Deadpool and Wolverine’s latest venture was filled with edgy humor, but one particular joke was too much even for Disney.
A few years back, the prospect of Deadpool becoming part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seemed unlikely. His character, known for violence, meta-humor, strong language, and breaking the fourth wall, didn’t quite align with the MCU’s tone at the time.
Since the first Deadpool film debuted in 2016, fans have been eager to see the character join the MCU. Fast forward eight years, and not only is Deadpool part of the MCU, but fans also got to see him team up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, much to their delight.
The film, which was a massive hit at the box office, delivered on fan expectations with plenty of meta-commentary and cleverly outperformed its competition.
However, one particular joke proposed by Ryan Reynolds did not make it past Disney’s executives, including Kevin Feige.
During an appearance at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York in September, Reynolds expressed his initial concerns about Disney limiting his creative freedom, fearing they might scrutinize every detail of the script. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find Disney and Marvel to be ‘such great partners’ in the project.
Recently, a portion of the script has circulated on social media, highlighting the joke that Disney decided was too much for the 15-rated film.
The scene in question was supposed to occur when Deadpool and Wolverine reached a hideout with remaining Marvel heroes like Elektra, Blade, Gambit, and X-23.
To keep the surprise of fan-favorite cameos, the character names in the script were apparently coded.
The joke that was removed involved Deadpool saying: “There’s four? Wait, is it Magneto? Dear sweet god in heaven let it be Magneto because with him…:
Billy, (Wesley Snipes’ Blade) replies: “He’s dead.”
Deadpool’s retort was: “F*** what we can’t even afford one more X-Man? Disney is so cheap. I can barely breathe with all this Mickey Mouse c*** in my throat.”
In the final version of the film, this scene remains, but instead of the scrapped joke, Deadpool quips about being let down by Pinocchio, adding a humorous twist to the situation.
Ultimately, fans didn’t miss out on much, and Disney’s trust in Reynolds to steer the Deadpool series within the MCU paid off, especially given the mixed reception of phase 5.