No matter how “divisive” the recent entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been, we can all agree Deadpool & Wolverine felt like the perfect way to introduce the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU without any compromises. The film gave Ryan Reynolds a chance to flex his acting muscles once more, proving that even Deadpool has a heart, especially when he’s sharing the screen with Hugh Jackman’s Logan.
Still, die-hard fans of the previous Deadpool movies might have felt a bit let down by Deadpool & Wolverine. In many ways, the film left behind almost every aspect of the two previous films, dismissing Wade Wilson’s evolution as a character and “ignoring” some crucial characters from both Deadpool movies.
It was bound to happen, though. Just imagine the mental gymnastics you’d need to employ to explain why Cable looks just like a smaller, less purple Thanos. Something that always bothered me about Deadpool 2 is how underdeveloped the idea of Deadpool’s X-Force felt. The team’s lineup had tons of untapped potential, and it seems as if 20th Century Fox believed the same, as an X-Force film was in the works following Deadpool 2.
Cloverfield’s Drew Goddard was set to write and direct the X-Force film, following the events of Deadpool 2. Goddard had already cut his teeth with the superhero genre after creating the excellent Daredevil series for Netflix. He was also tied to a canceled Sinister Six project within the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man universe, before Sony pulled the plug on the entire franchise.
One thing we know is that the X-Force film would have followed the unlikely superhero group led by Deadpool, Domino, and Cable. Unfortunately, X-Force fell victim to the Disney/Fox merger, leaving fans wondering what could have been. Only a few rumors and news articles remain offering clues about what the X-Force movie would have been like.
Now, seven years later, we finally have some new info about the film, and it came from a rather strange place. You simply can’t discuss Deadpool without mentioning Rob Liefeld. The artist’s “unique” style is something that any comic book fan, especially those raised on 90s comics, knows by heart. Liefeld remains closely associated with his most popular character, Deadpool, and routinely divulges fun facts about him on his social media profiles.
On May 3rd, Liefeld uploaded a picture of himself alongside Brolin, discussing how the actor loves impromptu gym visits. He also quickly mentioned one thing: Josh Brolin was set to reprise his role as Cable in Goddard’s X-Force flick – but he also would have played Stryfe, one of the X-Men’s most ruthless villains, who also just happens to be a clone of Cable.
As Liefeld revealed, Brolin would have played a double role in the X-Force film. Learning that Stryfe was likely the movie’s main villain, comic fans would recognize that this didn’t bode well for our dear Colossus. However, it hints at the possibility of additional characters joining the X-Force cast, like Illyana Rasputin, aka Magick. Because, let’s face it: Deadpool’s original X-Force was taken down by the wind, there’s no way they stood a chance against Stryfe or the Legacy Virus.
It’s a shame we never got to see the original conclusion to Deadpool’s solo films, but at least the MCU did the character justice. Still, it would have been incredible to see Brolin playing three iconic comic book characters in a single decade. Now that is a dedicated performer.
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Tell us, would you like to see Josh Brolin play Stryfe in an X-Force movie? It could still happen.
