For longtime fans of Marvel Comics and its super-characters’ complicated history with live-action projects, the R-rated sequel Deadpool & Wolverine was a feast for the senses thanks to tons of superhero movie cameos, references to MCU lore, and an admirable amount of F-bombs. It’d be impossible to recognize each and every easter egg upon first viewing, but the film’s director Shawn Levy is obviously aware of every comic and pop culture nod that went into the final product, and he’s apparently got some favorites.
While it’s unclear if or how D&W will have a major impact on the slate of upcoming Marvel phases and movies — now is the time for a Gambit movie, people! — it will forever exist as a gloriously filthy homage to 20th Century Fox partnership with the comic-publishing giant. But it was indeed a nod to the MCU's first sequential film, and Robert Downey Jr.’s titular hero, that made Levy’s shortlist of favorite easter eggs, as he told Variety:
There’s a picture of Tony Stark in Happy Hogan’s office, and we don’t see who is in the picture with Tony. There’s been a lot of fan theories about that, and we conveniently block the other person with an Iron Man helmet. That was a fun shot to line up. Obviously, the proof that Tony Stark has a heart was one of the most thrilling shots I’ve ever gotten to do in my career because that’s a part of genre history.
As funny as it was to see Deadpool unsuccessfully attempt to convince Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan to give him a shot working with the Avengers, that scene set inside Happy’s office was all the more memorable for all the MCU iconography on display. And it apparently meant quite a lot to Shawn Levy to include the arc reactor from the first Iron Man, which was engraved with the words “Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart.”
Levy also enjoyed giving fans something to ponder over by way of the wall photo of Tony with a “mystery” figure that wasn’t hard for fans to figure out. The shot came from Avengers: Endgame, and it’s Tom Holland’s Peter Parker who is blocked off by that toy helmet seen in Iron Man 2. Which presumably happened that way due to Spider-Man rights issues making it complicated to show that character at all.
In any case, that wasn’t the only big easter egg that spoke to Shawn Levy’s own heart. His other two favorite nods are seen during scenes set within The Void, which is easily the most fun setting for eagle-eyed MCU fans. And one is in reference to an Avenger who isn’t a alcoholism-fighting billionaire. As the filmmaker put it:
There is a super classic old-school Thor helmet in the foreground of a void shot that’s from the ’70s or ’80s. It feels so rooted in my own youth.
Indeed, the Thor helmet that popped up in The Void was as classic as superhero costuming gets, and while I may be wrong, it seemed like that helmet was rocking some legitimately feathery wings, as opposed to the metallic and more rigid looks that Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder rocks in those films. (Let’s not even talk about the one from 1988’s Hulk vs. Thor.)
Shawn Levy also referenced a fan-flipping-tastic easter egg that has exactly nothing to do with either Deadpool or Wolverine, and everything to do with the sequel’s “road trip buddy comedy” approach. In his words:
And then maybe you’ll notice a walk-and-talk scene on a green rolling hillside, and there’s the charred vehicle and trunk from Planes, Trains and Automobiles inexplicably parked on the hillside. That’s a nod to that movie, which inspired a lot of the DNA of our movie.
While Deadpool & Wolverine's version of The Void wasn't quite as filled with off-handed references as it was in Loki Season 1, it did come complete with a slew of mutant villains living in Ant-Man's giant corpse. And now that we know the burned-up vehicles were indeed referencing the classic Thanksgiving comedy, it probably wins Best Void Use simply for being a John Candy-related reference.
With so many easter eggs to discovery and enjoy, Deadpool & Wolverine is definitely worthy of a rewatch or two, and considering it's already approaching a billion dollars at the box office, I dare say we'll be able to take in repeat viewings at the theater for weeks to come.
