Every Deadpool & Wolverine Easter Egg, Callback, And Reference

This article contains major spoilers for "Deadpool & Wolverine," so beware!

"Deadpool & Wolverine" finally ushers in the Fox universe of Marvel movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it offers a bit of a love letter to those early big screen adaptations of X-Men, Fantastic Four, and other comics turned into blockbusters with varying degrees of success. But since this is the first time Wade Wilson and Wolverine are entering the MCU, there are also plenty of Avengers Easter eggs to be found ... as well as references that go beyond the scope of Marvel. While many of them are pretty obvious, especially those that Wade calls out directly with his ongoing meta-commentary, many of them can be hard to spot. But don't worry, we've got you covered.

From Tony Stark's office, where Deadpool is heartbreakingly turned away from joining the Avengers roster, to the garbage heap that is The Void from Marvel's "Loki" TV series and beyond, we've assembled a list of various Easter eggs, callbacks, and references that you might have missed (as well as a few other nods to stuff outside of the MCU). This includes a cameo by the legendary Stan Lee himself and a bit of universe-hopping fun too. So buckle up, nerds, because we've already seen "Deadpool & Wolverine" a few times, and this is chock full of goodies.

Early in the movie, Wade Wilson makes a jump over to Earth-616, which is the primary timeline for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On March 14, 2018, he has a meeting with Happy Hogan, though he was hoping it would be a meeting with Tony Stark. But as Happy indicates, Stark doesn't really take these kind of meetings anymore.

If you look around Stark's office (and the camera eventually does it for you for a brief moment), there are several Easter eggs referencing the Avengers and the legacy of Iron Man. The most obvious items belong to Iron Man, such as the silver Mark II armor helmet on a shelf behind Happy, as well as the "Proof that Tony Stark Has a Heart" arc reactor gift that Pepper Potts (who can also be seen on a Forbes magazine cover) made for him. The armor suitcase from "Iron Man 2" sits on a shelf behind Wade.

There's also a toy version of an Iron Man helmet for some reason, which sits in front of the photo of Tony Stark and Peter Parker from "Spider-Man: Homecoming." Strangely, we can't see Tom Holland in the photo, and I wonder if that's because it would technically count as an appearance in the MCU that would potentially mess up the actor's contractual obligations. 

As for the Avengers, it's Captain America who gets the most love here. Behind Happy, you can see the vintage Captain America trading cards that once belonged to Agent Phil Coulson, though that's probably more of a reminder of their fallen friend than Cap himself. Either way, the prototype Captain America shield that can be seen in Stark's lab in "Iron Man 2" is sitting proudly in the window of the office as well. Even in 2018, when Stark was still on the outs with Rogers after "Civil War," he kept mementos of his friend and ally. (Ethan Anderton)

While Deadpool is time-hopping and trying to find a new Wolverine variant to replace the deceased Logan as the anchor being of Earth-10005, he encounters the classic Wolverine in his orange and brown suit. While the suit doesn't match the debut comic appearance in "The Incredible Hulk" #180 from October 1974, it's this match-up that makes it an Easter egg for Avengers fans, because Hulk is standing right there, and he slams Deadpool into a tree.

Also, even though this isn't an Avengers Easter egg, I'd feel bad if I didn't mention that Wade is traveling through the multiverse to the tune of "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News, which is clearly meant to be a nod to the time-traveling classic "Back to the Future," where the song was written for the film's soundtrack. (Ethan Anderton)

You're going to find the most Easter eggs just sitting around The Void from the "Loki" TV series. Aside from the ensemble of tertiary X-Men villains who have been pruned from their timeline (most of them not played by the actors who portrayed them in previous movies, with the exception of Pryo and Sabretooth), as well as the obvious appearances of Giant-Man's corpse and the 20th Century Fox logo, there are a bunch of vehicles and objects lying around, just like in "Loki." Here's a breakdown of the stuff that we caught around The Void.

First, when all of Cassandra Nova's henchmen arrive with Pyro, among their vehicles is Red Skull's custom car from "Captain America: The First Avenger," the vintage comic book version of the flying Fantasticar that belongs to Fantastic Four, and the cupcake truck from an early episode of "Moon Knight." One of the vehicles is also sporting a flag with the Avengers logo on it, but the "A" has been spray painted with the "A" for anarchy. After their arrival, Wolverine, Deadpool, and Johnny Storm are taken to the Giant-Man lair, which is also a super gross residence when you think about it. The smell must be unreal. 

