The Deadpool Variants Left Out Of Deadpool And Wolverine

Contains spoilers for "Deadpool & Wolverine"

"Deadpool & Wolverine" gave fans of Wade Wilson just about everything they ever could have wanted — including an entire multiverse of Deadpool variants that included an adorable Dogpool and a Cowboy Deadpool played by an A-List actor. (Not to mention all those hilarious Wolverine variants they somehow made happen.) But even with everything Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds managed to squeeze into this blockbuster love letter to the Fox era of superhero movies, there were still a few missing faces for those who have loved Deadpool since even before he appeared in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Despite featuring likely over a dozen Deadpool variants in the film, most as part of the deadly Deadpool Corps, they still left out some of the most notable versions of the character — some of whom arguably paved the way for Reynolds to get his turn in the red suit. Granted, some of the inclusions on this list may have been a bit difficult to accomplish in live action, hailing from iconic animated series and video games from the past two decades. But then again, if an animated film like "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" was able to squeeze in a live action Marvel Cinematic Universe debut for Donald Glover's Prowler, "Deadpool & Wolverine" probably could've roped in a few more mercs with mouths.

To kick things off, we head somewhat surprisingly into the world of children's animated television, where we find one of the best and earliest portrayals of Wade Wilson, predating the leaked "Deadpool" test footage by over a year. Back in the early 2010s, there was a Disney XD series called "Ultimate Spider-Man," which followed Peter Parker (Drake Bell) as he trained with Nick Fury (Chi McBride) and an ensemble of young heroes to stop foes from his usual rogues gallery as well as other threats.

In a 2013 episode of the program titled "Ultimate Deadpool," Spider-Man encounters Wade while trying to recover a stolen database of SHIELD secret identities including Parker's (it's ultimately revealed that Wade himself stole the database, and had originally hoped to sell it on the black market before Taskmaster intervened). This version of Deadpool was voiced by Will Friedle, perhaps best known to comic book fans as the longtime voice actor for Terry McGinnis on "Batman Beyond."

Though aimed at a younger audience, the series was actually able to effectively and accurately portray Deadpool, sans the gore and swearing. They even wrote his proclivity for "un-aliving" his enemies as a central conflict between him and Spider-Man and allow him to break the fourth wall numerous times throughout. Friedle also happens to be an excellent choice for the character, and it would've been fun to hear him voice one of the many generic Deadpools in the final sequence.

Not all these Deadpools hail from TV shows with expensive voice actors. In fact, some of the most iconic variants of Wade Wilson can be found in the pages of his comics, primarily the 2013 Cullen Bunn miniseries "Deadpool Kills Deadpool." Spinning out of Bunn's "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe" and its follow-up "Deadpool: Killustrated," this multiversal tale seemingly inspired certain elements of "Deadpool & Wolverine," such as the idea of an exterior multiversal entity slating Wade for execution and the subplot that sees him targeted by a legion of villainous Deadpool variants. There were even behind-the-scenes set images early on that led fans to theorize that Bunn's work would be the basis for the film's plot.

In this series, one of Deadpool's allies against the so-called "Evil Deadpool Corps" is Pandapool, who appears to be essentially just a giant panda in a Deadpool costume (though they seem to have the same abilities as the broader Deadpool Corps). One reason why Pandapool could've been left out despite being such a visually distinct character could be that faithfully recreating them in live-action would simply be too difficult and cost too much. In a sequence that already featured a dizzying amount of CGI, a photorealistic panda probably would have been too much to ask.

Whether it's a misconception, a mere rumor, or a comic book conspiracy theory, it's long been discussed that Deadpool is either a rip-off or parody of the DC Comics character Deathstroke. This "theory" has become something casual superhero and comic book fans generally believe as genuine lore — so much so that Rob Liefeld himself has had to publicly dismiss it, and has since revealed that the real comic book inspiration for Deadpool was a "G.I. Joe" character.

It has also led to the comics themselves joking about the comparisons between Deadpool and Deathstroke, starting with co-creator Fabian Nicieza coming up with the name Wade Wilson as a nod to Slade Wilson. More recently, DC has taken part in the fun by coming up with their own version of Deadpool — the Deathstroke of the Antimatter Universe colloquially known as "Deadstroke." The character wears an orange, blue, and black version of the Deadpool costume, has Deadpool's superior healing factor, and, of course, Deadpool's juvenile sense of humor. Deathstroke and Deadstroke encountered one another in "Batman/Superman" Annual #1 in 2006 (written by "Deadpool" writer Joe Kelly), which saw Deathstroke on a mission to assassinate Bruce Wayne.

