Director Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine is finally upon us, and oh boy, does it bring the cameos. Lots of cameos. But one in particular ignited an all-out firestorm online, as virtually no one saw it coming. So, is this fan-favorite actor really in the movie? And if so, who does he play?
Warning! Click away if you haven’t seen Deadpool & Wolverine yet. If you have, LFG!
From the get-go, we knew that Deadpool & Wolverine was going to play around in the Multiversal sandbox. A rumored Taylor Swift/Dazzler cameo, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) variants, X-Men galore…pretty much anything was fair game here. And now that the movie has landed in theaters, it’s safe to say that our months of theorizing have paid off, because the return of Hugh Jackman’s Logan/Wolverine is just the tip of the iceberg—where the 20th Century Fox corner of the Marvel Universe is involved, at least.
Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine is perfect, actually
Oh yes, early teasers might’ve spoiled the return of Logan’s “daughter,” Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen), but it wasn’t until the film itself where we got to witness to the mother of all cameos—the little bro of Marvel’s First Family, Johnny Storm, played by Chris Evans. Of course, fans of Fox’s (criminally underrated) Fantastic Four movies know that Evans played Human Torch long before he picked up Captain America’s shield for the MCU, and Deadpool & Wolverine gives him a perfect re-introduction.
You see, Logan and Wade find themselves in the Void after being pruned by the TVA, who send their more dangerous variants there to be annihilated by an entity known as Alioth. Here, the duo stumbles across a mysterious, cloaked man who certainly sounds like he could be Chris Evans—Bostonian accent and all. But it’s not the Star Spangled Man with a Plan, even if Deadpool breaks the fourth wall to tells the audiences to prepare for his signature catchphrase, “Avengers, assemble!” It’s here that Johnny erupts into a ball of fire (“Flame on!”) and soars into the sky, which made my theater go absolutely wild.
Does this version of Johnny Storm live happily ever after? God no. In fact, after being captured by her henchmen, the evil Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) rips off his skin, reducing him to a pile of bones and entrails. Really milking that R rating, huh? We don’t see him again until later, during a flashback scene that gives more context on an earlier moment in the film. Here, Johnny goes on a foul-mouthed rant, calling Cassandra a “psychotic asshole” and saying he “won’t be happy until I’ve urinated on her freshly barbecued corpse.” Not exactly Captain America-approved language, is it?
Chris Evans only returned to Marvel because of Ryan Reynolds
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about his surprise role in Deadpool & Wolverine, Evans revealed that he was “so excited” when he was personally asked by Reynolds to star in the film, saying, “Ryan’s a buddy. He just shot me a text saying, ‘Listen, might be a long shot, but would you have any interest in reprising something from 20 years ago?’ I said, ‘Oh my God! Of course.'”
The longtime Steve Rogers actor then went on to shower Reynolds with praise, citing his self-awareness and humor as some of the things that make the Deadpool franchise so special. Evans also added, “Honestly, Ryan might be the only guy that I would’ve done it for because he’s just got the Midas touch,” If that’s the case, then Ryan Reynolds is like, super powerful. Maybe even Kevin Feige-levels of powerful.
Does Chris Evans have a future in the MCU?
Okay, now that Robert Downey Jr. is back—this time, as Doctor Doom—it sure seems like Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is doing his darndest to reassemble the OG Avengers for Phases 5 and 6. But honestly, I highly doubt that Evans would reprise either of his roles unless he had a very good reason to do so. We already know that Joseph Quinn will fill the shoes of Johnny Storm in the 2025 Fantastic Four remake, pretty much ruling out that possibility. As for Cap, well…he got a near-perfect ending, and Evans seems pretty hesitant to tarnish his character’s legacy.
Given that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s end credits act as a kind of funeral for the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel, Evans’ brief but memorable appearance as Human Torch is more than likely a one-and-done. Set to Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” the closing moments of the film show some sweet BTS footage from the original X-Men trilogy, the Fantastic Four movies, and Wesley Snipes’ Blade, among others—a fitting goodbye to these iconic characters. Still, this is Marvel, and we should never say never to a good ol’ Multiversal cameo down the line.
Published: Jul 28, 2024 03:54 pm