A deleted scene from “Deadpool” MIGHT connect it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Fans of Marvel comics know that as much as we might want them to be, the Marvel properties that belong to 20th Century Fox  — the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool — aren’t part of the Marvel Studios cinematic universe. Right?

A deleted scene from February’s Deadpool has us second-guessing this a bit. As first spotted by ComicBookMovie.com, there’s a deleted scene that subtly refers to The Raft prison facility, also featured in Captain America: Civil War.

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The scene centers on Ajax (aka, Francis) who is being taken to land by a small boat. Clearly labeled, “The Raft Prison,” the scene likely refers to the same facility we see Civil War (you know, the one where all of Team Cap is kept, until Cap himself can free them). The Marvel version is in the middle of the ocean and can fully submerge under water, because of course.

Ajax is led out of the gates, where a corrections officer says he’s “someone else’s problem now,” implying that he was imprisoned at The Raft, and is now free — presumably to go forth and torture people in an effort to turn them into super soldiers he’ll then sell into slavery. It’s what he does to Wade Wilson, after all. (Though, there’s also a chance this happens after Wade burns the facility down, as well.)

While the version of The Raft in Deadpool doesn’t seem to be the same as the one in Civil War/ the MCU, the connection is a fun nod. Also, for those of us who continue to hold out hope that 20th Century properties like the X-Men will eventually become part of the MCU (since it happened with Sony and Spider-Man, after all, YAY FOR SHARING), the commonality serves as potential future connective tissue for the two worlds.

For now, though, all we can do is hope- that, and get more excited for the Deadpool sequel, which is set for a 2018 release.