After rocking audiences earlier this year, Deadpool 2 is back with even more to offer fans. The film is currently available to buy digitally prior to the physical release in two weeks.
The rollout has been heavily promoted with The Super Duper Cut receiving the most attention in regards to what is included. The extended cut debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, unveiling 15 additional minutes of footage. However, there’s more to Deadpool 2’s home release. Deadpool 2’s digital and physical releases are packed with bonus features for fans eager to dive deeper into the Merc with a Mouth’s sequel. There are multiple featurettes, gag and blooper reels, and so much more.
One of the special features that includes the most behind-the-scenes reveals is the audio commentary done by director David Leitch, star Ryan Reynolds, and writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. The four of them brought plenty of fun facts, alternate scenes, and more with them, and we’ve compiled all the major reveals into one helpful list.
Deadpool Has A Secret Chinese Sign
Deadpool famously got his name in the movie canon through the ongoing Dead Pool at the Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Girls bar. In order to play with that, but also provide a fun Easter egg for Deadpool 2, the Chinese version of Wade Wilson’s superhero name can be spotted. It is revealed during the opening of the movie that the neon sign featured behind Wade during the Hong Kong sequence actually says “Pool of Death.”
Deadpool’s Super Secret Dialogue
One of the best parts to Reynolds’ performance as Deadpool is all the ridiculously hilarious one-liners - but what many may not realize is all the work that goes into Deadpool’s speaking scenes. Reynolds revealed that for every scene with Deadpool wearing the mask and talking, he then re-films the scene by himself with performance capture technology so that Weta could capture his emotions and add them to the mask’s movement in post-production.
The other added benefit of the mask is the ability to change lines later on, which is what they did in the Say Anything scene outside the X-Mansion. As he rattled off the film’s entire plot, Reynolds just said “blah, blah, blah” during the filming of the scene to prevent spoilers from leaking. Well played Deadpool.
Vanessa Didn’t Always Die
The entire story of Deadpool 2 revolves around the controversial decision to kill Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa early on. During the scripting phase, which began in June 2015, Leitch confirms they did have a version of the script that kept Vanessa alive. The movie’s plot had Vanessa leave Wade instead of dying, but they didn’t feel like it worked for what they wanted to do. Ultimately, they decided that killing Vanessa was the best direction for the movie, so they did.
Fox Made Them Cut One Specific Joke
The Deadpool movies are crammed full of jokes, especially of the pop culture and fourth wall breaking kind. Due to the success of the franchise so far, Fox has been pretty lenient with what Deadpool can get away with saying. However, there was one joke early on during Wade’s talk with Weasel at the bar that Reynolds says Fox made them get rid of. It was the only one and Reynolds is still a bit heartbroken over the decision. He wouldn’t say on the commentary what the joke was, only that it was the only time Fox stepped in. Based on this information, it appears to be the Disney joke Reynolds previously revealed was cut.
The Suicide Montage Was Planned For First Film
One of the other surprises of Deadpool 2 was the film starting off with him attempting to kill himself. In the the theatrical cut he blew up his entire apartment, but that was just one of his many attempts. This wasn’t a concept they created for Deadpool 2 though; the idea originally came to them for the first film. It was removed in the original, and they once again had to cut it in the sequel. Thankfully, fans can still see it now in the extended cut to get an extra dose of Deadpool’s antics.
X-Men 2’s X-Mansion Returns
Although Deadpool takes place in the X-Men universe, the connections so far have been extremely loose and mostly tongue-in-cheek. One of the first film’s funniest gags was Wade visiting X-Mansion to ask for help, which is a location once again in the sequel. For the second film, they actually got to film at the X-Mansion location from X-Men 2. Even though the X-Men that fill it in this film are very different from the ones features in that sequel, its a fun connection for them to make.
Page 2: More Reveals From The Deadpool 2 Director’s Commentary
Cable Didn’t Always Have the Teddy Bear
During the marketing for Deadpool 2, it didn’t take long for many to notice the teddy bear Cable (Josh Brolin) always had with him. The bear teased Hope Summers, a major mutant in the comics, but it wasn’t always included in the film. The bear was originally going to be a bloody t-shirt, but Leitch pitched the idea of the bear early on. Wernick admits they initially scratched their heads but ultimately realized it was a “brilliant” idea for the film.
Ryan Reynolds Actually Broke Cerebro
After Deadpool is done trying to kill himself, Colossus rescues him and takes him X-Mansion. While there, he sulks through his pain, exploring the various sections of the house. One of the last things he does before leaving on his first X-Men mission though is mess with Cerebro. When it comes time to leave, Wade accidentally breaks the headpiece to Professor X’s apparatus. Reynolds revealed in the commentary that this wasn’t scripted and he actually broke the prop on accident. Let’s hope both versions of Charles Xavier don’t find out.