This is also when Wade mistakenly thinks Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) is actually Captain America (and the audience does too, thanks to some conveniently placed red, white, and blue wardrobe). He expects Evans to say "Avengers, assemble!" before he actually shouts, "Flame on!" Honestly, it ends up being infinitely more exciting than an alternate Captain America, especially when he gets his skin snapped off by Cassandra Nova. (Ethan Anderton)

There are also plenty of items discarded in the desert of The Void just waiting for you to notice them. Early on, just before Wolverine and Deadpool engage in their first fight with each other, you can see the classic versions of Thor's winged, silver helmet and Captain America's World War II era shield. Also, during that confrontation, you'll spot a "Secret Wars" comic book just sitting in the dirt next to Wade, obviously a nod to what's on the way in the MCU.

From 2012's "Avengers," we've got both the Chitauri Leviathan creature and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Plus, there's part of the Stark Industries tower lying around. That's not the only "Avengers" franchise Easter egg either, because you can see Thanos' Q-Ship from "Infinity War," the one piloted by Ebony Maw after he takes Doctor Strange hostage in an effort to get ahold of the Time Stone.

Speaking of cosmic stuff, another ship you'll find partially buried in the dirt is the Milano, the ship which belonged to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" crew. That's the ship from the first movie, which was destroyed but then replaced, only to be destroyed again and replaced by the Benatar. You'll also spot the spires of Odin's palace from Asgard, seen frequently in the "Thor" franchise. 

While this may not be an Avengers Easter egg, there's a huge chunk of the Golden Gate Bridge seen in the background, and we're just going to assume that's from the climax of "X-Men: The Last Stand," when Magneto moves the bridge with his mutant powers for a final act setpiece that almost broke the movie.

There's a "Doctor Strange" Easter egg that pops up in The Void, too. In the lair where Elektra, Blade, Gambit, and X-23 have holed up, part of the structure is the same wall sculpture of Scarlet Witch seen in the third act of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." (Ethan Anderton)

Before we get to some of the other big references and callbacks in "Deadpool & Wolverine," we're going to take a detour with a little Easter egg tribute that Ryan Reynolds included for a movie that he loves. In fact, this movie greatly influenced Reynolds' career and even the trajectory of "Deadpool & Wolverine."

First, there's a repeated Easter egg that Reynolds injected into the first two "Deadpool" movies, and that's the appearance of a certain fictional book called "The Canadian Mounted." It's a trashy, erotic novel that John Candy can be seen reading in "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." While it's hard to spot, you can see it in Wade's locker at the car dealership he works at. Only the spine is visible, where it says "The Northern Nymph," but that's the same book.

However, Reynolds managed to fit in a much bigger Easter egg for "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" this time around. After Wolverine and Deadpool escape from Cassandra Nova's fortress, they walk through a grassy field, and in that field lies what just looks like an innocuous, destroyed car. But that vehicle is the burnt and wrecked car that Steve Martin and John Candy drive around for part of their road trip. Sitting in front of the car is the trunk that Candy's character carries around too.

Reynolds hasn't been shy about how much he loves "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," a holiday classic directed by the late, great John Hughes (of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club" fame), and he even chose the movie to air on Turner Classic Movies when he was given the honor of being a guest programmer recently. You can hear all about how the comedy has shaped and influenced Reynolds' career and movies, especially Deadpool, right here (Ethan Anderton):

All right, these might not be Avengers references, but we can't help but talk about some of the more amusing references that unfold when Deadpool and Wolverine meet the superheroes from the Fox Marvel movies who have been banished to the Void.

When Wesley Snipes appears as Blade, Ryan Reynolds does his best impression of the actor when questioning whether he was retired. After a hilariously inappropriate exchange where Deadpool is worried about being canceled, Blade tells Deadpool, "I don't like you," to which Wade responds, "You never did." In case you didn't know, this is alluding to the infamously contentious working relationship that Snipes and Reynolds had on the set of "Blade: Trinity," which you can read more about right here.

Once the conversation between our heroes comes around to some of the other characters who were in The Void, only to have been killed, Wade apologizes to Elektra (Jennifer Garner) when he learns that Daredevil is among the deceased (along with Quicksilver, Punisher, and Magneto). But in a hilarious reference to Garner's real-life marriage and divorce from "Daredevil" star Ben Affleck, she flippantly responds, "It's fine."

