Deadpool & Wolverine went above and beyond with its cameos — some we expected, and some we really didn’t. Arguably even more so than Spider-Man: No Way Home, the box office-breaking threequel showed how to utilize the positive word of mouth that having a cast full of surprise familiar faces brings to turn a film into a mega-hit.
And yet the Deadpool fans on X aren’t convinced that the recent film contains the single best cameo in the franchise, as they think Ryan Reynolds managed it right out the gate in the character’s first solo film back in 2016. But, wait, who could arguably be a better cameo than Channing Tatum’s Gambit or Wesley Snipes’ Blade or any of the Deadpool Corps? Say hi to Bob.
When a viral question asked “What are your favorite Cameos in movies?” one popular response replied “Best Marvel cameo is in a Deadpool film and it’s not Deadpool 3.” The tweet came with a clip of the cameo in question from director Tim Miller’s original, in which Wade Wilson has a hilarious encounter with an old friend (played by Rob Hayter) during the heat of battle. It looks like a lot of Deadpool lovers agree with the OP’s bold statement, going by the 64,000 likes.
If the importance of this scene is lost on you, Wade’s old pal Bob was a nod to HYDRA Bob (or Bob, Agent of HYDRA), DP’s best friend from the comics. A hapless and cowardly guy, Bob just happens to work as a henchman for HYDRA. For his brief appearance in Deadpool, Bob was recast as one of Ajax’s goons due to the Marvel/Fox rights divide.
Deadpool comic readers are still sore that this minute-long clip was somehow the only appearance Bob made in the entire film trilogy. “My biggest complaint about the Deadpool movies is that we never got a proper Hydra Bob,” one fan replied. “But at least this is better than nothing.”
Imagine Bob turning up for a single scene in every film, in the middle of ever more elaborate action sequences. He and Wade greet each other, shoot the breeze a little, and then Wade brutally knocks him out again. Could’ve been comedy gold every time.
Obviously, instead of Bob we had Rob Delaney’s Peter as Wade’s regular best pal, but if we’re being comics-accurate, that role should’ve been given to Delaney’s near-namesake.
Ryan Reynolds, it’s still not too late to bring Bob back for Deadpool 4.
Now that Deadpool is at home in Disneyland, Marvel is finally in a position to deliver a faithful adaptation of HYDRA Bob — OK, so HYDRA are believed to be disbanded, but they could always come out of the woodwork again in Captain America: Brave New World. Of course, while Bob might be a big deal to comics fans, he’s not going to bring in the big bucks in the same way as Hugh Jackman does, so maybe folks should temper their expectations. We’re unlikely to get Deadpool & Bob announced for Phase Seven anytime soon.