To callDeadpool & Wolverinea blockbuster hit would be as big of an understatement as sayingHugh Jackman’s 24 years playing Wolverine made a lasting impact on superhero movie history. The third entry in the Deadpool franchise and the first produced by Marvel Studios earned relativelypositive critical reviewsand made a staggering$1.3 billion worldwideduring its theatrical run, a total that places it just behindInside Out 2as thebiggest movie of 2024and makes it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. Such a rapturous audience reception isn’t a surprise, given Jackman’s quarter-century with 20th Century Fox’sX-Menseries and the box office popularity ofRyan Reynolds' previous two Deadpool movies. Together, the actors' two-hander vehicle — now available to watch and re-watch on Disney+ — unites theFox superhero movies of the past and Marvel Studios' current timelineunder the same umbrella for the first time.
But as one watchesDeadpool & Wolverine, it doesn’t take long to notice that some key characters are missing. The previous film,Deadpool 2, had significantly expanded the first Deadpool’s core character group and introduced two particularly noteworthy players: Cable (Josh Brolin), a legacy comics figure withdirect ties to the X-Men, and Domino (Zazie Beetz), a high-profile mutant assassin. Both characters join Wade Wilson/Deadpool’s band of misfit antiheroes in the first sequel,yet neither Brolin nor Beetz reprise their roles forDeadpool & Wolverine, the franchise’s most high-profile outing to date. Somehow, Deadpool only makes avague jokeabout their absence. Why doesn’t either character appear alongside Reynolds and Jackman?
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Is Stuffed With Superheros
IfDeadpool 2uses time travel to widen the scope of the titular character’s world,Deadpool & Wolverineplays the Marvel Multiverse concept to the hilt. It’s both a giddy romp throughMarvel’s cinematic tableauand a love letter to the decades of comic book movies that came before — both the successful andthe unsuccessful. DirectorShawn Levypacks well over 30 characters intoDeadpool & Wolverine’s action-packed storyline, and that’s not even counting the dozens upon dozens of Deadpool variants. Although some comic book characters make their big screen debuts, likeCassandra Nova(Emma Corrin), the majority are established supporting names. Pyro (Aaron Stanford), Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), and Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen) all reprise their roles from Fox’sX-Menseries, as do Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) andLoki’s Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku).
Most prominently featured are stars likeJennifer Garner, who receives a redemptive stab at Elektra, a much crasser version ofChris Evans’s Human Torch fromThe Fantastic Fourduology, andWesley Snipes’Blade, who remains just as cool as ever.Channing Tatum, meanwhile, finally achieves his elusiveGambit dream, whileHenry Cavill’s brief cameo facilitates the internet’s “Cavillrine” dream.
Josh Brolin Wanted To Play Cable in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
When asked about theirlack of involvement withDeadpool & Wolverine, Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz acknowledge that they don’t know whatMarvel’s future plans entail. In 2019, one year afterDeadpool 2was released, the Walt Disney Studios' purchase of 20th Century Fox put the latter’s plans for an X-Force movie “on hold,“according to producerLauren Shuler Donner.
Brolin had reportedlysigned a four-picture dealbefore the studio-shuffling. Between the actor’s star-power and previous experience with the MCU (rememberDeadpool 2’s Thanos jokes?), incorporating the characters seems like an obvious choice. But at the 2019 Ace Comic Con convention,Brolin answered an audience questionabout whether he would play Cable again. “I’ve been calling [Marvel], like, what’s the deal with Cable, man? Seriously, 100 percent serious,” he said.
Brolin detailed more in an April edition ofThe Playlist’s Bingeworthy TV podcast:
“I so wanted to be in that movie. [… Marvel] is a more complex labyrinth thanOuter Rangewill ever be, my friend. And I will never know where that went or what that is or what I’m involved with or what I’m not involved with — the MCU being so involved now. Cable was a lot of fun. I really liked doing that role.”
Everything ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Did, ‘She-Hulk’ Did Better
We’re not comparing apples to green apples here.