But perhaps the best dialogue in this scene comes from Gambit (Channing Tatum), who constantly references the fact that he never got a chance to get his own movie and people may not even know about him. At one point, he even acknowledges that maybe he was just born in The Void, alluding to the X-Men Origins movie Tatum was supposed to star in before the poor reception of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" got the movie canceled. 

X-23 (Dafne Keen) also gets a nice callback beyond the obvious need for her experience from "Logan" to help convince the alternate Wolverine that he should be fighting with them. During the final fight sequence at Cassandra Nova's lair, she puts on the same sunglasses she wore as a kid in "Logan."

Finally, just when you thought we were done with "Blade" references, in that same fight, after killing some henchman, the daywalker says, "Some motherf**kers still tryin' to ice skate uphill," repeating one of the character's silliest lines from the "Blade" movies. (Ethan Anderton)

(The photo above comes from the cast's appearance during a "Deadpool & Wolverine" celebration at screening at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.)

If you were paying attention to the side-scrolling, video game-inspired action sequence where Deadpool & Wolverine slice and dice through a bunch of Deadpool Corps. members, then you might have missed a quick cameo by Stan Lee. Sadly, the Marvel Comics legend is no longer with us, but that hasn't stopped Marvel Studios from paying tribute to him in their movies. 

Thankfully, without the use of CGI bringing him back to life, "Deadpool & Wolverine" includes a banner ad on the side of a bus for the carpet cleaning company Stanlee Steemer, and the man pictures in the image is none other than Stan Lee himself. I'll bet Stan Lee loved a nice clean carpet. We wish we could still see him popping up for a quick one-liner, but we're glad that Marvel hasn't stooped so low that they'd use artificial intelligence, Deepfakes, or whatever hellish technology being used to bring people back from the dead. (Ethan Anderton)

After Deadpool and Wolverine confront Cassandra Nova at her lair in The Void, she ultimately offers them a means of escape by putting on a sling ring, creating a portal in the sky, and letting the two men leap through it to travel back to the proper timeline. Before they go, Cassandra casually makes a reference to procuring the sling ring by murdering a sorcerer, with the strong implication being that she has killed the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Marvel hero Doctor Strange — or at least a version of him.

The Multiverse Saga — which began with "WandaVision" and will conclude with "Avengers: Secret Wars" — has shown there are a seemingly infinite number of variants of these characters wandering around in different contexts, so the version of Doctor Strange that Cassandra dispatched was not the one we've been following in the MCU thus far. While she leaves the description vague enough in her dialogue that some people may wonder if she's referring to Wong as the sorcerer she's slain, the inclusion of Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation, which you can see in the image above, seems to indicate Strange was indeed the one who bit the dust. (Ben Pearson)

When Wade Wilson is whisked into the Time Variance Authority and makes the assessment that he's, in his words, "Marvel Jesus," he declares that "the power in the Marvel universe is about to change forever." That's a meta nod to Reynolds' "Red Notice" co-star, Dwayne Johnson, and the big game Johnson talked about how "the hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change" before his movie "Black Adam" hit theaters. Hilariously, that prediction did end up coming true, just not in the way Johnson wanted: "Black Adam" bombed at the box office, and Johnson's attempt to take control of DC was squashed when James Gunn and Peter Safran became the co-heads of the film company and decided to reboot the universe.

That's not the only time "Deadpool & Wolverine" takes a swipe at DC. When Henry Cavill briefly shows up as a variant of Wolverine, Deadpool tells Cavill's Logan that "we will treat you so much better than those sh**-f***s down the street," a reference to the absolute mess that happened when Cavill dropped out of "The Witcher" to play Superman again, only for the new regime at DC to decide that he didn't fit into their vision. (Ben Pearson)

Loki may have bagged a multiverse variant played by Richard E. Grant, but Deadpool has now one-upped the God of Mischief by assembling a whole army of variants. Nicepool is easily recognizable, since he's played by "Gordon" Reynolds. Then there's Ladypool, played by Reynolds' real-life wife Blake Lively — star of "Gossip Girl" and nemesis of angry sharks in "The Shallows." The nuclear Pool family also includes the foul-mouthed Kidpool (voiced by Reynolds and Lively's daughter, Inez Reynolds) and the tiny Babypool (adorable giggle courtesy of their youngest son, Olin Reynolds).