Julian Dennison Was Only Choice For Firefist
The castings for Cable and Domino may be the most high profile additions for the sequel, but Deadpool 2’s easiest casting decision actually came with Julian Dennison as Firefist. Following his breakout role in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Dennison was the only actor who read for the part. It was a decision Reynolds and Leitch made quickly after meeting Dennison, and the rest is history.
Deadpool Really Loves Batman
Deadpool loves to crack jokes about his fellow X-Men or express his love for Wolverine, but DC also receives a fair amount of attention. Reynolds acknowledged how much attention DC movies and characters get, but also revealed which character Wade relates to the most. Due to the darkness that Batman has, Reynolds says Wade really loves Bruce Wayne’s vigilante persona. That hasn’t cut Batman (or his super friends) much slack so far, though.
One of the Writers Was The Backup Peter
Through all of the new additions to Deadpool 2, the one that found the biggest following was Peter. The only non-powered addition to X-Force became a favorite character not only with fans, but also with Deadpool. He was brought to life by Rob Delaney in the movie (and brought back to life in the post-credits scene), but the filmmakers did have an alternate plan in place. If Delaney had turned down the part, Reese would have played the role. This decision was going to be made as Peter is partially based on the writer, including the sunscreen joke.
The X-Force Deaths Could Have Been Even More Hilarious
The marketing for Deadpool 2 made the film look like a true X-Force prequel, which is why the film’s actual events surprised viewers. Every X-Force member died, except Zazie Beetz’s Domino, during their skydiving sequence and made for several hilarious death scenes. However, this wasn’t always going to be the way the X-Force members died. One of the earlier concepts had the team land in an active minefield. Due to their inability to explain why a minefield was in place, they changed the sequence and probably for the better.
Page 3: Even More Reveals From The Deadpool 2 Director’s Commentary
A Mel Gibson/Lethal Weapon Joke Was Cut
Another cut joke in Deadpool 2 was going to take a shot at Mel Gibson and the Lethal Weapon franchise. After the caravan crash, Deadpool is severely injured and forces him to reassemble himself. He snaps his neck back into place and originally would’ve said “Suck it, Mel Gibson,” as a reference to Riggs popping his shoulder back into place in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Unfortunately, Reynolds said the joke was too deep of a cut for most to get, so they removed it.
The Asylum Fight Nearly Took Place At Night
The first Deadpool underwent a number of changes due to the budget, most notably Wade leaving the guns in Dopinder’s taxi because they couldn’t afford a massive shootout in the finale. For Deadpool 2, the budget once again changed the third act set piece, but in a smaller way. The Asylum fight was originally going to take place at night, but they adjusted it to dusk because of the budget. There were also concerns of the night setting making the scene too dark aesthetically, so this may have ultimately changed regardless of the budget.
The Deadpool/Cable Team-Up Was A Late Addition
Reshoots happen on all major Hollywood movies, and Deadpool 2 is no different. The word out of test screenings was audiences wanted more Cable and Domino, and part of that may now be confirmed. Wernick revealed that the Deadpool and Cable team-up at the asylum wasn’t originally in the script. This sequence was something Reynolds and Leitch decided to add later, but how late isn’t clear. They do mention how Fox said they couldn’t afford to film the sequence, so it sounds more like a reshoot than something they decided to add during pre-production. Either way, it was essential to tie together their relationship, which is why they did whatever it took to get it.
Yukio & Negasonic Weren’t Always In The Third Act
Another possible addition made in reshoots was the extra dose of Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Reese says that neither of them were originally slated to appear in the third act of the film. It wasn’t until later in the process that they realized they needed to pay off their story in some way, so they arrive at the perfect time to help defeat Juggernaut. Their late entrance, quick exit, and lack of overall scenes may point to this being another enhancement made by the reshoots.
Russell Originally Caused Deadpool’s Power Dampener
One of the other changes that came in the third act was how the power dampener was put back on Deadpool. Reese revealed that the original plan was for Firefist to put it on Deadpool, but then Leitch suggested the change to make Deadpool put it on himself. This change appears to have come earlier on in the process and for the best according to the team. They found that this ending gave more emotional weight to the finale with Deadpool forcing Firefist’s hand in a sense.
Ryan Reynolds Loved The Time-Travel Post-Credits Scene
Deadpool 2 employed some of the most fun post-credits scenes that have been released so far. Using time travel as the basis for the codas was another idea that Leitch brought to the table. He originally brought the idea to the film as a way to save Vanessa, but then the team found the concept of changing time so fun that they kept adding additional usages. All of the codas were added during reshoots too. But surprisingly the Green Lantern one isn’t Reynolds’ favorite. No, that goes to him shooting the Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine as he said, “I tell you, nothing felt better than this.” After all these years, one can only imagine.
More: Deadpool 2 Extended Cut’s FOUR New Post-Credits Scenes Explained
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