Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine is filled with many sly MCU references, Easter Eggs, and cameos. Making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the self-proclaimed “Marvel Jesus” continues to be as meta as before, and nothing was off limits.
Starring Ryan Reynolds again as Wade Wilson/ Deadpool, the film brings Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, and the two are surrounded by MCU and X-Men lore, all thanks to Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. The film comes from Shawn Levy, who co-wrote the script with Reynolds and original Deadpool writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells. So, without further ado, let’s get into all the many Easter eggs.
Wolverine Variants
The superhero film takes place in the multiverse, thanks to its debut in the middle of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. On his quest to save his universe, Deadpool travels through the multiverse to find a Wolverine to help him save his timeline as an “Anchor Being.”
In the opening sequence, Deadpool digs up the original Logan’s corpse, hoping he regenerated. Instead, he finds Logan’s skeleton, which he uses to kill the TVA officers. In the multiverse, he stumbles across many Wolverine variants, and many are references to the wider universe. Whether we’re talking about the short Wolverine — a nod to the criticism that Wolverine is canonically 5’3″, compared to Hugh Jackman, who is 6’2″ — the Weapon Omega from X-Men: Alpha #1, Patch, Old Man Logan, or the Crucified Wolverine (Uncanny X-Men #251), Deadpool & Wolverine pays homage to many fan-favorite Wolverine moments. One goes right back to the character’s beginnings, as it hints at Hulk vs. Wolverine, as the X-Men lead mutant was introduced in an issue of The Incredible Hulk.
Deadpool & Wolverine also introduces a new actor playing Wolverine — Henry Cavill. The DC alum makes his debut in the MCU as The Cavillrine, and it includes another Easter egg/jab at his previous role as Superman. “We’ll treat you so much better than those a**holes down the street,” Deadpool tells Cavillrine, referencing Cavill’s abrupt DCEU ending as Superman.
Deadpool Variants
Wolverine isn’t the only one with many variants — the titular Merc with a Mouth does, too. The Deadpool Corps pop up at one of the highest moments of the movie, and they include different references.
The most hyped one was Lady Deadpool, which created a pool of speculation around it. People theorized who might be hiding behind the mask — was it Ryan Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, or Reynolds himself in a wig? The end credits sort out the debate, revealing that it’s Blake Lively, although the character never takes her mask off.
Speaking of Lively, she gets several nods in the film. In the opening sequence, there’s a reference to Gossip Girl, where Lively played one of the main characters, Serena van der Woodsen. She is also name-dropped when Deadpool warns Jackman that he’s “telling Blake” if he comes onto him, also when Nicepool notes how quickly she got her rocking body back after her pregnancy.
Other Deadpool variants included Dogpool, played by Peggy, a character introduced in Deadpool Corps #3. The floating Headpool, one of the other variants, is voiced by Nathan Fillion, and the Cowboy Deadpool is voiced by none other than Matthew McConaughey, and Peterpool (Rob Delaney).
Ryan Reynolds’ family
Ryan Reynolds’ family is also credited as some of the characters. His four-year-old daughter, Betty, is credited as “Hugh Jackman Wrangler.” Reynolds and Lively’s three other children are also in the film, with son James credited as “Screaming Mutant.” Inez and Olin are credited as Kidpool and Babypool, respectively. Reynolds also holds a different credit name for his version of Nicepool: Gordon Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds invented the “twin brother” for his 2016 interview celebrating his Men of the Year honor for GQ, and asked himself questions.
Kevin Feige
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige got several references in the film, some more subtle than others. Deadpool outright name-drops Feige when Blind Al offers him cocaine, and references what Feige publicly admitted as off-limits for Disney: drugs, which Deadpool had to address. He is also referenced on a pizza box, as they order food from “Feige’s Famous Pizza.”
Rob McElhenney
One of Ryan Reynolds’ close friends, It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia‘s Rob McElhenney also makes a brief, blink-and-you-missed-it cameo. He appears near the end of the film as a TVA soldier. McElhenney co-owns the Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C. with Reynolds.
