Every Deadpool & Wolverine cameo we know so far, explained

The upcoming Deadpool 3 promises to be a dream for fans hungry for new MCU content as the Merc with a Mouth and Weapon X finally meet. More than that, though, there’s sure to be a bunch of Deadpool & Wolverine cameos featuring heroes and villains from the MCU and the Fox X-Men properties. 

Deadpool & Wolverine will mark an exciting nexus point for longtime Marvel fans as the fan-favorite X-Men franchise, which was shepherded by 20th Century Fox before it was consumed by the Disney machine, finally slams into the MCU. While mutants have been teased for a while now, the addition of these specific X-Men characters excites fans.

It’s expected that the upcoming Marvel movie will capitalize on the fervor of fans with a slew of cameos from the 20+ years of X-Men and Marvel movies. Though many of these cameos are shrouded in secrecy, a few have slipped through the cracks thanks to both comments from actors and the sheer volume of Easter eggs in Deadpool & Wolverine’s trailers.

Before 2024’s most anticipated superhero movie hits big screens, here’s a rundown of every Deadpool 3 cameo we know so far, as well as some fuzzy math about cameos we think may be showing up. 

Sabretooth

After numerous rumors and set photos teasing his arrival, a June 28 trailer finally confirmed the return of Wolverine’s long-time nemesis, Sabretooth.

The Sabretooth last seen on film was the Liev Schreiber version from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, Deadpool & Wolverine will feature the version from 2000’s X-Men, played by former pro wrestler Tyler Mane.

Hulk

Marvel Studios

A dark horse cameo from seemingly out of nowhere, buzz started in June that the Hulk would show up in Deadpool & Wolverine. The Hulk is expected to be fighting Wolverine for the first time ever on film.

We don’t know which Hulk it will be yet, but it seems to be a lock. Marvel’s press tour includes roughly 30 minutes of footage, and reports from attendees indicate that there is a Wolverine vs. Hulk fight in that footage.

Pyro

One of the first surprise confirmations for Deadpool & Wolverine was the return of Pyro, as played by Aaron Stanford in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand. Pyro is seen in one trailer in a costume that skews a touch closer to his comic look, though he is notably older and appears to have been through the wringer. 

Fans last saw Pyro in a knock-down, drag-out fight with Iceman at the end of The Last Stand, where he was soundly beaten. He was among the mutants confirmed killed by Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but it’s unclear what his fate was in the revamped X-Men movie timeline. 

Juggernaut

20th Century Fox

Many images from Deadpool & Wolverine have let slip cameos, but some exclusive images from TotalFilm had one of the bigger surprises. That’s because you can just barely see X-Men: The Last Stand’s Juggernaut hiding behind Wolverine in one still.

Vinnie Jones was previously very adamant that he was not in Deadpool & Wolverine, saying he didn’t want to wear the muscle suit again. We’ll have to wait and see if Jones was lying to keep up the surprise or if there’s now a third Juggernaut.

Lady Deathstrike

Marvel Studios

X2’s femme fatale is seen among those gathered at the corpse of Ant-Man. We only catch a glimpse of her at a distance in the trailer, but her trademark talons are unmistakable. 

Though fans last saw her filled to the brim with adamantium after a fight with Wolverine in X2: X-Men United, it’s unclear if that’s her true fate now. The events of Days of Future Past would have potentially rewritten her timeline, meaning she may never have been captured by Stryker. 

Azazel

Potentially Nightcrawler’s father, depending on when you’re reading the story, Azazel is a mutant who appears to be a demon. In the films, he’s a member of Sebastian Shaw’s Hellfire Club and fights the newly assembled X-Men in the conclusion of X-Men: First Class. 

Azazel is not seen again after that first movie and is confirmed to have been killed in the 1960s, before Days of Future Past. Since his death would have occurred before the timeline change Wolverine caused, this Azazel is either from an earlier point in time or is a variant. 

Toad

Marvel Studios

Also spied in the second Deadpool trailer outside the corpse of Ant-Man, some variation of Toad appears to be returning. The character has had two notable but very different appearances in the films, and it’s difficult to tell which one it is in the trailer alone. 

The original and most famous comes from 2000’s X-Men, portrayed by Ray Park fresh after his star-making role as Darth Maul. Though this Toad doesn’t die, he doesn’t appear again in the modern era. A second Toad, portrayed by Evan Jonigkeit, appears in the ‘60s in Days of Future Past, though that brief appearance feels more like a cameo itself than anything. 

Callisto

Callisto also appears to be among those gathered outside of Giant-Man’s corpse. Calisto is the leader of the mutant outcast group, The Morlocks.

When last fans saw Callisto, she was presumably dead, having been electrocuted by Storm after the fight on Alcatraz.

The Russian

Marvel Studios

One surprise in those gathered around Giant-Man’s corpse is The Russian. Fans will recognize the striped shirt and burly demeanor of a character last seen fighting — and dying to — Tom Jane’s Frank Castle in 2004’s The Punisher.

