Even before Deadpool & Wolverine hit theatres, there were already multiple reports of several characters making cameos in the film. When the previews were released, it was teased that there were appearances from characters from way back in the earlier years of Marvel Fox.
With the movie finally out, fans are now sure that there were some cameos that didn’t end up in the film—and this was according to Marvel’s design.
[THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE]
Marvel Planted Fake Leaks of Cameos for Deadpool and Wolverine
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, executive produer Wendy Jacobson has confirmed that certain misdirections were taken in order to protect the secrecy of the cameos in the film. She says, "There may or may not have been some subterfuge and misdirections on the internet or in-person in order to protect the secrecy."
Take note, some cameos leaks did end up being accurate, but there were also some that fans were almost sure of that didn’t appear onscreen at all. When it came to the nature of the cameos in the movie, Jacobson said:
"I can neither confirm nor deny any cameos in this film but I will say, in terms of characters that may or may not appear, it was always important to us that nothing in this movie feels like a gimmick… Anyone showing up has a crucial story purpose or a beginning, middle, and end as a character arc. It was definitely a collaborative process of seeing who fit in and who didn't."
Wait, Does That Count?
Before getting into the list though, it is worth noting that the movie makes use of a lot of clips from the previous Marvel Fox films. Some are used for flashbacks, but the mid-credits are actually a montage of the making of the Marvel Fox universe, and it includes appearances from all the original cast members during the making of the X-Men films, Daredevil, Elektra, and the Fantastic Four films.
While these are appearances from the original films, this list is only considering the cameos of actors who came back to reprise their roles for the film.
Which Cameos DIDN’T Happen?
For all the rumored cameos that actually happened in the movie, there were also a bunch of cameos that never actually amounted to anything. It’s not clear which ones Marvel planted in their fake leaks, but there were definitely some cameos that seemed unlikely but pulled the rug from underneath everyone.
On the other hand, though, this is a list of the rumored cameos that seemed so likely but resulted in non-appearances:
Daniel Radcliffe as a Wolverine Variant – One of the earlier cameos rumored to appear in the movie. It was said that Radcliffe had been cast in the film as a Wolverine variant—one that was shorter to make him more comic-accurate.
Taylor Swift as the Dazzler – Rumors of Taylor Swift appearing in the movie were going around when photos of Swift hanging out with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy came out online. A lot of fans wanted her to play the mutant Dazzler, but some suggested that Swift could just be playing herself in the film.
As it turns out, she doesn’t appear at all, and everything online about her in the film was just wishful thinking.
Miss Minutes from Loki – With the Time Variance Authority being a major faction in the film, it was probably expected that Miss Minutes would appear, even just for a short cameo. For as long as DP stays in the TVA though, there was no appearance from Minutes—not even in any of the TVA mugs of posters where she could have just been a photo of a mascot.
The Complete Fox Fantastic Four Roster – Since it was said that the movie was going to be a love letter to Marvel Fox, it was suggested that Fantastic Four actors like Ioan Gruffud and Jessica Alba would make an appearance in the film as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman.
No such thing happened in the film though, but there’s still something in the movie for fans of the Fox version of Fantastic Four.
Edward Norton’s Hulk – Edward Norton was originally cast to play Bruce Banner for the MCU, but after a falling out with the studio, he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in the first Avengers film. Ever since the introduction of the Marvel Multiverse, there have been several calls to bring back Norton’s Hulk in one form or another, and it was expected that he would appear in Deadpool & Wolverine as a rejected version of Banner that was banished to the void.
As it turns out, he doesn’t appear in the film, nor does he provide any kind of voice role. If Norton himself has forgotten all about the Hulk, it’s probably best that the fans forget about him appearing as well.
If it’s any consolation, Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader, who was introduced in The Incredible Hulk, is expected to have a major role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
Liev Schreiber’s Sabretooth – The trailers had confirmed that Tyler Mane was going to reprise his version of Sabretooth in the film i.e., the Sabretooth that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine goes up against in the first X-Men movie; but there were some hoping for a reunion between Jackman and Liev Schreiber, who had played Sabretooth/Victor Creed in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Despite being one of the more celebrated elements of that movie, it looks like the film wasn’t able to get Schreiber to make an appearance. It is worth noting, though, that Deadpool does reiterate that both Logan and Sabretooth are brothers—a detail that Origins delved into, but not the original X-Men film.
Anyone from the Original X-Men Roster – When Hugh Jackman started out as Wolverine, his roster of X-Men included Cyclops (James Marsden), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Storm (Halle Berry), and Rogue (Anna Paquin).
Though some were hoping for them to appear in a flashback explaining why the Logan that Wade meets is so miserable; not one of the original X-Men come back to reprise their roles.
With the movie having just been released, fans are still trying to piece together things that they might have missed on the first viewing. It’s likely that there could be some more cameos revealed over time, but for now, these are just the most blatant rumors that ended up being wrong.
Deadpool and Wolverine is out in cinemas today, July 26.