Dressing one "Deadpool & Wolverine" variant in orange and blue might have given Marvel's lawyers some pause. But "Invincible" Season 2 did manage to feature a pseudo "Spider-Man" cameo — perhaps Kevin Feige and James Gunn could've made this happen after all.

Speaking of Deadpool variants that would have required a generous interpretation of parody laws and some creative problem solving from production, one variant of Deadpool seen in the "Deadpool Kills" series is seemingly a mash-up with the iconic Japanese character Hello Kitty. Created in 1974, she has been featured across film, television, video games, comics, and merchandise, and is easily one of the most recognizable fictional characters of all time. All this to say, when someone with her silhouette shows up in a comic wearing a Deadpool costume, the connections are a bit clearer than those between Deadpool and Deathstroke.

That being said, this version of Deadpool is all but a visual Easter egg in the comics, not playing a major part in the story or even being given dialogue. This would probably be because anything beyond merely drawing the general shape of Hello Kitty would have tempted legal fate too much for editorial comfort. The same would be extra true for a major blockbuster feature aiming to be one of the most-watched movies of the year like "Deadpool & Wolverine." So, even if Hello Kittypool were even thought of as a possibility, it would have likely been decided fairly quickly that her inclusion was too complicated to be worth the trouble.

While most Deadpool variants on this list likely would have been barred from "Deadpool & Wolverine" over financial, logistical, or legal concerns, only one bundles each of those headaches together into one mega-headache. It also would have included a healthy dose of heartache as well.

In the years 2016 and 2017, it seemed as if all the stars were aligning for one strange yet inevitable purpose: a "Deadpool" animated series written and produced by Donald and Stephen Glover for the FX network. In addition to the fact that the film had finally taken the character mainstream and that Donald Glover specifically already had a great relationship with the Marvel ecosystem thanks to appearances in various "Spider-Man" projects, this was also the same period that saw Marvel execute a genuine prestige television series in "Legion" around the same time the Glovers were bringing home Emmy Awards for "Atlanta" — both under FX's watch. And when a test animation clip debuted not long after the "Deadpool" series was announced, everyone was excited, including Ryan Reynolds. It seemed to be a series destined to be a creative and commercial powerhouse — until it suddenly wasn't.

In 2018, development was scrapped due to vague creative differences. The Glovers seemed particularly heartbroken, with Donald Glover publishing a spec script titled "Finale" in which Deadpool questions why the show might've been canceled while trying to decide whether or not to save or kill Sudan the rhino. It's an uncomfortably sad "episode" that makes one wonder whether the wound would have been healed enough for a cameo.

In "Deadpool & Wolverine," Logan and Wade first learn of the Deadpool Corps while traveling through The Void. Nicepool — an annoying congenial Deadpool variant, played by an unmasked Ryan Reynolds — is the one to deliver the bad news about this roaming band of psychopaths, warning the duo to avoid them at all costs. Though this confrontation ultimately turns out to be unavoidable, it's a memorable moment in the film that raises the sense of danger in The Void even beyond what audiences have already seen — and it's another moment that mirrors Cullen Bunn's "Deadpool Kills" series.

In Bunn's story, there is also a scene where Deadpool is warned of a group of Deadpools that may or may not want to kill him should they get the chance. There, however, this message is delivered via Birdpool, a yellow bird who is revealed to be a member of the Evil Deadpool Corps. One consideration production might have taken in regards to the various unused animal Deadpool variants is that it may have taken away a bit from Dogpool. At the same time, it would have also likely required them to explain whether or not Dogpool is just a dog in a Deadpool costume or an actual Deadpool variant, which the film didn't seem too keen on getting into.

Though he might not have had enough impact on the comics to land on Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds' radar for "Deadpool & Wolverine," we still think it's worth casting our vote for President Deadpool. Like other variants on this list, the Merc in Chief made his first formal appearance in Cullen Bunn's "Deadpool Kills" series, where he's one of the infinite versions of Deadpool seen throughout the multiverse. He's easy to spot thanks to his presidential formal wear, which would have been a pretty effective and simple costume for "Deadpool & Wolverine" to adapt.