Moving on to the extended Pool family, Cowboypool speaks with the familiar Texan twang of Oscar-winner Matthew McConnaughey. The disembodied Headpool is played by Nathan Fillion, in his fourth minor Marvel Cinematic Universe role. There's also a fun cameo for fans of Reynolds' reality series "Welcome to Wrexham" among the non-speaking Deadpools (yes, apparently there is such a thing): Wrexham forward Paul Mullin as Welshpool. Oh, and one of the miscellaneous Deadpools was played by Harry Holland, brother of Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. It's just one big Marvel family! (Hannah Shaw-Williams)

Deadpool goes through an extensive casting pool when auditioning replacement Logans, and some are more promising than others. One that doesn't quite have the X-factor that he's looking for is a Wolverine crucified on a St Andrew's cross in a nightmarish landscape of bloody skulls. When this variant fails the witty banter test by groaning in agony instead of firing off insults, Deadpool apologetically tells him, "Not you, we're just going in a different direction" and leaves the crucified Wolverine to his fate.

How did that particular Wolverine end up in such a predicament? It's actually the work of Donald Pierce, the bionic-armed enforcer who was played by Boyd Holbrook in "Logan." The striking image of the crucified Wolverine is based on Mark Silvestri and Dan Green's artwork for the cover of "Uncanny X-Men" #251. In this issue of the comics, Logan is being tortured by Pierce and his gang of Reavers, and is experiencing feverish visions. If you have lingering concerns about this particular Wolverine, rest assured that he does eventually get rescued in the comic. (Hannah Shaw-Williams)

So much is happening in this movie in the foreground, and in terms of what characters are saying, that stuff in the background can run the risk of getting lost. Some people might not have noticed the "Liefeld's Just Feet" store in the background during the film's climactic battle with all of the Deadpool variants. This is in reference to Rob Liefeld, the co-creator of Deadpool in the pages of Marvel Comics. More than that though, it's a loving jab at his career as an artist.

Liefeld is a very accomplished artist but, over the years, he's been mocked online for his depiction of feet in his work. Oftentimes, he outright avoids drawing feet, it seems, because when he does, it can get a little weird. So, Levy and the team decided to give Liefeld a knowing nod in the film. "I was laughing hysterically when the Marvel business affairs people called me. They were laughing too," Liefeld said of the joke after the film's release. So at least he has a sense of humor about the whole thing. (Ryan Scott)

Henry Cavill's cameo as a version of Wolverine from the Marvel multiverse, aka the "Cavillerine," was one of the biggest crowd-pleasing moments in "Deadpool & Wolverine." But the cameo itself isn't the only Easter egg in this scene, as it also includes a callback to one of the actor's most infamous on-screen moments from 2018's "Mission: Impossible — Fallout." Yes, the scene does feature Cavill reloading his arms, just as he did in the legendary bathroom fight scene from that movie.

As Wade is making his trip through the multiverse trying to find a suitable Wolverine replacement, Cavill's version is stumbled upon. Rather quickly, he angrily attacks Wade with his signature claws. However, Cavill's character does so in a unique manner, seemingly "loading" his arms for maximum impact. This is very much like what he did in the bathroom scene from "Fallout" where he gets up after getting his ass whooped by Liang Yang, shakes it off, and reloads his arms before going back for more. Now, he's enshrined the move in the MCU as well. (Ryan Scott)

Upon landing themselves in The Void and setting off in search of the resistance against Cassandra Nova, it doesn't take long for Wade Wilson and Logan to cross paths with the first of many human Deadpool variants in the film and the second after Dogpool. This particular one, Dogpool's owner, just so happens to be unfailingly polite and courteous — hence his moniker, "Nicepool." He's also one of the few variants who looks identical to the Wade we know, save for his long, flowing hair and lack of bodily scarring, and is played by an actor listed as "Gordon Reynolds" in the movie's credits. Has Ryan Reynolds been pulling a "Prestige" on us by working with a secret twin brother on his films this entire time? He'd probably tell you it's merely a joke and he plays both roles, but that's exactly what he and Gordon want us to believe, now don't they?

