There is no doubt that this summer’s “Deadpool and Wolverine” is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The hype for it has been building steadily with the return of Hugh Jackman as the clawed mutant. Indeed, we are sure that audiences will be in for a thrilling adrenaline rush and maximum surprises. So, let’s buckle up our brown pants and get into this party!
It’s been a while since we’ve had an “X-Men” property grace our screens. Indeed, this film was borne in the aftermath of an industrial shake-up which saw Disney merge 20th Century Fox into their conglomerate. As such, for five years, the mutants took a backseat as Marvel Studios decided how they wanted to utilise their new toys.
Sure mutants have been peppered into the MCU with Charles Xavier making an appearance in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” and Beast showing up in the post-credits scene of “The Marvels“. This time, nonetheless, it’s the Merc With a Mouth who will officially lead the charge with a feature focusing on the children of the atom.
This new adventure will take audiences back to the era when 20th Century Fox was still in charge. Indeed, various characters from those films will be popping up here. As such, it might be handy to keep a list in hand for those characters as there will be A LOT! Look, even Deadpool himself is astonished.
We’ve split the list into three categories here. The first will include characters that have been seen before in the Fox movies and MCU, the second are new characters that will be introduced within this film, and the third… well, are just rumours, but they’re really convincing (especially the last one).
We are also not including any franchise-affiliated characters like Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead as they’re staples of the Deadpool family. So, in the abridged words of Mr Pool himself, LFG!
1. CONFIRMED TO RETURN
Unless Marvel Studios decides to troll us when the movie releases in theatres, everyone on this list is guaranteed to be in the film. Sure, there is a possibility that trailer footage and the final product might differ, but that’s a story for another day.
PYRO
Although this was established back when the first teaser was released, you’d still be forgiven if you didn’t know who this was. After all, it’s been so long since we saw this fire-bending mutant. The last time fans saw Pyro was in 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” where he faced down and eventually got knocked out by Iceman in the climactic final battle.
St. John Allerdyce, the mutant who was part of Xavier’s Institution when he was younger can manipulate fire to his will. He could not create fire himself, which is the reason he carries a Zippo lighter around. While he started with the X-Men, he later joined Magneto’s Brotherhood as he was inspired by the mutant leader’s ideals.
Now, in “Deadpool and Wolverine”, Pyro is seen in a new beaten-up costume. The colours are muted and dusty but it is reminiscent of his red and yellow comic look, complete with goggles.
Aaron Stanford, 47, did take to Instagram after the teaser was released to assure fans that yes, we were not tripping and that was indeed the man himself.
ALIOTH
The second character on this list is one of the relatively newer characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First appearing in “Loki” on Disney+, Alioth is a being that roams the Void and guards the Citadel at the End of Time. It devours matter and energy from items sent into that domain by the Time Variance Authority.
Initially used as a supporting character in the fifth episode of “Loki’s” first season, Alioth was allied with He Who Remains, who explained that he had learned to weaponize the creature to do his bidding and be his guard.
When the second trailer for “Deadpool and Wolverine” was released, the unmistakable cloud figure of Alioth was spotted attempting to enshroud the Ant-Man corpse base for consumption. This base would presumably hold characters from the Fox universe, which we’ll continue to delve into.
LADY DEATHSTRIKE
The unmistakable blades of this vicious death dealer are back!
Appearing in “X2: X-Men United”, Kelly Hu’s Lady Deathstrike was one of William Stryker’s experiments at the Alkali Lake facility. Her cold personality, paired with her healing factor and claws extending out of every digit, made her a killing machine.
After a violent battle with Logan, she was defeated when the six-clawed mutant injected her with liquid adamantium, sinking her into the bottom of a tank.
There’s not much to say about her return but it seems like she’s working together with a bunch of other mutants who are stranded in the Void.
AZAZEL
The red-skinned teleporter Azazel first appeared in Matthew Vaughn’s “X-Men: First Class”. He was part of Sebastian Shaw’s Hellfire Club which promoted mutant supremacy.
