Warning! Spoilers ahead for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary
- Several characters from the X-Men universe return in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- A number of characters who played prominent roles in earlier Deadpool movies also reappear in the trilogy’s story.
- The Deadpool & Wolverine cameo list contains plenty of surprises for audiences.
Deadpool & Wolverine is arguably the MCU’s biggest crossover event since Avengers: Endgame, with plenty of cameos throughout. Deadpool had his live-action debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2016 that the character was fully realized. On both occasions, the actor who played the role was Ryan Reynolds, a superfan of the Merc with the Mouth, and Reynolds was even referenced in a 2004 comic by Deadpool to describe the character’s appearance.
However, 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine marks the first time Reynolds and Deadpool officially join the MCU timeline. Up to this point, the character was only seen in the Fox universe, but with Disney acquiring Fox in 2019, the time has finally come for Deadpool and the Fox X-Men universe to come into the MCU family. And in order to mark the momentous occasion, the Deadpool & Wolverine cast includes many popular actors who have appeared in Marvel movies outside the MCU.
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Deadpool & Wolverine’s 20 Biggest Spoilers
Deadpool & Wolverine is packed with all kinds of twists, reveals, and cameos that mark the end of an era and the beginning of another for the X-Men.
Sabretooth
Last Seen: X-Men (2000)
Tyler Mane was cast as Sabretooth for the premiere film in the Fox X-Men trilogy in 2000. The character was portrayed as wild and animalistic, even more so than his rival, Wolverine. While the character returned in 2009 with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the actor was replaced with Liev Schreiber, and his origin was altered. Now, more than two decades later, the original Sabretooth returned to lock claws with his old enemy in Deadpool & Wolverine, though the fight is perhaps shorter than fans may have been expecting based on the trailers.
Elektra
Last Seen: Elektra (2005)
In 2003, Matt Murdock made his big screen debut when Ben Affleck starred as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in Daredevil. While the film was met with mixed reviews, it played an important role in highlighting the blind hero. In that same movie, Jennifer Garner played the lethal assassin initially fights Daredevil.
Later, Garner starred in a spin-off as the character, but Elektra bombed becoming one of Marvel’s lowest earning movies of all time. Now, Garner returns to the role for a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, as a key part of the multiversal team that helps Deadpool with his plan to save his universe.
Pyro
Last Seen: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Pyro was originally a member of the X-Men academy, where he learned to control his abilities under the tutelage of Professor X. However, his hot-headed nature led to the young man growing tired of hiding, and he joined the Brotherhood of Mutants under Magneto. Aaron Stanford played the character in X-Men 2, and X-Men: The Last Stand. In Deadpool & Wolverine, he operates as Cassandra Nova’s second-in-command, albeit in a begrudging fashion.
Happy Hogan
Last Seen: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Favreau’s crucial place in the MCU both in-universe and in the real world means that his character is an excellent choice for Deadpool & Wolverine to decide to use. Hogan appears when Deadpool attempts to join the Avengers, shown in a flashback that sees Happy trying to tone down Wade’s hero hopes and expectations while Deadpool insults him in a variety of ways.
Having already appeared ten times in the MCU from the original Iron Man to now, Favreau’s character works as an effective way to bridge the Fox universe and MCU together. The character’s proximity to Tony Stark in the franchise also lets the movie address Robert Downey Jr’s iconic Marvel hero without having to show him directly.
Henry Cavill As Wolverine
New Cast Addition
In a twist few could have truly expected to see taking place in the movie, DCEU Superman actor Henry Cavill appears in Deadpool & Wolverine for a cameo as a Wolverine variant. Appearing during the sequence wherein Deadpool meets a series of different versions of Wolverine in order to try and find one to take back to his universe, the cameo is a brief one, but this brevity doesn’t lessen the impact of seeing the major DC figure crop up in an MCU movie.
