Deadpool & Wolverine builds anticipation for the X-Men’s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The newly released Deadpool sequel reunites Ryan Reynolds’s Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as they embark on a journey spanning the multiverse in an effort to save Wade’s world from utter destruction.

Deadpool & Wolverine connects its main characters to the MCU while also featuring plenty of connections to Fox’s original X-Men franchise. In addition to Deadpool and Wolverine appearing therein, the film includes several returning X-Men characters for the first time in years.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on July 29, 2024: Deadpool & Wolverine is finally in theaters, taking audiences on an epic ride of action, alternate realities, and epic cameos from major Marvel stars. Now that the film is finally out, audiences definitively know which X-Men franchise characters return for this latest multiversal adventure.

10Deadpool Leads The Charge Against A Rising Threat

Played By
Appearances

Ryan Reynolds
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Deadpool Deadpool 2 Deadpool & Wolverine

In his upcoming film, Deadpool delves into the multiverse after learning that a splinter cell of the Time Variance Authority is planning to destroy his world. Wade realizes that this new threat could potentially cause him to lose everyone he loves, leading him to team up with his old pal Wolverine to defeat the rogue TVA agents and save his world.

Deadpool finally makes his long-awaited jump to the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the events of his film, though only briefly to apply for a job as an Avenger. While it remains unclear precisely how he will factor into the franchise moving forward, his character could play an instrumental role in the Multiverse Saga, being one of the few main characters therein who physically hails from a different universe altogether.

9Wolverine Returns In A New Form

Played By
Appearances

Hugh Jackman
X-Men X2: X-Men United X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men Origins: Wolverine X-Men: First Class The Wolverine X-Men: Days of Future Past X-Men: Apocalypse Logan Deadpool & Wolverine

After almost two decades, Hugh Jackman finally hung up his claws in 2017’s Logan, saying goodbye to his iconic superhero–but not forever. Deadpool & Wolverine introduces a new Wolverine variant who is forced to team up with Wade Wilson against his will.

This version of Wolverine “let down” his entire world, losing the X-Men in the process. However, by teaming up with Deadpool, Wolverine fights to fix his past mistakes and change his fate–and the fate of his universe. By the end of the film, he finally finds a family to cover the pain of the one that he lost years ago, finding a new lease on life in the process.

8Colossus Appears At The Beginning Of Deadpool & Wolverine

Played By
Appearances

Donald Mackinnon
X-Men

Daniel Cudmore
X2: X-Men United X-Men: The Last Stand X-Men: Days of Future Past

Stefan Kapičić
Deadpool Deadpool 2 Deadpool & Wolverine

Colossus has been a staple of the Deadpool franchise from the beginning, guiding Wade on his journey from antihero to hero. The mutant member of the X-Men has a body entirely made of metal, making him a powerful hero. By the end of Deadpool 2, Colossus was an official member of Wade’s found family. Also joining Colossus in Deadpool & Wolverine‘s early scenes are several minor characters from the Deadpool franchise, including Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, and Shatterstar.

The beginning of Deadpool & Wolverine includes several characters from the franchise as Wade tries to reconnect with them after growing distant in recent years. However, he is taken away from all of that by the Time Variance Authority, which informs him that his entire world is on the verge of destruction. Colossus, therefore, becomes one of several people that Deadpool fights to save in his upcoming film.

7Pyro Makes His Long-Awaited Return

Played By
Appearances

Aaron Stanford
X2: X-Men United X-Men: The Last Stand Deadpool & Wolverine

John Allerdyce, a.k.a. Pyro, first appeared in X2: X-Men United. A turbulent and hotheaded young mutant, Pyro found himself increasingly at odds with the pacifistic ways of the X-Men. Eventually, he was lured to Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, fighting against his former allies during the events of The Last Stand, where he was defeated by his former friend Iceman.

Pyro surprisingly makes an appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine. The character is seen in the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Void at the end of time, heading up the villainous Cassandra Nova’s army. After helping defeat the Human Torch (played by none other than Chris Evans), Pyro is eventually killed by his boss after betraying her to TVA agent Mr. Paradox.

6Sabretooth Returns For A Brief Rematch With Wolverine

Played By
Appearances

Tyler Mane
X-Men Deadpool & Wolverine

Liev Schreiber
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Sabretooth has been a sporadic but important character in the X-Men franchise from the very beginning. Tyler Mane first played the character in the original 2000 film, where he was depicted as one of Magneto’s lackeys. He is later revealed to be an old friend and war buddy of Wolverine in X-Men Origins.