That said, there are two major reasons why President Deadpool may not have made it far in their process. For starters, anything related to a president probably would've given everyone involved creative anxiety given the film released during one of the most contentious election years in American history. But second, and perhaps most importantly, President Deadpool may have seemed like a retread of the similar President Loki, another resident of The Void who Tom Hiddleston played in "Loki." And while President Loki actually had an entire comics series (2016's "Vote Loki"), President Deadpool was most prominently a variant cover for the "Dead Presidents" storyline.

If Ryan Reynolds was already going to be playing two different characters in "Deadpool & Wolverine," why not add in a third? And what better way for the film to celebrate its own achievement by looking squarely in the face and creepy melted mouth of the Wade Wilson from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." In the 2009 movie, Reynolds made his debut as Wade under less than auspicious circumstances, with the studio making drastic changes to the character that were received harshly by fans. Had Fox not altered course, Deadpool would have been a quasi-zombie with weird tattoos, laser vision, teleportation powers, and swords coming out of his hands.

On one level, however, this bizarre hodge-podge of powers combined with his history in the "Deadpool" lore could have made this variant one of the more interesting ones to appear in the film — so much so that you could even make a case for him standing in for either Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) or Paradox (Matthew MacFadyen) in terms of story function. But aside from the fact that adding him as a major villain would have surely cost the film the irreplaceable presence of either Corrin or MacFadyen, Reynolds probably wouldn't have wanted to bring back this Deadpool as he technically killed him at the end of "Deadpool 2."

In sequence time traveling adventures, the real Deadpool travels back to the events of "X-Men Origins" and executes that Deadpool before his battle with Wolverine. At the very least, reviving him could have played as repetitive.

Not to be confused with Warda Wilson, the Deadpool of the year 2099 who actually does make an appearance in the threequel, this Wade Wilson hails from a distant future in which the X-Men are for whatever reason destroyed by the mere presence of a group of time displaced mutants known as the "Original 5" X-Men (during this period in "X-Men" comics, younger versions of characters like Beast, Jean Grey, and Iceman had been transported to the present day Marvel Universe, and were known in comic book stores as the "All-New X-Men").

Wade — and the rest of the future X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants — come to the past during the "Battle of the Atom" event, which finally confronts the issue of five time travelers marinating outside their timeline for an extended period. This version of Wade is more mature than his other counterparts, though for tragic reasons. Because of the sheer amount of senseless death and betrayal he's experienced, he's seemingly too sad and exhausted to joke around like he once did, and even attempts to forge a bridge between the two factions rather than delight in their unchecked violence. His inclusion in "Deadpool & Wolverine" might have been too complicated lore-wise — though they did manage to fit in Zenpool, a version of Wade that only exists because Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom cast a spell one time that changed everyone's personalities.

Of all the "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" variants featured on this list, Venompool is undoubtedly the most popular. After appearing in the miniseries as a member of the Deadpool Corps, he was brought into the popular mobile video game "Contest of Champions," in which the Grandmaster and the Collector force various variants of Marvel Characters to battle one another for their amusement. Notably, at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel Legends announced they were releasing a Venompool action figure alongside some newly revealed pieces inspired by "Deadpool & Wolverine." So why didn't this crossover hit make it to the big screen?

The simplest answer is also the most obvious. The character Venom is currently owned by Sony Pictures, along with the rest of the villains in Spider-Man's rogues gallery. While he did appear briefly in the Sony-Marvel feature "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and entered the MCU briefly at the end of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," it's unclear whether or not Marvel would need Sony's approval to use a character like Venompool — or if either Marvel or Sony would even want their brands to intersect right now. However, given that "Venom: The Last Dance" is just around the corner, it might have been fun (albeit expensive, CGI-wise) to include Venompool in some minor way in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

There is an argument to be made that, what Kevin Conroy is to Batman, Nolan North is to Deadpool. The legendary voice actor (best known for voicing Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted" series of video games) has played Deadpool more than any other actor, Ryan Reynolds included, and can be heard in television shows, movies, and video games. In the same way that Conroy is the constant voice many people remember as Batman from their childhood, North is that same constant voice for Deadpool.

Most notably, North starred as Deadpool in the 2013 "Deadpool" video game, a quietly boundary pushing endeavor that was arguably the biggest Deadpool-related project ever when it came out and deserves at least some of the credit for bringing the character into the mainstream. As far as voice actors go, North is probably as expensive as they come — though we feel it would have been well worth it just to hear him among the many variants of "Deadpool & Wolverine."