Although he survived the events of “First Class”, he did not reappear in “Days of Future Past”. There is, however, a canon reason. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, a covert CIA task force was enlisted at the President’s behest. In one of the operations, Angel Salvadore and Azazel were both killed in a firefight with the unit.
Akin to Lady Deathstrike, there isn’t much to note of his appearance here other than him being part of this ragtag Mad-Max-style crew.
TOAD
Ah, the character that was the subject of one of the worst lines in comic-book movie history…
This version of Toad was a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood in the 2000 film. This brash, unhinged character was frankly gross but he was a pretty formidable foe in his own right. From chowing down on pigeons, mocking his enemies, and spitting goo on their faces, this Toad’s tongue was not to be messed with.
You may also remember that infamous interaction with Halle Berry’s Storm in which the audience gets to find out what happens to a toad that’s struck by lightning. Hmm. What was that all about?
Actor Ray Park, who also famously played Darth Maul in “The Phantom Menace” playfully hinted at his return in an Instagram comment. When a fan queried about his involvement, he replied, “I am [in Deadpool & Wolverine] lol must have kidnapped me in my sleep lol,”.
While Toad did return with a slightly more comic-accurate look in “Days of Future Past”, it makes more sense to include the predecessor due to the impact that version had.
ELEKTRA
Elektra might have found her audience when she featured in the “Daredevil” series. However, before that, it was Jennifer Garner who took on the role and swung her sais to the tune of Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life”.
Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Natchios first appeared in the 2003 movie “Daredevil” starring Ben Affleck, Jon Favreau, and Michael Clarke Duncan. She then headlined her solo spin-off in 2005. Alas, both of these movies debuted to low fanfare and soon enough, any potential projects in that corner were scrapped.
Back in July of 2023, Deadline reported that Jennifer was reprising her role as Elektra. Funnily enough, prior to that, there were reports swirling around that Ben Affleck was also approached to star in this movie. However, he ultimately declined.
The actress has played coy on her involvement, choosing to neither confirm nor deny her involvement. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Jennifer has worked with Ryan and Shawn Levy either as they had all teamed up for the Netflix original movie, “The Adam Project” back in 2022. Therefore, working with a crew she had already been familiar with could have been an easy yes.
THOR
An Avenger in a Deadpool movie?
Okay, so this might be a little bit of a cheat. So, yes, Thor is in the movie… but Marvel Studios did not ask Chris Hemsworth to join them on set.
During a presentation at CinemaCon earlier this year, the footage shown to attendees included archival footage of the God of Thunder that had been repurposed for the new movie. The scene in question is taken from “Thor: The Dark World” where Thor is mourning the ‘death’ of Loki. However, in this version, Loki is replaced by Wade Wilson.
In a ComicBook.com interview, Chris Hemsworth addressed the cameo and expressed his excitement over the project. “I mean, that whole world is really cool to be a part of, and any time each other… I think it’s what makes it all really cool is the interconnected nature of it.”
Indeed, this sparks the idea that we could see even more Avengers other than Thor being inserted in via archival footage. Who knows? Maybe Deadpool will end up jumping through iconic movie moments and interacting with The Guardians of The Galaxy, dive into the airport battle in “Civil War” and maybe even gather the Infinity Stones for himself.
SABERTOOTH
Now, there is another OG character that will also make an appearance in the form of Victor Creed aka Sabertooth.
The character first appeared in the 2000 film, played by Tyler Mane. Of course, we get a younger version of Victor Creed in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” played by Liev Schreiber. The character has not been seen in any of the Fox films since. That is all about to change as on-set photos for “Deadpool and Wolverine” have shown the estranged brother of Logan doing battle with our two heroes.
2. NEW VARIANT CHARACTERS
Now, the next bunch on this list will cover the set of variant characters that are set to make their debut in the film.
CASSANDRA NOVA
Now, the backstory regarding this character in the comics is pretty insane. So sit tight.
First appearing in “New X-Men #114”, Cassandra Nova served as the antithesis to her twin brother, Professor Xavier. (yeah, you heard that right). Her brother actually recognised her in the womb and killed her but she survived and remained undetected as a mass of cells on a sewer wall. Excuse us?!
