Why Did Deadpool Cut Wolverine and Taskmaster?

In the 16-year history of theX-Menmovie franchise,Hugh Jackmanhas appeared in every one of the movies, even though some roles, like his cameo in 2011’sX-Men: First Class, were quite brief. Last weekend, 20th Century Fox debuted their new spinoffDeadpool, which, despite numerous references toHugh Jackmanhimself and hisWolverinecharacter, was the firstX-Menmovie that didn’t feature this iconic character in the flesh. There had been rumors for quite some time thatHugh Jackmanmay come aboard for a cameo, but, although that never happened,Ryan Reynoldsrevealed in a new interview withEmpire, that the original script had actually called for a Wolverine appearance, along with anotherMarvelcharacter, Taskmaster.

“Taskmaster was in the script originally. Too expensive. We had versions where Hugh Jackman was in there, but it just becomes a big mess for the studio - schedules, money, everything. We went through such hell developing the script, and developing whichX-Menwe could keep, and which we couldn’t. It turned into such a nightmare. The studio would just say: ‘too expensive, too expensive’ to everybody.”

If Taskmaster would have made it in the movie, it would have marked the character’s big screen debut, although he has been seen on theMarvelanimated TV showUltimate Spider-Man, voiced byClancy Brown. In the comics, Taskmaster was both an ally and enemy ofDeadpool, who was often portrayed as an anti-hero. Taskmaster injected himself with the adrenal steroid cortisol, designed to unlock the mind’s procedural memory potential. This gave him the ability to absorb knowledge instantaneously, which linked to his muscle memory, allowing the Taskmaster to instantly replicate the physical movement of peak-level humans.

While Taskmaster is never mentioned by name inDeadpool, the movie even poked fun at the lack ofX-Menmutants, with only two surfacing in the movie, Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) andNegasonic Teenage Warhead(Brianna Hildebrand). It’s also worth noting that, duringDeadpool’s lengthy development process, Taskmaster’s rights actually reverted back toMarvel Studios, making it impossible for this character to be part of the movie, and the impending sequelDeadpool 2.

As for Wolverine,Hugh Jackmanhas confirmed several times that the upcomingWolverine 3, which starts shooting later this year, will be his final turn as the beloved mutant. It’s possible that he may turn up inX-Men: Apocalypse, arriving in theaters this May, but sinceWolverine 3will most certainly start shooting beforeDeadpool 2, fans who want to see the Merc and Logan mix it up will not get to see that happen, barring a change of heart fromHugh Jackman. Would you have liked to see Wolverine or Taskmaster inDeadpool? Chime in with your thoughts below, and stay tuned for more on the upcoming sequel.