The marketing for Deadpool 2 did a great job at keeping the film's true villain under wraps, focusing instead on the Merc with a mouth, Cable and the X-Force. There were clues about Juggernaut being in the film, and hardcore fans may have saw him coming, but by and large it was a surprise. Even more surprising was that Ryan Reynolds himself provided the voice for the unstoppable mutant. This came not only as a surprise to audiences, but apparently to the cast as well. Colossus actor Stefan Kapicic actually found out when Ryan Reynolds showed up during postproduction and put on a motion capture suit, as he explained:
I didn't know who was going to be doing the voice of Juggernaut. Ryan is always there when I'm working on Colossus, helping me with the lines and giving me ideas. 'Then I saw Ryan getting into the CGI costume, and I'm like 'What's going on, man? Did I miss something?'
This must have been a big surprise, and was shocking after working with Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson for two films. As Stefan Kapicic told The Hollywood Reporter, he felt out of the loop when Ryan Reynolds started suiting up in the CGI costume.
Keeping the role completely under wraps (even with the cast) seems like a brilliant way to retain some secrets, but it turns out that this was really just a matter of convenience. Juggernaut is an entirely CGI character, so stuntmen performed the role on set during principal photography. During post production, someone needed to come in and do performance capture and provide the voice for the hulking brute. Out of convenience, Ryan Reynolds and director David Leitch both took turns doing facial performance capture for the character, with Reynolds providing the voice. So it just sort of happened and one day Ryan Reynolds was donning a different suit.
Ryan Reynolds as Juggernaut was especially exciting since surprise cameos rarely come from movies' protagonists. It's also not obvious in Deadpool 2, given the massive editing and effects added in post. The credits list Juggernaut as being played by himself, so this is an easter egg that came to light after the fact, and can even require multiple viewings. Ryan Reynolds' surprise role as Juggernaut is just one of many easter eggs that they managed to pack into this film. Deadpool 2 is full of fun stuff like this including plenty of references, an electrifying Brad Pitt cameo, and even an appearance from Omega Red. I'm sure there will be even more fun surprises like this to scour for and discover in the Deadpool 2 extended cut.
The Deadpool 2 Super Duper $@%!#& Cut, which includes 15 more minutes of jokes and action, is available on digital today and arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on August 21st. For all the latest in superhero news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend and check out our premiere guide for all the biggest movies still to come in 2018.
