Morena Baccarin, who plays Vanessa Carlysle in the Deadpool franchise, would love for the character to become Copycat in Deadpool 4. In an interview with ComicBook to promote the movie Elevation, the topic of Baccarin’s action prowess came up, and she was asked about the possibility of portraying Copycat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While expressing interest in that development, the actress joked about how long she’s been ready to bring Copycat to the big screen.
“I’ve only been waiting like five years,” Baccarin said. “I’m not getting any younger or skinnier, so now’s the time.”
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Baccarin has been a part of the Deadpool franchise since the beginning, debuting as Vanessa in the original 2016 movie. Her romantic relationship with Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) served as the movie’s emotional core, giving the ultra-violent and vulgar comedy some much-needed heart. Baccarin reprised the role in 2018’s Deadpool 2, where Vanessa is killed off early on (before she’s later brought back to life thanks to Deadpool’s time travel shenanigans). The actress also appeared in this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which reveals Wade and Vanessa broke up at some point after Deadpool 2, though they remained friends. At the end of that film, the two seem to have rekindled their romance.
While Vanessa is one of the more integral characters in the Deadpool franchise, there’s a whole other side to her moviegoers haven’t seen yet. In the comics, Vanessa is the mutant Copycat, who has the ability to shapeshift a la Mystique. She’s a deadly mercenary who has impersonated multiple Marvel characters, most notably Domino when on a mission to infiltrate the X-Force.
Depicting Copycat on-screen has been a hot discussion topic for years. It was even part of director Tim Miller’s plan for Deadpool 2 before he left the project over creative differences. Not only would this add a fun new element to the franchise (fleshing out the Wade/Vanessa dynamic in an entertaining fashion), it would potentially give Baccarin a meaty role to dive into. An argument can be made that Vanessa has been short-changed after the first Deadpool. Fridging the character in Deadpool 2 proved to be a very controversial plot point, and she had limited screen time in Deadpool & Wolverine. Baccarin is a talented actress who can handle a variety of genres, so it would be great if she got an opportunity to show off her action chops in a Marvel blockbuster.
Unfortunately, Baccarin may have to wait even longer before she gets that chance. Deadpool & Wolverine was a massive box office hit, but Deadpool 4 hasn’t been announced yet. Always ones to plan far ahead, Marvel Studios has several films scheduled between now and 2027, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, and a fourth Spider-Man movie. That said, the studio has staked claim to dates for untitled Marvel films in 2026, 2027, and 2028. It’s certainly possible one of those could be reserved for Deadpool 4. With how popular Deadpool & Wolverine proved to be, the studio would likely want to keep the franchise rolling. Hopefully it comes into fruition sooner than later and we can see Vanessa unleashed as Copycat.