Brolin went on to championDeadpool & Wolverine’s potential and praisedHugh Jackman’s many Wolverine performances. As for Domino, Beetz expressed her enthusiasm for the character and her hopes for a potential return during a March 2022interview with ScreenRant. “I am crossing my fingers, hoping that Domino will be a part of this and if not, that’s also all good,” she said. “But it’s just such a great crew, such a great team. I just love Deadpool. I love Domino so much.” Despite Beetz’s willingness to reprise the role, however, she officiallydenied any involvement withDeadpool & Wolverinein June 2023.
Zazie Beetz Hopes To Reprise Domino in a Future Deadpool Movie
Beetz’s charismatic performance — easily thesequel’s strongest asset— more than warrants Domino’s return, as does the character’s comic history: a bioengineered mutant who creates “good luck” for herself, a viciously skilled mercenary, and a leading X-Force member. Likewise, Brolin furnishes Cable with a magnificent edge.Deadpool 2’s R-rating affords the gruff, time-traveling, cybernetically enhanced son of Cyclops andMadelyne Pryorthe freedom to be hardened and violent, butCable’s ultimate motivations come from the heart.
Cable and Domino are last seenduringDeadpool 2’s closing moments. Where they are circaDeadpool & Wolverineremains a mystery, althoughDeadpool 2’send credits scenemight be a jumping-off point for Cable; he reverses Wade’s death with his time travel device, sacrificing his one chance to return to his own timeline. However, younger X-Force members (and girlfriends) Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) fix Cable’s defunct tool. Wade uses it to prevent his girlfriendVanessa’s (Morena Baccarin)death. If the device still works, Cable could be home with his family, or just Carmen Sandiego-ing it through time. If anotherrogue TVA agentdecided to break the rules and prune him, that flexibility could save his life. As far as we know, Domino doesn’t have access to time travel tools. But her mutant powers let her manipulate the world to her advantage, which makes her a tough cookie for the TVA (or other enemies) to catch.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Works Best as a Buddy Comedy
As of now, theDeadpool & Wolverinecreative team hasn’t explained how they chosewhich supporting characters returnedand which got the ax.DirectorShawn Levydidtell ScreenRant at CinemaCon, “It’s the third Deadpool movie, but it’s notDeadpool 3.” Because this film was designed for longtime friends Reynolds and Jackman, the latter wanting to reprise Wolverine in thisspecific context, it’s logical to assume the production approachedDeadpool & Wolverinelike a one-off special. The film shifts its focus away from Wade’s reliable friend group and zeroes in on the opportunities its titular dynamic provides — be they Deadpool’s fanboy jokes, the pair’s frequent tussles, Wolverine’s redemption arc, or finally puttingJackman in that yellow-and-blue suit.
Deadpool & Wolverinealso has the unique task of transitioning Fox’s Marvel continuity into the MCU. The production might have erred on the side of caution. Cable and Domino’s presence could potentially overcrowd analready packed castor do the characters a disservice; presumably, a cameo is all they had time to contribute, and the characters' potential deserve more than an Easter egg. There may also be budgetary restrictions of which we aren’t aware, givenhow many performersDeadpool & Wolverineemploys.
As for the Merc with a Mouth himself, Reynolds toldAndrew Garfieldduring Variety’sActors on Actorsinterviewthat he’s happy to bow out offuture Deadpool filmswithout abandoning the character altogether. Reynolds believes Deadpool works best when he isn’t the sole focus, and specifically cited his willingness to play a supporting role to Tatum’s Gambit — ifMarvel decides to resurrectthat canceled project. It’s more likely that Marvel will commission another Deadpool movie in light ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s resounding success, or even retool certain characters for Disney+’s darker, more adult-oriented “Marvel Spotlight” banner. Both options are a prime opportunity to expand uponthe X-Force opportunitiesDeadpool 2dangled, especially with Brolin and Beetz’s ongoing enthusiasm. The Multiverse has room for everyone, no matter what the snobbyMr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen)says.
Deadpool & Wolverineis available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.
