Josh Brolin is all over superhero cinema this year. Not only is he making his most sizeable appearance to date as Thanos the Mad Titan in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War, but he’s also debuting as Cable in Fox’s Deadpool 2. And, with Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth being his old fourth-wall breaking self, it’s no surprise that the X-Men universe sequel will feature some sly references to Brolin’s role in the MCU.
Though they’re easy to overlook, there are actually not one but two references to Thanos in the newly-released trailer for Deadpool 2. For starters, in the middle of a gritty intro for Brolin’s character Cable, Ryan Reynolds’ voiceover interrupts to point out that the CGI has not been completed on Cable’s cyborg arm. In response, Deadpool says: “F#ck it, I’ll do it myself!”
If you take away the colourful phrase at the beginning, that is a direct quote from one of Thanos’ most famous moments to date in the MCU. Back in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, a post-credits scene saw the villain arm himself with his Infinity Gauntlet and get ready to claim the six Infinity Stones hidden across the galaxy. “Fine,” he said to the camera. “I’ll do it myself.”
The second reference comes in the next part of the Deadpool 2 trailer, featuring a skit where the Merc holds a make-shift recreation of Cable’s intro using a cardboard mini-set and some action figures of Brolin and himself (dressed as Woody from Toy Story). As he uses the Deadpool figure to assault the Cable doll, the anti-hero comments: “Zip it, Cable! I’ve got the stones to help you.”
Obviously, Deadpool is referencing, er, some other stones, but this has got to be another nod to Thanos. Seeing as Brolin’s second Marvel character is most known for seeking out the Infinity Stones, there’s surely no way that this line is just a coincidence. Wouldn’t you agree?
Marvel fans who also love Josh Brolin are set to have the best month of their lives when Avengers: Infinity War arrives on May 4th and is shortly followed by Deadpool 2 on May 18th. The only question now, is, which one are you looking forward to most?