Five years after Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Deadpool and Wolverine finally made their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the recently released Deadpool & Wolverine. True enough, the threequel has changed the name of the game after dropping several twists and turns and introducing new concepts.
Beyond altering the Marvel universe, the movie features surprising cameos that exceed expectations. Like the previous two Deadpool films, this installment is full of profound shocks that maintain the series’ R-rated tone despite being produced by the kid-friendly Marvel Studios.
It not only wraps up Fox’s X-Men universe but also gives a nod to Marvel characters from the old studio. From the unexpected return of a veteran Marvel character to seeing a familiar face reprising an unforeseen role, here are the 12 Deadpool & Wolverine cameos that fans never saw coming.
Original X-Men Villains
Long before Deadpool & Wolverine hit the big screen, there were a lot of rumors about the cameos that would appear in the movie. Leaked set photos hinted at Toad and Sabretooth’s appearances, and the later release trailers confirmed their part in the titular characters’ first adventure in the Multiverse.
In addition to Toad and Sabretooth, Azazel, Deathstrike, Juggernaut, Psylocke, and Callisto also appeared. A couple of villains from other Marvel series, like Bullseye from Daredevil and The Russian from The Punisher, also appeared. However, only Sabretooth had a major line in the movie and saw the original actor, Tyler Mane, return to reprise his role after Bryan Singer’s 2000 X-Men.
The Cavillrene
Surprisingly, Henry Cavill made a cameo as a variant of Wolverine called The Cavillrene in Deadpool & Wolverine. After rumors broke that the former The Witcher star would join the movie, his brief appearance added more fuel to the claims that he would replace Hugh Jackman as the adamantium-clawed mutant.
Though Jackman may continue playing his iconic role after his supposed retirement in 2017 following the release of James Mangold’s Logan, Cavill’s appearance means that anything can happen now that the Multiverse Saga is at play.
The Hulk
Amid the many cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, the film also excitingly included the Hulk. When Deadpool looked for Wolverine in different timelines, he arrived when the X-Man was in an epic fight against Bruce Banner.
Though it only lasted for a second, that scene was a nod to Wolverine’s comic book origins, first appearing in the last panel of The Incredible Hulk #180. Sadly, viewers didn’t see Hulk’s face, but it was pretty overwhelming, especially since the X-Men had joined the MCU. Will a Wolverine versus the Hulk be next on the card?
Happy Hogan
We knew Deadpool & Wolverine was off to a great start when Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) appeared in the opening scene as Deadpool applied to join the Avengers. Happy, a head of Stark Industries’ security and a personal confidant of Iron Man, plays a major role in the MCU. So, though Deadpool fails to join the Avengers this time, this may hint that he may end up working with this superhero group in the future, especially since the next Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars, are now in the works.
Thor
Talking about Deadpool’s possible collaboration with the Avengers, Thor’s cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine gave birth to several theories. The God of Thunder appeared in Thor: The Dark World video footage repurposed to replace Loki with Deadpool. Interestingly, Thor was crying over a heavily injured Deadpool while they seemed to be in the middle of a great war.
When Deadpool asked Paradox about that intriguing sequence, the TVA officer explained it was a scene from the future that the Merc with a Mouth shouldn’t have seen yet. So, it was no surprise that it led to assumptions that Deadpool would be part of the next Avengers movies, specifically Secret Wars, to help the Avengers fight off the new villain, Doctor Doom, whom the returning Marvel veteran Robert Downey Jr. would play.
Pyro
After almost 20 years, Aaron Stanford returned to play the X-Men villain Pyro in Deadpool & Wolverine. Unlike other mutant antagonists from the Fox-Marvel X-Men universe, Pyro got the biggest spotlight as he spied for Paradox and tried to bring down the main villain, Cassandra Nova. After he was last seen in the 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand, Pyro finally got the attention he deserved.
Deadpool Variants
Just when everyone thought the Deadpool variants would help Wade and Logan in their fight against Cassandra in Deadpool & Wolverine, only two became allies: Dogpool and Nicepool. The likes of Lady Deadpool (Blake Lively), Cowboypool (Matthew McConaughey), Headpool (Nathan Fillion), Kidpool (Ryan Reynolds and Lively’s daughter Inez), and Babypool (the couple’s 1-year-old Olin) all ended up fighting the two protagonists.
Human Torch
Another surprising appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine was Chris Evans. But instead of Captain America, he reprised his role as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, from the 2005 Fantastic Four. This helped Marvel’s first family integrate into the MCU, as The Fantastic Four reboot is now in the works in Marvel Studios.
Of course, this excited many as it had been years since Evans was seen as the fiery and hotheaded Marvel character. Sadly, after getting his power absorbed by Pyro, he suffered the most gruesome death at the hands of Cassandra.
Elektra
Despite the poor reception of the 2005 film Elektra, Jennifer Garner’s return as the undercover assassin was a sight to be seen in Deadpool & Wolverine. And she didn’t just have a cameo. She played a pivotal role in Deadpool and Wolverine’s fight against Cassandra and her army of villains in The Void. Alongside her fellow misbegotten heroes, they all sought redemption as they helped the titular characters change the world by ending Cassandra’s reign.
X-23
Seven years after her last appearance in Logan, Dafne Keen was again seen as X-23 in Deadpool & Wolverine. This time, she was no longer a kid but a grown-up woman who had proven herself as a formidable fighter. But aside from her epic fighting scenes, her emotional talk with Wolverine brought major nostalgia after the real Logan died to save her.
Fans should note that the Wolverine they saw in the threequel was a different variant to honor the 2017 film’s perfect send-off for the iconic mutant.
Gambit
Channing Tatum’s appearance as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine was the ultimate scene stealer. With a long cinematic history, as the actor’s solo Gambit movie didn’t happen after the Disney-Fox merger, this gave everyone a chance to see Tatum as Remy LeBeau after several years. His incredible powers and thick accent added depth to the film, making it much cooler than expected.
Blade
The most hair-raising cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine was Wesley Snipes reprising his role as Blade after 20 years. The moment he stepped into the scene brought incredible hype to the movie, and seeing an aging Erick Brooks only added another layer of intensity. Blade proved he was a real badass and a no-nonsense character after he shaded Marvel Studios’ upcoming Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali, saying there was only one Blade.
True enough, no one could beat Snipes’s take on the character after once again bringing the grit that made Blade famous since his first film in 1998. The actor even broke two Guinness World Records after his appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine.
He now holds the title for having the longest career as a live-action Marvel character for nearly 26 years and even defeating Jackman, who held the record after playing Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men. He also gains the longest gap between character appearances in Marvel films, which was previously held by Alfred Molina after his return as Doctor Octopus in the 2021 Spider-Man: Now Way Home, 17 years after the 2004 Spider-Man 2.