Tyler Mane reprises his role as the original Sabretooth in Deadpool & Wolverine, appearing alongside Pyro in the Void. After finding Deadpool and Wolverine, Sabretooth immediately challenges the latter to a fight, exciting Wade as he awaits the rematch of the century. Wolverine quickly dispatches Sabretooth, however, beheading him in a matter of seconds.

5Toad Leaps Back Onto The Big Screen

Played By
Appearances

Ray Park
X-Men Deadpool & Wolverine

Evan Jonigkeit
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Toad is one of the first mutants ever introduced in Marvel Comics, typically fighting alongside Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He has only made a handful of appearances in the X-Men franchise so far, serving as a little-remembered henchman of Magneto until his infamous death at the hands of Storm.

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Toad returns as part of Cassandra Nova’s army of evil mutants, many of whom hail from the Fox franchise. He and his fellow soldiers are eventually dispatched by the Others, a group of Marvel heroes from various different realities who team up with Deadpool and Wolverine to help them escape the Void.

4Lady Deathstrike Is One Of Cassandra Nova’s Minions

Played By
Appearances

Kelly Hu
X2: X-Men United

Unknown actress
Deadpool & Wolverine

Kelly Hu first appeared in X2: X-Men United as Lady Deathstrike, a brainwashed minion of General William Stryker, who sought to exterminate mutantkind. Wielding long claws similar to Wolverine, she acted as Stryker’s enforcer throughout the film. She is eventually killed after a fight with Wolverine when he injects Adamantium directly into her body.

Lady Deathstrike makes a minor cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, with an unknown actress taking over the role from Kelly Hu. Like most of the other mutants in the film, Lady Deathstrike enlists with Cassandra Nova’s band of dystopian villains in the Void, battling Deadpool and the Others in the wreckage of a Giant-Man suit at the end of the film’s second act. She is seemingly devoured by Alioth at the end of the battle alongside several of her comrades-in-arms.

3Azazel Makes A Surprise Return

Played By
Appearances

Jason Flemyng
X-Men: First Class Deadpool & Wolverine

The teleporting mutant Azazel was a member of the Hellfire Club first seen in X-Men: First Class. Working alongside Sebastian Shaw, Azazel fought the first iteration of the X-Men in the 1960s. However, he was killed off-screen before the events of Days of Future Past, leaving much about his character unexplored.

Azazel appears alongside Lady Deathstrike, Pyro, and other mutants for a brief few scenes in Deadpool & Wolverine. He too works under Cassandra Nova at her headquarters in the Void. The character has no speaking lines, but puts up a remarkable fight when the Others attack. Nevertheless, he, like the other villains, is defeated, failing to keep Deadpool’s team from infiltrating the base.

2Juggernaut Is Recast (Again) In Deadpool & Wolverine

Played By
Appearances

Vinnie Jones
X-Men: The Last Stand

Ryan Reynolds
Deadpool 2

Aaron W. Reed
Deadpool & Wolverine

Juggernaut originally appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, where he was played by Vinnie Jones, whose depiction of the character eventually became the subject of a popular meme. In Deadpool 2, the role was recast with Ryan Reynolds providing the voice for a mostly CGI body. The Juggernaut returns once more in Deadpool & Wolverine, with Aaron W. Reed taking the role.

True to form, Deadpool cracks a joke about Juggernaut being recast yet again, but he isn’t the only character to be recast. Many of the familiar mutants in Cassandra Nova’s army have been replaced with new actors. These are mostly the characters with no speaking lines and very few scenes and include the Blob, Callisto, and Psylocke. All of these characters are presumably killed when Alioth destroys Cassandra Nova’s base.

1Dafne Keen Finally Returns As X-23

Played By
Appearances

Dafne Keen
Logan Deadpool & Wolverine

Dafne Keen originally starred as Laura, a.k.a. X-23, in Logan. Laura is Wolverine’s daughter, created by scientists using cloning technology. Because she shares genetics with Logan, Laura sports many of the same mutant abilities as her father, including a healing factor and claws. She is the last person to see Logan alive before he perishes.

X-23 makes her long-awaited return in Deadpool & Wolverine, with Dafne Keen reprising her iconic role. Deadpool and Wolverine encounter X-23 in the Void, where she is part of a team called the Others, which includes Jennifer Garner’s Elektra Natchios, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit. She is the only member of this group who is confirmed to survive the events of the film, returning to Earth-1005, where she becomes a part of Deadpool’s found family. This open-ended conclusion to her character arc leaves room for X-23 to return in the future of the MCU.