Deadpool and Wolverine was released as part of the 2024 movie schedule, and it has taken over the world. Not only was Deadpool & Wolverine kings of the box office, but it also received good reviews from critics and had guests everywhere gasping and cheering for certain cameos that popped up on the screen.
And obviously, I was one of those people. Well, maybe not all the cameos—I did know some of the Deadpool and Wolverine cameos beforehand, but for a lot of them, I found myself chuckling and… actually enjoying them. In fact, I think the ridiculous amount in this film somehow worked.
Obviously SPOILERS for Deadpool & Wolverine are down below!
Many Of The Cameos Made Sense To The Story
The reason I tend not to like cameos that much is because they usually mean so little to the plot. Really, the only time I enjoyed cameos have been all those Stan Lee cameos in the Marvel films, but he was one of Marvel's main creative minds, so he's allowed to have that.
I'm just not a big fan of most other MCU cameos—and cameos in general. They're usually just there to make the audience go, "Oh wow! I know that person! They're hilarious!" And then we'll forget about them ten seconds later as we wait for the rest of the plot to develop.
That's why I tend to stick to more dramatic films or the best horror movies because the chances of there being a cameo are usually slim to none. However, I found myself really loving the cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, and it's because they just made sense to the story.
A lot of the time, cameos are just shoved into movies with no genuine regard to the plot, but every one of these appearances in Deadpool & Wolverine was actually brilliantly done. From Hunter B-15 who appeared towards the end of the movie, to even including Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan (instead of the typical Samuel L. Jackson cameo we would usually get), everything felt like it had a spot, a place and a part in the story, even if they were only there for a few scenes. That's what I liked the most.
I Hadn't Expected Much From Elektra, Laura Or Blade, But They Surprised Me
I knew long ago that Jennifer Garner would be back as Elektra. I actually wrote an article about how I watched 2003's Daredevil and the spinoff and how much I enjoyed her character. So I was eager to see what they would do with her cameo and how much of the movie she would be involved in.
What I didn't expect was for her to be teaming up with Laura (X-23) from Logan, freaking Blade from Blade and Channing Tatum as Gambit – the character he never got to play during the Fox era. I sat in that theater watching all these people walk in like they were the epitome of badass, and you know what? They were!
I was nervous... so nervous that I didn't know if they would be there for just one scene and then stripped from my existence for the rest of my life. But thankfully, these supposed cameos basically turned into supporting roles. They weren't just there for people to go, "I remember Wesley Snipes as Blade!" Nah, we saw this man take down so many bad guys, and I was here for it.
You see, when cameos like this, hidden from the rest of the world, are used in such a great way, that's what makes them fantastic. I loved every second of it—even if at first I didn't realize who Tatum was, but a little Google search helped me afterward.
Even The Sheer Amount Of Deadpool Variants Didn't Shock Me As Much As Normal
One of the most significant moments of Deadpool & Wolverine is when the title duo are fighting through a ridiculous number of Deadpool variants who all come from the Void to fight them (thanks to Cassandra). And yes, this scene is littered with cameos.
Blake Lively (Ryan Reynolds' real-life wife) voices Lady Deadpool, Nathan Fillion is the voice of Headpool, and Matthew McConaughey is the voice of Cowboypool. Heck, even Reynolds' kids play Babypool and Kidpool, and most only have a few lines.
But they didn't feel forced. Nothing felt unnecessary, and it wasn't like they suddenly took off their masks and revealed to the world, "Haha, it's me! Bet you didn't know." All it took was hearing their voices, and we just knew. And if you didn't, well, you'd find out in the credits.
I love cameos like that, where you blink twice and miss it, but then you realize later how much it means to the actual story. I could go for more of those.
I Even Liked The Inclusion Of Chris Evans As Human Torch – Even If I Miss Him As Cap
I could talk for hours about how much I loved Chris Evans in the MCU and how much I miss him as Captain America – even though I am fully on board with Sam Wilson as the next Cap and can't freaking wait for the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
I also had a feeling he would show up, but I didn't really believe it until I saw Evans standing there, looking… a little less than buff from his time as Captain America. At first, I was expecting him to get a shield, but when he said, "Flame on!" as the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four films, I just about screamed. Of course Evan’s role in Deadpool & Wolverine was The Human Torch!
See, that is an effective cameo. Not only does it subvert the audience's expectations, but he is an essential part of the story for a few scenes. He wasn't just there and gone. He stuck around and had a few hilarious moments – and we got to see him curse so much in the Deadpool & Wolverine post-credit scene that I was crying laughing.
The Cameos, While Plentiful, Didn't Just Feel Shoved In The Film For Giggles
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that the cameos, while plentiful, weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I go into a lot of MCU films now cautiously because I'm not sure what I'm going to get and if cameos will just randomly be there, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Heck, even the surprise inclusion of Henry Cavill as a random Wolverine variant felt helpful because I can't tell you how often I've seen people picture him as Wolverine now that he's not Superman anymore. I was getting a kick out of it!
Overall, as a Deadpool lover, some things bothered me with Deadpool & Wolverine, even though I enjoyed the movie overall. Surprisingly, the cameos were not one of them, and I have a feeling from the audience reactions that this was the case for many, many viewers. MCU, take notes—this is how you do cameos.
Maybe we'll be seeing more cameos like this in all those upcoming Marvel movies, or maybe we just got lucky with this one. Either way, it makes me excited for what Marvel has coming out—and maybe we just might get to see Deadpool as an Avenger. That would be a riot!
