14 Awesome Deadpool 2 Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed
Spoiler warning for Deadpool 2.
On May 18th, Deadpool is bursting back into theaters for an explosive sequel, as he fights Cable and teams up with mutants like Domino and the X-Force to hopefully save the day. This film is packed with so many references, jokes, cameos, and callbacks that you’d have to go back in time like Cable just to catch them all.
We picked a few of our favorite Easter Eggs from Deadpool 2 that you might have missed on your first viewing. Check them out below, and then be sure to watch out for them when you see the film for a second, third, fourth time (seriously, we won’t judge).
Logan Not-So-Lucky
At the beginning of Deadpool 2, we see the Merc with a Mouth bemoaning a certain mutant star for daring to make another “R” rated film to upstage his own success at the box office. To punctuate his point, Deadpool pulls out a little ornament of Hugh Jackman from Logan, which cruelly depicts the rather emotional ending for Wolverine. Spoiler alert, much?
Stan Lee’s Cameo
As X-Force attempts to parachute down to the convoy carrying Russell and the other mutants, Stan the Man himself can be seen as graffiti on the side of a large building in the city. Stan Lee doesn’t have a speaking cameo in this film, but fans should recognize his iconic ‘stache and glasses as he smiles out over the city in this giant mural.
That’s Not How Cerebro Works
As if Deadpool would have any respect for the X-Mansion! After he is seen taking Professor X’s wheelchair for a joyride around the foyer, Colossus encounters the Merc with a Mouth misusing the powerful mutant tech called Cerebro. Deadpool pretends that it lets him read Colossus’s mind and predict what he’s about to say, when in reality the device has been used to identify mutants across the globe while amplifying the user’s brainwaves.
The Other X-Men
As Wade Wilson complains to Colossus that the studio never lets his films use “the good X-Men,” we see a group of mutant stars quietly close the door on Deadpool. Included in the cameo are Beast, Professor X, Quicksilver, and others who don’t want Wade to know they’re home. The heroes are seen in their appearances from the recent X-Men trilogy, including Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalypse.
The Write Stuff
This film owes a lot to the zany Deadpool comics that gave the character his personality, his cool powers, and even his famous moped scooter. In the film, several comics writers get called out with brief references; Gerry Duggan has a parkway named after him, which can be heard as a part of the convoy sequence. When Cable jumps on top of the convoy, a street sign with the name Hastings (a reference to Christopher Hastings) is visible. Finally, when Deadpool calls the criminals at the beginning of his “international tour,” he introduces himself as Gail, a possible reference to Gail Simone, who also gave Deadpool the red scooter in her popular run of Deadpool comics.
Pop Culture Name Drops
Being as irreverent as he is, Deadpool is constantly assigning nicknames to his co-stars, pulling from pop culture for some of his snappiest lines. Deadpool calls Cable both Thanos and One-Eyed Willy, referencing Brolin’s parts in both Avengers: Infinity War and The Goonies. Negasonic Teenage Warhead gets called Eleven, a reference to the psychic star of Stranger Things. He refers to Domino as the black Black Widow, and when Wade loses his powers, he says he’s basically Hawkeye.
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight, a team of Canadian superheroes, gets a small shout-out in Deadpool 2, visible on an advertisement on the top of Dopinder’s taxi. Alpha Flight first appeared in X-Men #120 in a mission to retrieve Wolverine, and lineup includes heroes like Guardian, Northstar, Aurora, Sasquatch, and more. The team was designed to balance the X-Men in ability, and their series ran for 130 issues.
Outlaw
When Deadpool and Weasel conduct interviews for their X-Force team, a cutout image of a woman in a cowgirl hat can be seen in the back hallway. Based on the costume, this appears to be an image of Outlaw, a mutant mercenary who has strength, durability, and an accelerated healing factor. Also called “Crazy” Inez Temple, Outlaw met Deadpool at the Merc Works gym and the two eventually became allies.
A Pryor Engagement
After the disastrous X-Force landing, Deadpool ends up in a residential neighborhood where an ice cream truck can be seen with the logo “Pryor’s Treats”. This is a reference to Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey who went on to marry Scott Summers, Cyclops of the X-Men. The two famously are the parents of Cable, who makes his debut in this film.
Deadpool’s X-Force Costume
When Russell and Deadpool face off at the Essex House in the film’s climax, Wade is able to get close enough to the young mutant to give the kid a hug. Russell doesn’t trust Deadpool, and uses his fire powers to char the Merc’s suit and blast him away. Deadpool’s usually-red costume becomes ashy grey, taking on the appearance of his famous X-Force costume.
Making Fun of Liefeld
Forced to work with Domino to accomplish the mission, Deadpool starts to criticize her invisible superpowers, which involve an intense amount of luck in her favor. We get to see these powers in action in a particularly cinematic shot, but Deadpool insists that a hero with luck powers must have been made up by a “guy who can’t draw feet”. This is a humorous dig at Rob Liefeld, the artist and co-creator of Deadpool, Domino, and Cable. He’s famous for drawing lots of pouches and for hiding the feet of heroes he draws in many scenes.
This Is Not Spinal Tap
Cable’s weapon has a dial that goes up to 11, which is a reference to the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. The dial can be frequently seen as Cable has to adjust the intensity of the blasts in various combat scenes.
Green Lantern and Deadpool X-Terminated
After Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio fix Cable’s timestream device, Deadpool uses it to do some retcons of his own as he rewinds the timestream. He takes a trip back to X-Men Origins to assassinate his infamous self and save Wolverine some trouble with the famously atrocious version of Deadpool. Then, he takes out Ryan Reynolds himself before he can make the mistake of starring in Green Lantern. Surely that will have no effect on his future- time travel never has consequences!
Brad Pitt’s Vanishing Act
The Vanisher was a surprise addition to Deadpool’s X-Force who was omitted from a lot of the marketing material surrounding the mutant team- or maybe he was there the whole time, and we just never noticed! In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, the Vanisher falls to his death on a telephone wire when X-Force makes their dangerous descent. As he’s electrocuted, we see a glimpse of Brad Pitt before this disappearing hero is burned to a crisp.
There are even more hilarious references and amazing comic book callouts throughout the movie, enough to keep the biggest X-Fans on the edge of their seats. Deadpool 2 opens in theaters everywhere on May 18th- See the film this week and see what you can spot!
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