With the release date of Deadpool 2 quickly approaching, we’re sure die-hard Wade Wilson fans will be revisiting the 2016 movie in the coming weeks and rediscovering jokes they have since forgotten about or stumbling onto new references they missed out on the first time around.
By his own estimation, Ryan Reynolds speculated that there were over 100 Easter eggs in Deadpool. While that might pale in comparison to the newly released Ready Player One, it’s certainly more hidden secrets and subtle references than even the most cheeky movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While your typical movie would get bogged down by trying to offer up this much fan service, the wall-breaking and self-referential character of Deadpool provides the perfect template to celebrate and skewer the ominpresent superhero movie genre.
Although Reynolds may not have had much luck playing superheroes in the past, these prior misfires served as the basis for some of the best jokes throughout the film. While we’re sure you caught most of the gags made at the expensive of the disappointing Green Lantern and X-Men: Origins films, let’s see how many of these more obscure Easter eggs you may have missed.
Here are 20 Things You Completely Missed In Deadpool 1.
20. Deadpool’s Day Off
Thanks to the MCU, mid and post-credit scenes have pretty much become a staple of the superhero genre — meaning that movie theater employees everywhere need to wait an extra ten minutes before they can start cleaning while we anxiously wait for a glimpse of things to come.
Therefore, like everything else in Deadpool, the end credits scene subverts the viewer’s expectation by blatantly calling us out for still sitting around – though we were at least told that the sequel already had plans to include Cable. Oh, and Deadpool addresses the audience and tells them to save the theater workers some effort by actually throwing out their own trash.
You might not have even realized that this scene is also a parody of the post-credit scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — a movie that perfected the fourth-wall break and the post-credit scene long before Deadpool.
19. Bob, Agent of Hydra
Ever wonder why Deadpool stops mid-battle to catch up with Bob, one of Ajax’s henchmen who he hasn’t seen since the TGI Fridays in Jacksonville?
While this moment may seem like nothing more than a comedic beat that helps break up the climactic battle, this character is actually one of Deadpool’s closest frenemies in the comic — as well as a character they probably weren’t supposed to include in the film.
Bob was once an agent of HYDRA, who was convinced by Deadpool to leave the terrorist organization so he could use him as a pawn instead. Of course, HYDRA has been a big part of the MCU, which explains why this character has been robbed of his full name and his iconic comic book appearance for this Fox film.
18. Real-life celebrities on Sister Margaret’s board
In the film, Deadpool gets his name from the literal “dead pool” at Sister Margaret’s bar. While we’re led to believe that those in the pool are the mercenaries who frequent the establishment, most of the names are actually taken from real-life celebrities.
A number of troubled stars, including Lindsey Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Shia LaBeouf, and Kanye West have all earned a spot up on the board. To take the edge off of this morbid joke, T.J. Miller and Ryan Reynolds get a mention as well.
However, in the 2010 version of the script, there was an ongoing joke that involving Amy Winehouse’s spot in the pool — which would have involved the singer avoiding a number of bizarre deaths throughout the film only to be hit by a bus at the end. Of course, this joke was scrapped when Winehouse actually passed away in 2011.
17. The Merc Without a Mouth
X-Men Origins: Wolverine was an embarrassing installment to the X-Men franchise in more ways than one. Its biggest offense by far was sewing the Merc with the Mouth’s lips shut.
Though Origins got Deadpool horribly wrong, Reynolds had become obsessed with the character ever since the comic book included the line that the deformed Wade Wilson looked “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei.” Therefore, he still wanted to lay claim to the role with the hopes of getting it right at some point down the line.
In the long run, this actually worked out perfectly, with Origins only adding fuel to the fire of Deadpool’s self-deprecating humor.
The Origins action figure is pretty hard to miss in the film, but there’s also a more indirect insult when Ajax threatens to sew Wade’s mouth shut, with Wade responding “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
16. Feige’s Famous Pizza
Kevin Feige is the current President of Marvel Studios who has also served as a producer on every installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. In other words, he’s the most influential figure in the superhero movie world today.
Before he ever helped launch the shared universe, Feige also produced the first three X-Men movies as well as 2004’s Blade: Trinity, which also starred Ryan Reynolds.
Since Deadpool is a property of 20th Century Fox, Fiege played no role in the making of the film, though he did get a shout-out early on when his name appeared on a pizza box during the film’s first flashback sequence.
While this is hardly an offensive joke, it’s still funny to think that in Deadpool’s world, the President of Marvel Studios has been demoted to a pizza brand.
15. Gratuitous cameos
The opening credits of Deadpool promised us a gratuitous cameo, which is exactly what we got when Stan Lee popped up as a club DJ.
Of course, this cameo was impossible to miss, though it did have slightly more significance than a number of other Stan Lee cameos considering that the comic book writer created the character of Stripperella back in the early 2000s. In fact, Lee’s one complaint about the cameo was that he didn’t get to spend enough time on set amongst the dancers.
However, Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld had a brief appearance in the film as well, where Wade literally refers to him by name while walking passed Liefeld inside Sister Margaret’s bar – implying that Liefeld is also a fellow mercenary.
14. Deadpool’s love-hate relationship with Mario Lopez
In a very early promotion for Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds appeared on Extra opposite host Mario Lopez, where they broke the news that the film would be rated PG-13. While Reynolds was visibly upset over the upcoming film being deemed “family friendly,” Lopez seemed to think that it was a smart move from a marketing standpoint.
That is, until Deadpool walked up behind the host and slammed a giant piece of equipment into the side of his head — a blow that would have surely demolished anyone without regenerative powers.
Did we mention that this segment originally aired on April Fool’s Day?
Beyond this clever marketing ploy, Lopez also got a nod in the film when Wade is enjoying some quality time with Vanessa by reading Lopez’s memoir, Just Between Us.
13. Wolverine’s blood
In the comics, Deadpool’s early life and origins often change. The character himself is quick to point out that his backstory is largely at the mercy of his current writer.
In general, Deadpool gains his regenerative healing power thanks to Dr. Emrys Killebrew, who injects Wade with Wolverine’s DNA.
Some fans were upset that Killebrew didn’t make an appearance in the film, and that Deadpool’s origins were seemingly changed when Ajax injects him with a “serum,” which will hopefully awaken any latent mutant genes when subjected to days of extreme torture.
Under closer examination, the serum that Ajax uses clearly contains red droplets, and at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse we saw men from the Essex Corporation pick up a vile of Wolverine’s blood. Might it be possible that Wolverine’s DNA made it into Wade after all?
12. Wade loves Broadway
We knew that Deadpool was going to be replete with superhero gags and Easter eggs. But upon repeated viewing, it’s actually the more obscure references that have nothing to do with the comic book world that are unexpectedly hilarious.
In one instance, Wade Wilson feels the need to disclose his unhealthy obsession with Broadway superstar Bernadette Peters to his new girlfriend.
Apparently, the 70-year-old actress was just as surprised by her mention as everyone else – though she did tweet out how hysterical she thought the movie was just a couple weeks after it hit theaters.
In another scene, Wade can be seen wearing a Rent t-shirt shortly after getting his cancer diagnoses — perhaps because he feels more of a connection to the terminally ill characters in the musical now more than ever before.
11. Making fun of Green Lantern
While Ryan Reynolds is no stranger to comic book movies, his prior experience playing superheroes really left something to be desired.
Deadpool’s debut in X-Men Origins may have been the most disappointing for fans, but his appearance as Hal Joran just two years later also missed the mark.
What better way to put your fans at ease than by acknowledging your prior flops right off the bat?
Deadpool’s opening credit scene is a marvel unto itself, which perfectly established the film’s tone by juxtaposing violence with off-beat humor, punctuated by pop culture references.
Almost immediately we get a glimpse of an off-brand Green Lantern poking out of someone’s wallet along with a shot of Reynolds on the cover of People Magazine.
Later on in the film, there’s a more obscure jab at his previous flop, when Wade begs that his super-suit not be green - or animated.
10. Multiple Monty Python references
The original script and the deleted scenes from Deadpool really show just how many more jokes the cast and crew had at their disposal. One that didn’t make the cut was Deadpool giving a direct shout-out to the “It’s just a flesh wound” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail when he is destroying his own body while wailing on Colossus.
Maybe this was a bit too on the nose for the film since it’s not hard to draw a line between the two sequences already, especially when Deadpool cuts off his own hand.
However, another scene drew inspiration from a classic Monty Python stage sketch which involved the characters trying to one-up each other in regards to their tragic childhoods. Of course, the things that Wade and Vanessa end up saying are a lot more morbid than the expressions used by the British comedy troop.
9. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
We’re sure you noticed that the film’s final battle takes place in a junkyard, but did you ever stop and take a closer look at the massive structure Ajax and Angel Dust are standing atop of?
This construction looks an awful lot like the Helicarrier that audiences first got a glimpse of in 2012’s The Avengers.
Of course, since both films were made by two different studios, they couldn’t refer to this structure by name in Deadpool.
In an early draft of the script, the final battle was originally conceived to take place in a high-rise building, but if you’re someone who doesn’t like the idea of a fractured Marvel universe, it’s nice to see any cross-over references between the Avengers and the X-Men in these movies.
8. Is Vanessa already Copycat?
For however juvenile the humor is throughout the film, at its core, Deadpool is a love story more than anything else. Therefore, the filmmakers went to great lengths to develop the character of Vanessa beyond her comic book origins.
This character is actually a mutant in the comics who goes by the name of Copycat and exhibits shapeshifting abilities.
While it’s understandable that the filmmakers didn’t want to overcomplicate things for Deadpool’s first solo outing, is it still possible that Vanessa was already Copycat in the film?
In one instance, Vanessa claims that she’s played a lot of roles in life, but damsel in distress isn’t one of them – which could be a reference to her ability to shapeshift.