Thankfully, if you find yourself concerned that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is implying that Nicepool is nice because he doesn't have any scarring, that's not the case. Far from dabbling in casual ableism, this is actually the film's way of hinting that this specific Deadpool variant never went through the procedure that awakened his latent super-healing mutation. This is confirmed in the third act when Wade 1.0 uses Nicepool as a human shield against the army of Deadpool variants trying to kill him, which results in the latter being riddled with bullets before Wade strips his corpse of his unique gold-plated guns. To his credit, Nicepool dies with a smile on his face and nothing but love in his heart. He was a real one, that guy. (Sandy Schaefer)

If there was any doubt Hugh Jackman would have a career after the first time he retired as Wolverine, "The Greatest Showman" laid them to rest. Released in theaters nine months after Jackman's X-Man met his maker in "Logan," director Michael Gracey's musical overcame a slow start at the box office and tepid reviews (many of which showered praise on the movie's song-and-dance numbers while condemning its sugar-coating of real-life con artist P.T. Barnum) to become a crowd-pleasing commercial success. The movie itself is everything that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is not: a squeaky-clean romp for the whole family devoid of bad language, innuendo, or any sort of graphic violence. So, of course, Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, and their friends had to take the mickey out of it at some point (pun very much intended).

After Logan verbally rips Wade a new one in a way that recalls Steven Martin tearing into John Candy in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (yet another way that the film salutes John Hughes' comedy classic), the two proceed to beat the everlasting s**t out of one another in the Honda Odyssey that Nicepool lent to them. (Again, what a standup guy!) After Wade sucker-punches Logan, his clawed companion thwaps the Merc With a Mouth several times in the face before slamming his head against the car's infotainment system, briefly causing "The Greatest Show" from "The Greatest Showman" to play. Things only get worse from there, as the titular duo stab, slash, and otherwise pummel each other, reducing the vehicle around them to little more than a pile of blood-stained metal and glass.

To borrow a quote from the critic character in "The Greatest Showman," now that's what I call "a celebration of humanity." (Sandy Schaefer)

Despite Deadpool's reputation as Marvel's biggest rulebreaker, even this loudmouthed, fourth wall-breaking hero has his limits. "Deadpool & Wolverine" includes a surprising amount of shots fired directly at (the now-defunct) 20th Century Fox, Kevin Feige, and everyone in between. But while one additional reference provided one of the movie's biggest throwaway laughs, there was a little more going on beneath the surface for those who know their behind-the-scenes trivia.

The reference comes when, at one point in the film, Wade and Logan are driving along in the Void after one of their many, many arguments. In order to pass the time during their journey, Deadpool begins acting like a child and making annoying "Thwip!" noises and gestures to entertain himself. Even the most casual of moviegoers could likely pick up on the reference to Spider-Man, Marvel's crown jewel of a character. But what fans could certainly appreciate is the fact that this was almost certainly left unsaid because, legally speaking, not even Ryan Reynolds could get away with namedropping our favorite Webhead without the expressed, written consent of Sony Pictures (the studio that currently holds the rights to all things Spidey) and, of course, a boatload of money, too. Deadpool might've been able to fit seamlessly into the MCU by virtue of Disney absorbing Fox, but the same doesn't hold true for the franchise integrating Tom Holland's hero into the mix.

In the meantime, at least we'll always have the Merc with the Mouth thwip-ing away like the superhero-obsessed weirdo he is. (Jeremy Mathai)

Few blockbusters require their target demographics to remain on their toes nearly as much as "Deadpool & Wolverine" does, letting loose with countless pop-culture references and jokes practically every other minute. Few fans could hope to compete with Deadpool's vast, encyclopedic knowledge of every stray piece of entertainment under the sun, from "Gossip Girl" (itself a reference to Reynolds' real-life wife, Blake Lively) to Avril Lavigne to, of course, NYSYNC. But one particular example arrived at the most unexpected of moments — no less than the emotional climax of the entire story.

This one's for the Trekkies out there. During the third act, Deadpool and Wolverine realize that one of them must sacrifice themselves in order to destroy Mr. Paradox's time-ripper device and save the entire multiverse from Cassandra Nova's sinister schemes. After some serious back and forth, Logan presents an awfully compelling case for why he should be the one to redeem himself through a big, heroic death. It appears as if Wade has resigned himself to this ... until he pulls the ultimate switcheroo, incapacitates his buddy, and takes his place as the one to go out in a blaze of glory. While many will undoubtedly think of a similar scene in Michael Bay's disaster epic "Armageddon," Deadpool hangs a lampshade on this by outright reenacting "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and calling attention to his parallels with Spock's famous death scene.

It's hilarious and heartbreaking at once, though there is the unavoidable reality that their combined regeneration abilities allows them to skirt any actual consequences. But, hey, that's exactly what happens with Spock (albeit one movie later), so maybe Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy knew exactly what they were doing, after all. Live long and prosper! (Jeremy Mathai)