X-Men references
There are many references to the X-Men throughout Deadpool & Wolverine. One references Omega-level mutants, as B-15 identifies Cassandra Nova as an Omega-level mutant, a comic term for the most powerful mutants. Deadpool also notes that he’s “waited a long time for this team-up with Wolverine,” since 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Reynolds made his Deadpool debut.
X-23, Elektra, and Gambit make appearances, and Laura even dons the same sunglasses she did in Logan. Blade pulls out a bazooka that once belonged to the Punisher, and Deadpool asks which version, as many took on the role. Deadpool & Wolverine pokes fun at Ben Affleck, noting that Daredevil is dead. Garner, Affleck’s ex-wife, who plays Elektra, says “It’s fine.”
There are several references to Deadpool 2‘s Cable, including “Scoutmaster Kevin,” which is a callback to when Deadpool first fought Cable, as well as the Juggernaut.
Pop culture references
Deadpool & Wolverine is filled with pop culture references, something Blake Lively takes credit for. With Avril Lavigne, Madonna, and *NSYNC songs, the film is a millennial’s dream, paired with the Vulcan salute ahead of Deadpool’s sacrifice with the Time Ripper.
Addressing Wolverine’s mask, Deadpool also makes an out-of-universe joke about Batman, noting that his blue-and-yellow mask makes him look “like Batman if he could move his neck,” as well as Furiosa and Mad Max mentions.
Deadpool also references The Proposal, Minions, Frozen, has a snippet of The Greatest Showman, a joke about Hugh Jackman’s Broadway show Music Man, the Los Angeles Rams, who sport the same color scheme as Wolverine’s yellow and blue suit, and a note that “Paul Rudd finally aged,” a classic internet joke about Paul Rudd’s ever-youthful appearance.
MCU references
As Cassandra tries to destroy the multiverse, reality starts unraveling around her like in Loki season 2. Stan Lee appears on the side of a bus, and the video during the credits. There’s a reference to Deadpool‘s co-creator, Rob Liefeld, with a running gag about how he can’t draw feet by naming a store behind them “Liefeld’s Just Feet.”
Deadpool refers to himself as Marvel Jesus, acknowledging several times that the MCU had some Multiverse misses, noting that he and Wolverine are “entering at a low point for the MCU.”
Blade himself gets meta with the “There can only be one Blade” comment, a nod to the MCU’s delayed Blade movie. He also says his iconic, improvised line from the first Blade movie, “Some motherf***ers are always trying to ice skate uphill.” Snipes also addresses the rumored feud with Ryan Reynolds, as Blade tells him he doesn’t like him, and Wade replies, “You never did.”
The Avengers
The Avengers are mentioned throughout the film, as Deadpool initially tries to join the group of superheroes and has a meeting with Happy Hogan. We also see Marvel’s Sparkle Circle aka the sorcerer portals from Doctor Strange, and a reference to a sling ring Cassandra took from a Doctor Strange variant. Cassandra Nova uses Thanos’ throne and her kingdom in the Void is made up inside the skull of Scott Lang’s Giant Ant-Man mask, and features a glimpse at a version of Asgard. During a car ride, Deadpool does Spider-Man’s iconic web-shooting moves.
In the end, Wade suggests getting shawarma, as the Avengers did in the post-credits scene in 2012’s The Avengers. “The Avengers discovered shawarma,” Deadpool adds.
Chris Evans
Chris Evans is one of the most surprising cameos. Instead of appearing as Captain America, as Deadpool initially assumed, he reprised his Fantastic Four character, Human Torch. When he is killed off, Deadpool jokes that he is “not my favorite Chris,” a running gag about the famous Chrises (Evans, Hemsworth, Pine, and Pratt). The post-credits scene reminds everyone of Captain America‘s clean “language” remarks, as his role as Johnny Storm wasn’t so restricting, freely swearing when speaking about Cassandra.
A farewell tribute to 20th Century Fox
Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox came with a series of opportunities to bring the X-Men together with the rest of the MCU characters, but the credits also feature a tribute to the glory days of the X-Men films. With behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, Fox gets a tribute starting with 2000’s X-Men, when Hugh Jackman debuted as Wolverine.