Later, she emerged with a proper body and took control of the Master Mold. Then, she performed genocide on Genosha with the new Sentinel army she possessed. “X-Men 97” flashbacks, anyone?
Being the anti-self of Charles, she was the exact opposite of his nobility and sympathetic nature. However, she shares the same powers of telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to have an astral projection.
In the film, Cassandra Nova will be played by “The Crown’s” Emma Corrin and she will be the leader of the Void army. She seems to possess Xavier’s powers as she stops Wolverine in his tracks with ease.
Now, we have a feeling that this origin might be tweaked and simplified in order to play up the multiversal concept. As such, we think that she will simply be the female version of Charles Xavier who hails from another universe, except this time, she’s eee-vil.
PARADOX
Paradox is one of the TVA agents played by Matthew Macfayden, of “Succession” fame. In the comics, he had a very small role and appeared alongside his colleagues, Mr. Mobius and Mr. Ouroboros. It was rather brief and he died at the hands of a minor villain named Clockwise.
However, the live-action version seems to be following in the footsteps of Ke Huy Quan’s Ouroboros. Indeed, Paradox could probably be Wade Wilson’s ally throughout the film, similar to the way Mobius M Mobius served as Loki’s guide. Or… he could turn out to be a total jerk.
PATCH
In the first trailer, there is a brief glimpse of the back of a character clad in a white suit. From the hair alone, one could deduce that this is a variant of our favourite clawed mutant.
‘Patch’ originally was used as an alias by Logan when he was operating undercover in the fictional Southeast Asian nation of Madripoor. The disguise, signified by an eye patch and white jacket kept him on a low profile among the locals. He drank, gambled and performed investigative work sans the X-Men.
Although nothing has been confirmed, some reports suggest that the live-action Patch will be played by a different actor. The hair does look slightly different than the one on Hugh Jackman. So, let’s just wait and see who will be the lucky one to play this version.
DOGPOOL
She’s got bark. She’s got the bite. She’s gonna slice and dice, for some treats tonight. The first and most prominent – and ‘goodest’ girl – of the Deadpool variants is Dogpool.
Dogpool’s life in the pages was rough. He was subject to experiments, which caused mutations, and then left for dead. Nevertheless, it was able to escape after developing powers and soon joined a circus up until Deadpool decided to show up and recruit it.
In the movie, Dogpool is played by a crossbreed – pug with a Chinese Crested dog – named Peggy, this lovable creature will melt your heart, and then proceed to go on a bloodthirsty killing spree. We can only imagine what chaos will ensue.
HEADPOOL
Another variant, as the name suggests, is merely, the zombified head of Deadpool… without a body. Nuff said.
For the film, one theory suggests that this is the decapitated head from “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. You know, the one with the sewn-up mouth and the laser eyes. Yeah, that one. This would harken back to the ending of that movie, whereby Deadpool was decapitated by Wolverine himself.
Do you know what else would be hilarious? Making this into a popcorn bucket. Your move, Dune!
KIDPOOL
In the source material, a young Wade Wilson in Earth 10330 was accepted into the Xavier Orphanage for Troubled Boys. He had great trouble in adhering to rules and social norms which got him into a lot of trouble within the orphanage. Soon enough, the prime Deadpool recruited him to join the Deadpool Corps and save the multiverse.
There has not been any confirmation for an actor who is playing Kidpool. Many bets are on “Percy Jackson and The Olympians” Walker Scobell, who played Ryan’s younger counterpart in “The Adam Project”. After all, he did nail the elder’s sarcastic personality and wit in that outing.
BABYPOOL
Well, Babypool is baby Deadpool. That’s it. That’s the post.
SAMURAI DEADPOOL
At some point during the film, Deadpool and Wolverine will meet another variant that has been dubbed ‘Samurai Deadpool’.
There is currently no precedent for this version in the source material. However, there could be many things going on here as Wolverine and Deadpool explore the Void. Samurai Deadpool could serve as a figure of zen and peace that would irk Logan and stir up the prime Merc. Maybe he’s a spiritual guide. Or… maybe he’ll just be a sadistic killing machine.
