, and that goes double if Sony’s lawyers are involved. 

The 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Doctor Strange casting a spell that made the entire world forget who Peter Parker was. This raised a lot of questions about how the spell worked. What about existing video footage or high school yearbook photos? 

Spider-Man: No Way Home - The More Fun Stuff Version answered some of these questions with a new post-credits scene. During the previously deleted scene, we see a video retrospective from Midtown High’s graduating class. During the montage, Peter Parker’s head is covered by various objects every time he shows up in a video or photograph. In other words, Strange’s spell retroactively affects photos and videos. 

During the movie Deadpool & Wolverine, we learned that the spell is powerful enough to affect Wade Wilson’s fourth-wall breaking powers. During the first act, we see a flashback where Deadpool asks Happy Hogan to let him join the Avengers. The flashback takes place in 2018, shortly before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. As the camera pans around Happy Hogan’s office, we see a photo of Tony Stark with Peter Parker. That photo was originally seen in Avengers: Endgame.

However, when we see it in Deadpool & Wolverine, an Iron Man helmet sits on the same desk, blocking half of the photo. As a result, we can’t see Peter Parker. 

This seems to indicate that Strange’s spell also affects Wade Wilson. While the scene takes place in 2018 before the spell was cast, Wade is recalling the moment from the present day. In other words, this Wade’s memory of 2018….and that memory has been altered to have an image of Peter Parker removed.While Wade doesn’t remember Peter Parker, he still knows who Spider-Man is. During a car ride with Wolverine, Wade playfully pretends to shoot webs. 

There’s another reason why Tom Holland’s face might be blocked - Sony’s lawyers. Don’t forget, Marvel Studios and Sony currently share Spider-Man’s film rights. While we don’t know all the details of their current deal, it’s possible that showing a still image of Tom Holland might be too tricky for the lawyers. 

Deadpool’s fourth wall powers are strong, but they aren’t stronger than a room full of lawyers. 

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