Warning: SPOILERS for Deadpool & Wolverine are ahead!
After discovering that the Wolverine from Logan, i.e. the one we followed along with in the X-Men movies during the 20th Century Fox era, had indeed died, Wade Wilson went on a journey through the Marvel multiverse to find a different Wolverine to take up residence on Earth-10005 as its new anchor being. Cue the montage set to Huey Lewis and The News’ “The Power of Love,” where all the Wolverine variants who appeared were reprised by Hugh Jackman… except for one. Henry Cavill was among the many cameos packed into Deadpool & Wolverine, but this cameo didn’t just pave the way for an A+ Justice League mustache joke. He also made himself sick in order to to bring “The Cavillrine” to life in the latest of the Marvel movies.
When Deadpool stopped in on The Cavillrine, he was puffing on a cigar, one of the clawed mutant’s favorite vices. It’s a great visual and certainly adds authenticity to the character, but as director Shawn Levy told The New York Times, that cigar smoke didn’t sit well with Cavill when shooting the Deadpool 3 cameo, saying:
I think we all were, including poor Henry Cavill, who not only had that pumped-up muscular body but kept that cigar lit and in his mouth for the entirety of the shoot day. I remember hearing the next day that Henry was sick to his stomach because he had been inhaling cigar smoke for eight hours straight, but never once did he waver.
Now that’s dedication! Had this version of Wolverine played a bigger role in Deadpool & Wolverine, I have to think a cigar substitute would have been used so that Henry Cavill didn’t have to consume tobacco for weeks/months on end, which clearly wouldn’t have gone well. But for this cameo, which only took a day to film, he decided to be a trooper and smoke the real deal. Between that and boasting the right kind of jacked-up physique for this Wolverine variant, it’s impressive what Cavill did for such a short appearance. That said, for the sake of the actor’s stomach, if we ever see The Cavillrine again, how about we just say that he’s given up smoking?
Henry Cavill’s brief outing as this unique version of Wolverine follows after his unceremonious exit from the DC movies space. After portraying Superman in Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both versions of Justice League, Cavill finally donned the red cape again for a cameo in the Black Adam end-credits scene. Originally the plan was for Cavill to resume playing Superman in a more regular capacity, but just a few months later, it was announced that a new Superman movie was in development that would star a new actor in the title role, thus bringing Cavill’s tenure as the Man of Steel to an end. The James Gunn-helmed Superman has since been set as the first theatrical installment in the new DC Universe shared continuity, and David Corenswet will play Kal-El/Clark Kent.
While it’s unfortunate things played out that way for Henry Cavill over at DC, at least Deadpool & Wolverine got a solid joke out of that, with Wade Wilson telling The Cavillrine that “we” (Marvel) will treat him “so much better than those shitfucks down the street.” If another Cavillrine appearance isn’t in the cards, then perhaps Marvel Studios can find a different role for him. After all, there are still plenty of fans who’d like to see him play Captain Britain.
Deadpool & Wolverine is still early into its theatrical run, but count on it streaming to those with a Disney+ subscription at a yet-to-be-announced date. Henry Cavill has also appeared in fellow 2024 movies Argylle and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and the former can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription.