The Human Torch
Last Seen In: Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
Fans had been hoping for the return of Chris Evans in the MCU ever since Avengers: Endgame ended the story of Steve Rogers in 2019, and Deadpool & Wolverine answered these prayers. However, this return happened in a very different way to what audiences had perhaps been expecting.
Instead, the plot of the film saw Evans reprize his role as Johnny Storm from the 2005 & 2007 Fantastic Four movies, appearing early on in the story to help Deadpool and Wolverine understand the Void and be told for the first time about Cassandra Nova. Evans’ appearance is short but sweet, balancing the excitement of his return with some Deadpool-style comedy that breaks the fourth wall at points to reference his other notable Marvel role. Archival footage of Evans’ Captain America is also very briefly shown when Deadpool enters the TVA base at the beginning of the movie.
Channing Tatum As Gambit
New Cast Addition
Another long-held Marvel fan hope has been seeing that of Channing Tatum as Gambit. A Marvel movie with Tatum in the role was in the works for a considerable period of time before its eventual cancelation in 2019, and this arguably only exacerbated the amount with which fancasting discussions about the actor in the role took place. As such, Deadpool & Wolverine is sure to have delighted many viewers by placing Channing Tatum in the role, as his version of Gambit appears in the movie as part of the team who aim to help Deadpool return to and save his own world.
Laura/X-23
Last Seen In: Logan (2017)
The news that Dafne Keen would return as Laura – also known as X-23 – in Deadpool & Wolverine broke shortly before the movie itself released, and brought excitement for the upcoming cinematic debut to a fever pitch. Laura’s appearance in the movie proved to be as exciting as hopes suggested, with the young mutant both being part of the team who aims to help save Deadpool’s world, and being a key factor in the focal variant Wolverine’s redemption story. Based on the Deadpool & Wolverine ending, audiences may even be able to see more of the character sooner rather than later.
Blade
Last Seen In: Blade: Trinity (2004)
With the release of the MCU Blade movie on the horizon for the franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine brought the original Blade actor back into the Marvel spotlight, letting Wesley Snipes take on the role of the vampire hunter once more. Blade is also part of the team who strives to help Deadpool return home and save his universe, giving the character a decent chunk of screentime and the ability to reference his prior appearances two decades later.
Hulk
Last Seen In: She-Hulk Attorney At Law (2022)
During the sequence wherein Deadpool meets a variety of Wolverine variants, audiences get to see a brief glimpse at a universe wherein the Hulk and Wolverine are duking it out. This is likely a reference to Wolverine’s debut in The Incredible Hulk #180-181, wherein he also fought the green berserker. Due to the angle of the shot, it’s hard to tell whether this Hulk is intended to be Mark Ruffalo’s version of the hero, or whether it’s a different Hulk entirely.
Thor
Last Seen In: Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
Thor also makes an appearance in the course of Deadpool & Wolverine, albeit in an unusual form that only sees him feature in footage the TVA has recorded. In the sequence, Thor is shown holding Deadpool with half of his mask blown off, seemingly morning the impending death of his ally. This is shown quite early in the movie, and leads Deadpool to question what exactly is going to take place that this happens – as he’s told this is part of the future that he’s not strictly supposed to know about.
Excitingly, this does suggest Deadpool could yet appear in the upcoming Avengers movies, as this would explain why the film explicitly shows that Deadpool will meet Thor. However, it may also suggest Deadpool could actually die in the release – although knowing his healing factor powers and tendancy to have fake out death moments, this may also not be as it appears.
Lady Deadpool
New Cast Addition
The impending arrival of Lady Deadpool was a hotly discussed topic ever since the first glimpses of the character were teased in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailers, with many theories emerging about who could be playing the character. As it turns out, one of the biggest theories – that notable actor and Ryan Reynolds wife, Blake Lively, would be playing the role – was in fact true, as confirmed by the movie’s credits.
Interestingly, Lady Deadpool is masked throughout the entire story, meaning many viewers – and potentially even fans of Lively – may end up missing the fact she appears in the film. As this is true of essentially the entire Deadpool Corps, Blake Lively is not the only famous figure audiences may have missed.
