Deadpool and Wolverine Easter eggs and cameos you may have missed (original) (raw)

Deadpool and Wolverine is a movie for the fans because it is chock full of cameos and Easter eggs, so much so that Marvel has planted fake ones to protect the film's biggest secrets.

There is a lot to unpack in the movie, which serves as Ryan Reynolds debut as the Merc with the Mouth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Hugh Jackman's return to the role of Wolverine following Disney's acquirement of Fox. The movie sees the titular characters team up when Deadpool is tasked with saving the MCU by the Time Variance Authority.

Warning: This article contains some spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine.

With titles in both the Fox era and Disney era to play with, Reynolds' fourth wall-breaking superhero has a much larger sandbox to play in, which means there's a lot of Easter eggs to keep track of. For a definitive guide on them, look no further.

Deadpool always makes reference to real life events in his previous movies, and the new film has a lot of nods and easter eggs for fans to pick up. (Marvel)

Wolverine 2.0

One major aspect of the film is that there are several different versions of Jackman's Wolverine, many of whom were teased in the trailers for the movie. A few of them appear in a montage of sorts at the beginning of the film when Deadpool decides to find a new Wolverine to replace his one —the one we all know who died in 2017's Logan— so he can save his timeline from being destroyed.

There are many iterations of the character in the comics, but ones that appear to feature in the movie include Patch, Weapon X, Ultimate Wolverine, and General James Howlett.

Disney's acquisition of Fox

Deadpool loves to break the fourth wall and poke fun at real life events. (Marvel)

Deadpool always has a lot to say and his quips often relate to real-life events, the new movie is no different as it references Disney buying Fox in multiple ways. The superhero speaks to the camera to say "suck it Fox" when he's introduced into the MCU, and the 20th Century Fox logo seen in the "trash heap" of the Void after Deadpool and Wolverine are pruned by Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen).

There's also an array of Fox characters who have been pruned, including X-Men's Sabretooth, Deathstrike, Azazel, Pyro, Toad, Callisto, and The Russian. These characters are all in league with Cassandra Nova, the big bad of the movie.

Loki references abound

Given the prominence of the TVA in Deadpool and Wolverine's storyline it might not come as a surprise that there are a few references to Loki, the Disney+ series centred on Tom Hiddleston's trickster god. Alioth, the guardian of the Void that first appeared in Loki season 1, is in the Void, while there are cameos from the series and also references to the destruction of timelines as has been seen in the show.

Gossip Girl

Chace Crawford and Blake Lively film scenes on the set of Gossip Girl in 2012. (PA Images)

Deadpool makes a joke about having an extra "bone" in his body when he watches Gossip Girl, Reynolds' real wife Blake Lively plays the central character Serena Celia van der Woodsen.

Will Smith's Oscars slap

When someone makes a joke about him being the worst Canadian Deadpool kills the man and then says they should keep his "country's name out of [his] f**king mouth", which is a reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

The Avengers

Early in the film Deadpool interviews to joins the Avengers, and in Happy Hogan's office you can see a number of nods to the superheroes including Captain America, Iron Man, and even Pepper Potts.

Captain America

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in Avengers: Endgame. (Disney/Marvel)

Deadpool quotes Captain America by saying "on your left" when carrying Wolverine through a TVA portal. Chris Evans' character says this to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) through the Captain America and Avengers movies.

The Greatest Showman

Hugh Jackman's musical past is referenced a lot in the movie, there's a joke about his performance in Music Man and even a brief two-second play of The Greatest Show from The Greatest Showman.

Cable

Josh Brolin played Cable in Deadpool 2. (Fox)

Josh Brolin's Deadpool 2 villain Cable is referenced by name in the movie, Deadpool jokes that the character didn't "test well" with focus groups. Perhaps this was included to explain why the actor doesn't reprise his role in the movie.

Apocalypse

It may be one of the worst X-Men movies, but X-Men: Apocalypse is referenced in a subtle way when Deadpool and Wolverine are taken through the Void. In the background there are a number of pyramids, this feels like a nod to Oscar Isaac's character Apocalypse who lived during Ancient Egyptian times and was later brought back to life.

The major cameos in Deadpool and Wolverine

Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner returns as Elektra from 2003's Daredevil. (20th Century Fox)

It was announced before the film was released that Jennifer Garner makes her return as Elektra from 2003's Daredevil. She is part of a team in the Void who wants to face off against Cassandra Nova and have a fitting ending to their characters' stories.

Dafne Keen

Dafne Keen returns as X-23, aka Laura Kinney, which she first played in Logan. (Marvel)

One big surprise was seeing Dafne Keen reunite with Jackman, seven years after starring opposite him in Logan. The actor reprises her role as X-23, aka Laura Kinney, and she is part of the aforementioned team.

