Deadpool & Wolverine: What happened to Cable’s time machine?

At the conclusion of Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson utilized Cable’s time machine to alter the past… however, it appears to be missing in Deadpool & Wolverine.

In the 2018 follow-up film, Deadpool joined forces with Cable, a mercenary who can travel through time and is determined to eliminate Russell, a young mutant who will ultimately murder his loved ones.

Fortunately, things didn’t turn out as expected. Despite Russell not turning into a mass murderer, Cable still used his device’s last remaining charge to travel back in time and rescue Deadpool. Cable assumed that the device was now useless, but Negasonic Teenage Warhead was able to repair it. This enabled Wade to prevent Vanessa’s death, defeat Weapon XI in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and even shoot Ryan Reynolds in the head before he could film Green Lantern.

Prior to the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, it was widely speculated that the Time Variance Authority would play a significant role due to Cable’s time travel device. However, as revealed in the film, this is not entirely accurate. Spoilers ahead!

Deadpool’s Destruction of Cable’s Time Machine

Despite being featured in Deadpool & Wolverine, Cable’s time travel device is not a significant plot point. Wade claims that he destroyed it shortly after the events of Deadpool 2.

Deadpool at the end of Deadpool 2 after using Cable's time travel device — 20th Century Studios

Following his *NSYNC dance routine, the film transitions back to 2018 when Wade made a trip to Avengers HQ in Earth-616. As he hails from Earth-10005, it was only possible for him to reach there with the help of the device.

After being rejected by Happy Hogan, Deadpool returns to the X-Men timeline. He does not disclose the specific timeframe of when it was destroyed, but it can be assumed that it was shortly after he was rejected by Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Subsequently, the TVA forcibly removes him from his reality. Upon encountering Mr. Paradox, he assumes that Cable’s machine is the reason he has caught the attention of the TVA. However, he is mistaken, as the TVA had already taken notice of his actions that disrupted the timelines.

Despite the fact that Wade acquires a TemPad by the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, it doesn’t make a difference because he can still travel anywhere and anytime. Therefore, it is highly likely that he will make an appearance again in the MCU in the future.

Why isn’t Cable in Deadpool & Wolverine?

Deadpool quips that he did not fare well in test screenings, but the reason for Josh Brolin’s Cable not making an appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine remains unclear.

Although there has been little mention of his absence, it is possible that he was excluded from the third installment of Deadpool & Wolverine due to the large number of characters already included, in order to prevent the movie from becoming too overcrowded.

Brolin has made it clear that there is no animosity from his end either. During an interview with The Playlist, he expressed, “Marvel is a much more intricate maze than Outer Range will ever be, my friend.”

“I will never discover the whereabouts or significance of that, or my level of involvement with the MCU. However, I thoroughly enjoyed portraying Cable and the experience was incredibly enjoyable.”