The presence of The Russian may back up one other cameo claim: that a version of The Punisher will be appearing in the film. It’s unknown which version it may be, and it’s worth noting that if this is The Russian, this one isn’t played by pro wrestler Kevin Nash, who portrayed him in the original appearance.

Alioth

Marvel Studios

Cameo? Recurring threat? A hint of what’s to come in the film? Either way, Alioth from the Loki TV series briefly shows up in the trailer. 

Alioth is the living storm that guards The Void, where variants pruned by the TVA inevitably wind up. We’ve already seen set photos showing off Deadpool and Wolverine fighting in a world littered with Easter eggs, so is it possible the two find themselves pruned? 

X-Force

Most of X-Force–Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, Shatterstar, Dopinder, and Peter–are seen in the trailer during Deadpool’s birthday, right before he’s whisked away by the TVA. 

Early reports have suggested these appearances are little more than cameos, tying into the team’s survival after Deadpool rewrote history in the Deadpool 2 end credits. And while X-Force, along with Blind Al and Vanessa, appear to be small appearances in the film, it’s worth noting that Cable won’t be returning for this outing. 

Rob McElhenney

Instagram: @robmcelhenney

To the surprise of no one, Ryan Reynolds’ real-life best friend, Rob McElhenney, will be a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. The cameo was confirmed on an episode of the duo’s football reality series, Welcome to Wrexham.

We don’t yet know who the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star will be playing, as his costume was covered up in the episode. However, most fans believe he’ll play a small role, like a TVA agent.

The Avengers

Deadpool’s triumphant debut in the MCU calls for a triumphant arrangement of MCU heroes to usher him in. Fortunately, Deadpool & Wolverine was able to get the best… if only via archive footage. 

Archive footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor Ragnarok and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are used for the scene where Deadpool arrives in the TVA. However, we know the footage goes one step deeper than this. The CinemaCon trailer, which has not yet been released to the general public, reportedly includes a scene from Thor: The Dark World edited to feature Thor over a dying Deadpool. 

Who else could make a cameo in Deadpool 3? 

Fans are getting mighty excited about rumors suggesting there is a veritable bounty of Deadpool 3 cameos, including but not limited to Elektra, Professor X, and Cyclops.

Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to feature a ton of cameos that fans haven’t seen yet, though director Shawn Levy has been adamant the story dictated the cameos and not the other way around.

Perhaps the loudest to date has been the rumored arrival of Elektra, as portrayed by Jennifer Garner in the notorious 2005 flop. Though the Elektra cameo was seemingly confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Garner herself has cast doubt on the appearance. A further rumor indicates Ben Affleck was on set, potentially as Daredevil, but those claims have not been confirmed. 

20th Century Fox

Plenty of classic X-Men characters are naturally rumored to be appearing alongside Wolverine, as well. Patrick Stewart has spoken about wanting to appear, and the apparent presence of his wheelchair behind Cassandra Nova in one shot could back this up. Cyclops actor James Marsden may have also confirmed his cameo, if only by accident. 

One seemingly confirmed actor who is not returning is Famke Janssen, who portrayed Wolverine’s unrequited love interest, Jean Grey, in the original X-Men trilogy. Janssen has made it known she’s not in the film, which does throw some water on a long-running fan theory that the Wolverine Jackman plays in this film is from a timeline where he failed to kill Jean when she was Dark Phoenix. However, she’s not ruled out a return, either.

Other, smaller cameos continue to be long-rumored, too. Most recently, Wesley Snipes as Blade was hinted at as a potential cameo by leakers.

An even wilder rumor hints that Deadpool & Wolverine’s post-credits scene would bring Iron Man back in some capacity, with Robert Downey Jr. returning to play the role. It’s not known yet if this would be new footage or if it’s possibly a reuse of footage, similar to how Deadpool 2 used scenes from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, the return of Iron Man would certainly fit the previous claims of a “mind-blowing” post-credits scene.

Of course, with all the talk of the TVA and the presence of Alioth, one can’t help but wonder if any Loki cast members will be appearing in the film. Regarding a potential Loki cameo, Hiddleston himself has been playing coy and avoiding commenting directly on a possible appearance. However, it’s worth noting that Mobius actor Owen Wilson was spotted in London while Deadpool & Wolverine was filming in the area. 

Will Taylor Swift be in Deadpool 3?

Finally, the most clandestine and hottest rumor is Taylor Swift’s potential cameo. As of this writing, there is no Taylor Swift cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine. An Entertainment Weekly report shot down the rumors for good, though fans aren’t entirely convinced.

Swift has long been rumored to appear in the film in some capacity, either as mutant singing sensation The Dazzler or Lady Deadpool, a female variant of Wade Wilson. Whether the Eras superstar is even in the film is a hotly contested secret, with many speculating that any cameo would be little more than a brief gag, similar to how Brad Pitt played The Vanisher. 

Deadpool & Wolverine will slash into theaters July 26. Until then, you can read our ranking of DiGiorno’s Deadpool & Wolverine pizzas or the records Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to break. You can also read up on the best new movies on streaming this month or all the upcoming Disney+ releases.