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes as Blade (Credit: New Line/Marvel)

That's right, Blade is back! Probably the most exciting cameo was Snipes as the vampire hunter, and he gets to use many of his iconic lines as well as rock his classic look from the beloved trilogy. The character even says there will "only be one Blade" which certainly rings true, given the problems that Marvel's reboot has been facing.

Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum finally gets to play Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine after his solo superhero movie went through development hell. (Marvel)

Perhaps the funniest cameo is that of Channing Tatum as Gambit, which if you haven't kept track of movie news in the past decade you may not realise is a big deal. Tatum was meant to portray the card-dealing superhero for 20th Century Fox, he was approached to play the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but was unavailable and then later signed on for a solo movie in 2014.

However, this film ended up in development hell for years, and it was ultimately cancelled by Disney when it acquired Fox. Deadpool references this quite frequently with the character.

Chris Evans

Chris Evans was first Human Torch before he was Captain America, and starred in two Fantastic Four movies. (20th Century Fox)

Who said a Marvel icon can't return? That's right, Chris Evans is back in Deadpool and Wolverine and like the Merc with the Mouth you might be hoping he's playing Captain America. But you would be wrong, because Evans is actually reprising his role as Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four.

Before playing Cap, Evans portrayed the flame-powered superhero Human Torch in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequel.

Henry Cavill

Henry Cavill is apparently the only other person who can play Wolverine. (Getty Images)

Fans have been wondering who Henry Cavill might play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe if given the chance, and turns out he would play a pretty big character: Wolverine. That's right, even though it has long been said that only Hugh Jackman could ever play Logan it turns out in the multiverse there is the possibility that the character will instead be played by Cavill.

Jon Favreau

Happy Hogan —Iron Man's driver turned right hand man— is back in action in Deadpool and Wolverine, he appears in a scene where Deadpool interviews for a spot on the Avengers and fails.

Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor for a cameo, though the movie uses archival footage from Thor: The Dark World and repurposed it. (Marvel Studios)

In a blink and you miss it moment Chris Hemsworth returns as the God of Thunder, in a scene that is set to happen "in the near future" where he is crying over a Deadpool who is – seemingly – dying.

Blake Lively and Inez Reynolds

Blake Lively joins her husband Ryan Reynolds in the Deadpool movie. (Getty Images)

Ryan Reynolds is keeping it in the family, quite literally, for Deadpool and Wolverine as both his wife Blake Lively and their daughter Inez appear in the film. Lively portrays Lady Deadpool, while Inez voices the character Kidpool, a sweary younger version of Wade Wilson.

The couple's other children are also credited in the film: 9-year-old James is said to be a "screaming mutant" while their one-year-old son Olin makes a cameo as Babypool. Their daughter Betty, 4, is named as "Hugh Jackman's wrangler" in the credits.

Paul Mullin

This one is for football fans, or those aware of Reynolds' docu-series Welcome to Wrexham that celebrates the team he and Rob McElhenney bought. Paul Mullin, Wrexham's forward appears in the film as Welshpool, a clear nod to the Welsh football club, and Reynolds revealed his cameo on social media.

Rob McElhenney

Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham AFC partner Rob McElhenney also appears in the film. (Disney)

Reynolds' football club partner McElhenney didn't miss out either, because he also makes a cameo in the movie as a TVA soldier.

However, McElhenney has claimed that his scene was cut from the film, and wrote on social media: "I traveled 6 thousand miles to shoot my cameo. I hope you enjoyed it because the theater I was watching in had mistakenly cut it out. Since I KNOW Ryan wouldn’t do me like that, I look forward to catching the movie and my cameo again today!"

Wunmi Mosaku

Wunmi Mosaku reprises her role as Hunter B-15 from Loki in Deadpool & Wolverine. (Marvel)

Loki fans rejoice there is a cameo from one of the actors from the Disney+ series, Wunmi Mosaku's Hunter B-15 who is now a leader at the TVA comes down to investigate when Mr Paradox sets off a Time Ripper.

Harry Holland

Tom Holland's brother Harry plays a Deadpool variant in the film. (Getty Images)

Tom Holland may be the MCU's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man but his brother Harry has also appeared in the franchise now as a Deadpool variant. Reynolds even joked that he didn't know Holland's brother was going to be in the movie.

Other X-Men characters

A variety of X-Men characters from the Fox era return, including Aaron Stanford as Pyro. (20th Century Fox)

As mentioned, a lot of X-Men appear in the new film and the actors who played them in the Fox X-Men movies return.

Tyler Mane plays Sabretooth, Aaron Stanford returns as Pyro, Kelly Hu once again plays Deathstrike, and Jason Fleming returns as Azazel. Other actors reprising their roles from previous X-Men movies include Ray Park as Toad and Dania Ramirez as Callisto.

Daredevil and The Punisher

Okay, not Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal, but there is a reference to Ben Affleck's version of the character in the film and Kevin Nash reprises his role as The Russian from 2004's The Punisher.

Deadpool and Wolverine is out on digital now.