In another scene, Angel Dust remarks that she’s seen Vanessa before. But where exactly? Might it have been the same Weapon X lab that Wade ended up in?
7. Deadpool’s hospital buddy
For someone who spews out insults as if he’s constantly performing at a celebrity roast, Deadpool has had a surprising number of close friends throughout his time in the comics.
While Weasel may have the title of BFF, the character of Worm also seemed to hold a fond place in Deadpool’s heart.
This character, who goes under the name of David Cunningham in the film, played a vital role in the comics when both characters were being held in Ajax’s laboratory.
After Deadpool repeatedly insults Ajax, Ajax decides to punish him by lobotomizing his only friend, leading to Deadpool eventually ending Worm in an attempt to stop his suffering.
While this was largely cut from the film, there is a somber moment where Wade stares mournfully at Cunningham while the laboratory burns down around them.
6. The broken X-Men timeline
The X-Men timeline is more than a little out of whack at this point, and it certainly doesn’t make things easier that the movies have been released out of order.
The catch-22 of Deadpool is that it’s able to poke fun at the wonky timeline while simultaneously throwing it off even more.
For instance, the film and the character stand completely alone from the mute Wade Wilson we got in X-Men Origins. Again, we’re talking about a character who thrives on satire, so no one seems to pay much mind.
The best and most off-handed reference to this comes when Colossus says he’s taking Deadpool to see the professor, to which Deadpool asks, “McAvoy or Stewart?” referencing both actors who have played Charles Xavier.
Hopefully Deadpool 2 once again finds the Merc with a Mouth unbound by the narrative limitations of continuity.
5. The obscure Kevin Spacey insult
It turns out that Family Guy wasn’t the only TV show/ movie to make fun of Kevin Spacey before the news broke about allegations of his misconduct.
In Deadpool, Wade Wilson is quick to accuse the Weapon X Recruiter of being a massive creep who lures children into his panel van. Aside from the fact that this character looks a bit like Spacey, the recruiter also has the exact same phone number as Lester Burnham — Spacey’s character from American Beauty.
After the news of Spacey broke, it was revealed that his inappropriate actions were long rumored around Hollywood. While it’s possible that any similarities between these two characters were strictly a coincidence, it’s also possible that this was a very obscure joke made at Spacey’s expense.
4. The dialogue straight out of X-Men Origins
Even if you caught the previous references that Deadpool made to X-Men Origins – including the mouthless Wade Wilson action figure and the scene where Wade warns that Ajax better not sew his mouth shut – you still might have missed these few lines of dialogue that were pulled almost directly out of the film.
The moment comes when Wade enters the Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Girls bar for the first time and posts up next to Weasel. He talks about how all he ever wanted in life was to travel to far off exotic places, meet interesting people, and then take them out.
In Deadpool, Weasel actually helps Wade finish this Origins quote as if he’s heard it countless times before, confirming that “Yeah, I’ve seen your Instagram.”
3. References to the cast and crew
Thanks to the cheeky opening credit’s sequence that swaps out the cast and crew’s name for titles like “God’s Perfect Idiot,” in reference to Ryan Reynolds and “A Hot Chick” in regards to Morena Baccarin, the cast and crew missed out on the chance to have their names on the big screen at the start of the film.
To make up for this, a number of the filmmakers got subtle nods throughout the remainder of the movie.
For instance, the film continuously cuts back to the action sequence that unfolds on the freeway, where two street signs take their names from both creators of the character: Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.
Deadpool illustrator Ed McGuinness and one of the film’s screenwriters, Paul Wernick, also get their own street signs within the sequence.
2. For the love of Canada
Yet another reason that Ryan Reynolds was perfect for the role of Deadpool is that both the actor and the character happen to hail from the Great White North.
Thus, the film features its fair share of Canadian references, particularly the freeway fight scene where Deadpool narrates himself as if he were a football kicker hailing from the real-world city of Regina, Saskatchewan before he boots Ajax in the head.
Later on during the sequence, Deadpool also belts out the opening line of the Canadian national anthem after breaking his hand against Colossus’s head.
Additionally, both Deadpool 1 and 2 were largely filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is where Ryan Reynolds was born and raised. Also the oddly named club in the film, No. 5 Orange, is an actual establishment in the city.
1. Nods to other Marvel/ DC characters
The Merc with a Mouth has a particularly fond time poking fun at the X-Men, but a number of other comic book characters from both Marvel and DC get their fair share of nods throughout the film as well.
During the opening fight scene inside the SUV, music from the 1960s Batman TV series can be briefly heard on the radio while Deadpool is repeatedly getting his head smashed into it.
The movie also makes repeated references to Spider-Man, including Wade uttering the final phrase of 2002’s Spider-Man, “Go get ‘em, tiger” not once, but twice, plus the line “With great power comes great irresponsibility.”
While the budget and rights may not have allowed for any other mainstream mutants to make an appearance, we do get a brief glimpse of a character who could be none other than Marrow during Wade’s stay in the Project X laboratory.
What was your favorite Deadpool Easter egg? Let us know in the comments!
