Commentary: ‘Wolverine And Deadpool’ Demonstrates The Power Of Character Cameos
by Frank Martin
Cameos are all the rage these days in movies. Nostalgia is super heavy in the entertainment industry, so films are doing everything that they can to get celebrities to either briefly appear as new characters or to reprise old favorites fans will recognize. Given the fourth wall breaking nature of the Deadpool franchise, it’s no surprise that the newest movie, Deadpool and Wolverine, went all out with the cameos. But through the film’s story, the movie demonstrated that, in some instances, cameos can even go beyond the actor’s portrayal to include just the characters themselves.
Spoilers for the film follow…
In the primary plot, the X-Men universe Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) came from is dying and he tries to do everything he can to save it. This includes recruiting a version of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from a different reality to serve as its new anchor. However, the Time Variance Authority is not happy with Wade’s attempts and sends him to the void — a place where long forgotten characters and story elements are sent. Because of the film’s meta nature, the void goes beyond Deadpool’s self-contained story and transcends into our world, where a lot of old Marvel characters, such as Blade and Elektra, make appearances played by their respective actors from previous films, Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Garner.
But these characters played by high profile actors aren’t the only ones to return. Sabretooth as portrayed by X-Men‘s Tyler Mane, makes a brief appearance. At the same time, not all of these lesser known X-Men characters that make an appearance are reprised by their original actors. Toad and Juggernaut also make an appearance, but they were not played by Ray Park or Vinny Jones, the original actors. New actors bring them to life using very similar costumes. Although it would have been great to see the original actors make an appearance, it’s still noteworthy that the filmmakers wanted to include the characters. It shows that fans who recognize these versions can still appreciate their inclusion. And since the original actors weren’t as high profile as Snipes or Garner, the film can still make that happen.
Wolverine and Deadpool is now in theaters.