3. THE HYPOTHETICAL RUMOURS
For this section, we’ll start by saying that there are no verifiable sources to back them up. Nevertheless, we think that these hold the most water due to real-world connections which make them easier to pull off.
LADY DEADPOOL
Now, with all the Deadpool variants being confirmed, one key variant still has not been confirmed in any way, shape, or form. This variant is Wanda Wilson.
Some fans are theorizing that Lady Deadpool’s hands are in the trailer, as one shot of gloves grasping some guns does not match the ones worn by Ryan’s prime version. The idea now is that Lady Deadpool’s full appearance is being kept as a surprise and that she will be played by none other than Ryan’s wife, Blake Lively.
It would make sense for Ryan to ask his wife to play this character as she knows him very well. So, is it going to happen? We don’t know for sure. But oh, yeah, it’s pretty convincing.
HUMAN TORCH
You know what would be funny? Having Chris Evans show up as the Human Torch once again!
Since the Fantastic Four were also part of the Fox equation, it would make sense for them to include at least one iteration of the First Family in this movie. The classic Fantasticar is already confirmed to be in the movie. So, why not one of the members of the team?
Chris Evans did pop up in “Free Guy” as himself. So, there should already be some familiarity with both Shawn Levy and Ryan’s projects.
Yes, we’re all thinking the same thing. This paves the way for Chris Evans to poke fun at the other Star-Spangled Brooklyn brawler, which defined his career for a decade. It remains to be seen whether all of this will ultimately come to fruition but it would be a very nice surprise!
DAZZLER (OR TAYLOR SWIFT TO BE MORE EXACT)
Ok, this will be a longer one but considering we’re mega-Swifties, this IS one of the most convincing theories we are diving into.
Well, the most obvious connection that Taylor Swift shares with this character is that she is a singer, just like Alison Blaire. This X-Men member, created in 1980, has the ability to convert sound energy into light and energy beams. It is to be noted, nevertheless, that Dazzler has had a live-action appearance, albeit a short one, in 2019’s “Dark Phoenix”, where she was portrayed by Halston Sage.
Now, we’re getting into the real-world details. Taytay has been connected to the Reynolds for a very long time. She’s good friends with Blake Lively, who has directed one of her music videos “I Bet You Think About Me”. Reynold’s daughter was also featured in the music video for “Gorgeous”. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s children have also been namedropped in a bunch of Swift’s songs, namely the “Folklore” teenage love triangle, “Betty”, “Cardigan”, and “August”.
Ryan did go on record to address the possibility of Swift having a cameo in the movie. In an interview with Fandango, he stated, “You know, movies like this, there’s so much speculation about so many people that might end up in the film. I saw one that was convinced that Elvis was in the movie. Anything can happen and that’s sort of what I love about this universe. Surprises are the essence of Deadpool”.
Amusingly, Taylor did receive a favour from Ryan back in 2016 and it’s Deadpool-related. She borrowed the suit used in the 2016 movie for Halloween, which she rocked.
Moving on to Shawn Levy. We’ve known him as the director of hits such as “Night At The Museum” and “Free Guy”. However, did you know that he has also worked with Swift? The thing is that Taylor Swift isn’t in one of his films. Rather he is in one of hers. Indeed, he played the lead character’s father in her “All Too Well” short film.
Now, of course, what sparked the rumour mill was this photo that Shawn Levy posted on his Instagram story. We see Shawn, Ryan, Hugh, Blake and Taylor smiling side by side. Why are they together? What is the significance of this?
It could just be because they’re hanging out as mutual and good friends. But what if that friendship has found a way to implement and germinate the idea of her having a cameo in the film? The signs are all there. If Dazzler does appear in the final cut and is being played by Swift herself, then this would be a meta full-circle moment that would pay off a decade of friendship and inside jokes.
Or, this is all merely a ruse and we’re just walking Clownelia Street again!
Which cameos and new characters are you most excited to see? Are there any more characters that you hope will appear? Sound off in the comments!
“Deadpool and Wolverine” will be walking into cinemas in slo-mo this July.
The post What Cameos & New Characters Will Appear In “Deadpool And Wolverine”? appeared first on Hype MY.
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