‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s’ four TOTALLY INSANE cameos explained

(CNN) — With the months of buildup for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” it’s hard to believe that the movie is finally out in theaters.

Much of that hype, of course, had to do with speculation around who would cameo in the threequel, which doubles as a belated, warts-and-all love letter to the now-defunct 20th Century Fox universe of Marvel superheroes before that studio got absorbed by Disney in 2019.

While that speculation ran the gamut from perceived hints in Taylor Swift’s latest album to Halle Berry’s Storm-like haircut on Instagram, the four biggest cameos actually in the movie are so unexpected – and so out there – they are sure not to disappoint.

Here is a breakdown of the quartet of characters that Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine come across in their big budget, irreverent comic book tentpole:

Chris Evans… but not as Captain America

In one of the most gleefully shocking interludes in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the titular superduo cross paths with a storied hero previously portrayed by Chris Evans when they end up in the Void – an outer-dimensional garbage dump that quite literally holds the “trash” of 20th Century Fox and Marvel’s past (and failed) comic book outings. After a setup earlier in the film which presents Reynolds’ Wade Wilson/Deadpool as an aspiring would-be Avenger, he immediately gets excited to see Evans and expects him to utter the famous catchphrase seen in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” (which is, of course, “Avengers, assemble!”). Instead, Evans declares, “Flame on!” and proceeds to burst into flame and fly through the sky, thereby resurrecting his previous comic book character Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch from 2005’s “Fantastic Four” and the sequel two years later. What follows is completely insane, and gory, which is a perfectly fitting combination for a Deadpool movie.

Wesley Snipes as Blade

Speaking of past comic book movie outings, Wesley Snipes’ fierce and vampiric Marvel superhero Blade comes back in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” after leading his own trilogy of movies back in the late ’90s and early ‘00s – the third of which actually costarred Reynolds, which might explain how this cameo came to be. Here, Snipes’ Blade becomes part of a ragtag team of forgotten heroes – along with Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, who for whatever reason was unceremoniously spoiled as a cameo via IMDb months ago – that helps the title stars fight the big bad (in this case it’s Cassandra Nova, played by Emma Corrin). At one point, Snipes’ Blade says that “there’s only been one Blade, and there’s only ever gonna be one Blade,” which gives Deadpool pause as Mahershala Ali has been tapped to reboot the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2019, in spite of a fair share of delays.

Channing Tatum as Gambit… finally

As for those failed superhero movie experiments, many remember that long-ago Comic Con from 2015 that featured none other than Channing Tatum, who was attached to star in a standalone movie about Marvel X-Men superhero Gambit, a Cajun card-shark who has the ability to charge objects with kinetic energy. Much like Tatum’s accent in the character, the movie proved hard to pin down and remained in development purgatory, never quite getting off the ground. That is, until now, when Tatum casually walks out on screen in “Deadpool & Wolverine” as an additional member of Blade and Elektra’s Void-dwelling troupe. Part of what’s so surprising about these cameos is their length. Tatum has several extended scenes, and true to form, the “Deadpool” scriptwriters (and DP/Reynolds himself) make sure to make a good deal of fun of him (and honestly, for good reason). The exploding Gambit card effects are super cool, though.

Henry Cavill as… “Cavillerene”??!!

The one throwaway but still incredible cameo comes earlier in the movie, when Deadpool goes on a multiversal quest to find Wolverine and “cues the montage” of variants he comes across. One of those versions of Logan is at first seen from behind, rippling muscles galore, and is soon to be revealed as Henry Cavill, formerly known as Superman. It’s a brief bit in which Deadpool assures him that Marvel/Disney will treat him better than “those guys down the street” (a subtle dig at DC, who decided not to retain his services as the Man of Steel).

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