Cowboypool
New Cast Addition
Matthew McConaughey also made a sneaky appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine within the Deadpool Corps, this time as the cowboy version of Deadpool who appears when the variants arrive to confront Ryan Reynold’s antihero and Wolverine. While those familiar with McConaughey’s more Western-leaning roles may have been able to identify him from the offset, it’s likely plenty of others didn’t recognize him at all, making it another of the movie’s potentially under-the-radar cameos.
Headpool
New Cast Addition
The Deadpool Corps also featured other notable figure in the form of Headpool, a disembodied head with a propeller attachment who, like the other Corps, originates from Marvel comics. Headpool is voiced by Nathan Fillion, who has a considerable on-screen Marvel movie history, having appeared in all three Guardians Of The Galaxy movies, albeit in different roles. With Fillion about to debut in the DCU, this is an especially timely appearance, that further cements Deadpool & Wolverine‘s cameo roster and the actor’s career in the superhero genre.
Deathstrike
Last Seen: X-Men 2 (2003)
Wolverine was not the only person to be experimented on by the secret Weapon X organization. In X-Men 2, Wolverine tracks down the people responsible for binding his skeleton with adamantium in a cruel experiment that almost killed him. However, upon arriving at the facility, he faced off against another recipient who stayed loyal to the program. Deathstrike was a formidable foe with similar adamantium enhancements, but she was ultimately killed by Wolverine – and as such, her character in Deadpool & Wolverine is seemingly a variant from another reality.
Azazel
Last Seen: X-Men: First Class (2011)
Azazel from Marvel Comics is the father of Nightcrawler, and a teleporting demon from another dimension. Thus far, the character has only had one appearance in a live-action film, in X-Men: First Class. Azazel was played by Jason Fleming in the 2011 film, and he will reprise the role in Deadpool & Wolverine. Between First Class and Days of Future Past, the character was killed off-screen, but with the multiverse being explored in Deadpool & Wolverine, Azazel is back, and part of Cassandra Nova’s team in the Void.
Toad
Last Seen: X-Men (2000)
Toad is a mutant whose name reveals pretty much everything about their powers. His mutation allows him to move and engage in ways similar to a toad, utilizing his long stretchy tongue, and his extraordinary jumping skills. In the original X-Men movie, Toad was played by Ray Park, who also played Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace just one year earlier. Now Park returns alongside many of the other former members of the Brotherhood in Deadpool & Wolverine in Cassandra Nova’s crew.
Callisto
Last Seen: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Callisto’s power makes her one of the most useful mutants, due to her ability to detect other mutants, and their power levels. Originally, she led a small group of mutants independently, before being recruited by Magneto in X-Men: The Last Stand. The character, as portrayed by Dania Ramirez, returns in Deapool & Wolverine, and it appears her alignment has not shifted given she’s also part of Cassandra Nova’s team in the Void.
The Russian
Last Seen: The Punisher (2004)
The Russian is a villain that is frequently tied to characters like the Punisher, and in that vein, he was last seen played by Kevin Nash in the 2004 movie, The Punisher. However, there is a clear scene which showcases a character in the iconic red and white striped shirt which The Russian is famous for, and the actor Billy Clements posted on Instagram to confirm his character was in the trailer with a snapshot of the scene. It may be a different actor, but the presence of the threatening villain is still very exciting.
Alioth
Last Seen: Loki Season 1
Further tying in with the TVA and the crossing between the multiverse, the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer confirmed the presence of one terrifying threat that has appeared very recently in the MCU. In Loki season 1, when Loki makes it to the void at the end of time, he finds a number of variants of himself trapped there. However, it isn’t long before he encounters the terrifying monster made of smoke and lightning named Alioth. Alioth makes a notable few appearances in the movie, and serves as a reminder of just how dangerous the Void is for those who find themselves trapped there.
