After a six-year wait, Deadpool has finally returned—this time, he's not alone.
Not only does Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth bring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine back from his heroic and tragic end in 2017’s “Logan,” but he also carries with him a wealth of cameos and references akin to “Endgame” levels. As in his previous films, Deadpool continues to break the fourth wall, but in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” he smashes right through it.
A lot has shifted since “Deadpool 2”: Disney’s acquisition of Fox has allowed Deadpool and the X-Men to officially join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superhero movies have exploded in popularity, giving Deadpool an endless supply of material to reference. While there have been a few X-Men cameos in the MCU so far—like Patrick Stewart reprising Professor X in “Doctor Strange 2” and Kelsey Grammer as Beast in “The Marvels”—“Deadpool & Wolverine” takes fan service to another level.
One of the most surprising cameos comes from MCU legend Chris Evans. However, instead of donning Captain America’s shield, he’s back as Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, from Fox’s original “Fantastic Four.” In a clever twist, characters like Johnny, discarded by the Fox-Disney merger, find themselves in the Void—a place where pre-Disney characters are cast aside. Here, he’s joined by Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Dafne Keen’s X-23, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit (a character who never made it to Fox’s X-Men films but was long rumored for a standalone project).
The movie doesn’t stop there, though. Familiar faces from the MCU also make appearances, including Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan, the Hulk, and Wunmi Mosaku’s Hunter B-15 from “Loki.” Then come the multiverse variations of Deadpool and Wolverine: Henry Cavill appears as Cavillrine; Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, voices Ladypool; Matthew McConaughey briefly lends his voice to Cowboy Deadpool; and Nathan Fillion portrays Headpool, a floating, disembodied head.
The film is packed with nods to Reynolds’ and Jackman’s past projects, like “The Proposal” and “Music Man,” as well as a playful dig at the real-life drama between Reynolds and Snipes on the set of “Blade: Trinity.” Not to mention, the film reuses old Fox and MCU footage, including a humorous bit with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor in a scene lifted straight from “Thor: The Dark World.”
While the fan service is extensive, the attention to detail in blending all these characters and references is impressive. The playful yet chaotic energy that has come to define the “Deadpool” films is alive and well in this latest installment, and the mix of nostalgia and novelty is sure to please fans.
The cameos continue with Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and even Channing Tatum finally realizing his dream of playing Gambit, though in a way that humorously pokes fun at his long journey to the role.
In short, “Deadpool & Wolverine” doesn’t just lean into the multiverse chaos—it revels in it, delivering a film that is as much a celebration of superhero cinema as it is a continuation of Deadpool’s irreverent story. It’s a wild ride that is both absurd and oddly touching, a testament to the enduring appeal of these characters and the actors who bring them to life.