Deadpool and Wolverine: Hugh Jackman stars in Marvel trailer
Warning – this article contains major spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine.
Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) is back on the big screen this week for another fourth wall-breaking Marvel adventure.
This time, he’s finally joined by the iconic X-Men legend Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) after fans have been waiting years for them to team up.
Comic book aficionados are expecting cameos galore as the unlikely heroes explore the multiverse to escape the Time Variance Authority (TVA), but does it deliver?
From the beginning, it’s clear Deadpool’s latest irreverent blockbuster is leaving no stone unturned as it picks up right after Wolverine’s supposedly final appearance in Logan, which released in 2017.
Fans will remember the hero tragically died at the end of the fitting ending to the X-Men saga (the less said about Dark Phoenix and New Mutants the better), but Deadpool is convinced there’s still life in the regenerative mutant and digs up his grave.
Deadpool and Wolverine – every cameo and special appearance you might miss (Image: DISNEY)
He soon realises this version of Wolverine is truly dead for good, but uses his adamantium skeleton to take out some TVA agents for good measure.
The film then flashes back to a rather awkward interview with the Avengers’ “chauffeur” Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) in an office packed with Marvel trinkets, including Tony Stark/Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr) first arc reactor and a cover of Forbes featuring his wife Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) on the cover.
Happy refuses to initiate Deadpool into the world-saving superhero team, but rogue TVA agent Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) gives him a shot at redemption. He informs the Merc with the Mouth that his timeline has been crumbling ever since the death of Logan.
He’s desperate to return home to his friends, which include his ex Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), Peter Wisdom (Rob Delaney), Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Dopinder (Karan Soni), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), Colossus (Stefan Kapičić), Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), Buck (Randal Reeder) and Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), all returning from previous Deadpool films.
Classic Marvel heroes Elektra and Blade make a return (Image: FOX)
So, Deadpool explores the multiverse to find a replacement Wolverine so he can go back home. A montage reveals several iconic and obscure Wolverine variants from Marvel comics, including a “comic accurate” short Wolverine, a Wolverine with a missing hand and glam rock hair from Age of Apocalypse, a Wolverine with an eye patch, Old Man Logan, a Wolverine in his classic comic book suit who squares off against the Hulk, and a Wolverine getting crucified on a giant X from Chris Claremont’s Uncanny X-Men. All are played by Hugh Jackman, although Superman star Henry Cavill makes a surprise appearance as another Logan variant after he emerged as a popular fan casting for the MCU.
Deadpool and Wolverine then find themselves trapped in the Void, a desolate corner of the multiverse where forgotten artifacts from lost dimensions are sent to be eaten by Alioth. Here’s where the cameos and references come thick and fast, including a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance of a classic helmet and shield donned by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) in the comics.
Logan reunites with X-23 (Image: FOX)
A-Lister Chris Evans does make an appearance (as does Hemsworth’s Thor through archival footage), but not portraying his iconic Star Spangled Man with a Plan. Instead, he’s reprising his performance as Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch from the original Fantastic Four movies.
He (poorly) helps the duo face off against a number of mutants from Fox’s X-Men films, including Tyler Mane returning as Wolverine’s nemesis Sabretooth and Aaron Stanford as Pyro. Other baddies include Toad, Psylocke, Juggernaut, Lady Deathstrike and Azazel, though not portrayed by their original actors.
To help them face off against the Void’s terrifying leader Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), the twin sister of Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, who does not appear), Deadpool and Wolverine enlist the help of four heroes from forgotten Marvel timelines.
Getting the biggest cheers from Marvel fans are Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Wesley Snipes as Blade and Channing Tatum as Gambit, whose standalone film was stuck in development hell for years.
Ryan Reynold’s wife Blake Lively portrays Lady Deadpool (Image: GETTY)
When Deadpool and Wolverine eventually return to Wade’s timeline, Cassandra sends an army of Deadpool variants to prevent the heroes from foiling her plan to destroy the multiverse. They include Ryan’s wife Blake Lively portraying Lady Deadpool, Ryan as another Deadpool known as Nicepool (and his dog Mary Poppins/Dogpool) as well as a Cowboy Deadpool (listed in the credits as Matthew McConaughey), Samurai Deadpool, Headpool (a floating skull voiced by Nathan Fillion), Kidpool, Baby Deadpool, Welsh and Scottish Deadpools, a gas mask-wearing pirate Deadpool and a Robot Deadpool.
Also making appearances are Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15 from the Disney+ series Loki, plus Wrexham player Ollie Palmer as a bartender and the team’s co-owner with Ryan Rob McElhenney making a secret appearance as a TVA agent.
That’s all the cameos we spotted, but eagle-eyed Marvel fans will undoubtedly be going back for seconds and thirds to try and spot any secrets they may have missed the first time around.
Deadpool and Wolverine is in cinemas now.