‘Missed Opportunity’: Deadpool Creator Gets Honest About Josh Brolin Not Returning As Cable In The MCU

Josh Brolin pointing a gun as Cable in Deadpool 2
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been keeping us entertained for over a decade, thanks to new releases in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest movie to hit hte big screen was Deadpool & Wolverine, which broke records at the box office. And while Hugh Jackman returned as Logan, the movie was noticeably missing Josh Brolin's Cable. And now Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld has weighed in on Cable seemingly not being part of the MCU.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order patiently waited for Wade Wilson to join the fun, which happened during Deadpool & Wolverine. Unfortunately, Thanos actor Josh Brolin didn't appear as Cable, and seemingly won't return to the MCU. Liefeld tweeted out his thoughts about the subject, offering:

It is such a missed opportunity to not get Josh Brolin rolling on a bunch of Cable/X-Force film. Full stop.

Well, that was honest. Clearly he liked Brolin's performance as Cable in Deadpool 2, and wanted to see more from the futuristic superhero. And while there was chatter about an X-Force movie, that never came to pass. And things got more complicated once Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties. That's seemingly why Liefleld wishes that we got more Cable while we could.

Given just how iconic Josh Brolin was as Thanos, it might make sense for Marvel Studios to not want to put him back in another role. Obviously extensive motion capture and VFX was used to bring the Mad Titan to life, but he's also got a memorable voice. Alas, there's been no indication that the X-Men character would be returning to the shared universe.

Thanos at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

When Deadpool & Wolverine finally hit theaters over the summer, The Merc with A Mouth was missing a few characters. Namely Cable and Zazie Beetz's Domino. They both were big characters in the second movie, which is why their absence in the threequel was so noticeably. It's unclear why this choice was made, although obviously the movie was focused on its two titel characters.

In addition to Brolin's acclaimed tenure as Thanos, another reason why the studio might not have wanted to move forward with these characters are because they're typically associated with X-Men lore. And Kevin Feige's longterm for the X-Men is largely a mystery for the time being. Perhaps they wanted to use Cable and Domino for other purposes.

What is clear is that Deadpool 3 was a huge success, even without those characters. And as such, fans are expecting the two title roles to factor heavily into upcoming Marvel movies. Hopefully we learn more about that and the X-Men soon.

The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

TOPICS