Was A Daniel Radcliffe Wolverine Variant Cut From Deadpool & Wolverine? Here's The Truth

The selling point of Shawn Levy's superhero flick "Deadpool & Wolverine" was that characters from superhero films previously owned by 20th Century Fox could now interact with characters from superhero films owned by Disney. Both corporations are evoked in dialogue, and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) explains clearly that Disney owns the movie he is currently starring in, noting that executive producer Kevin Feige won't let him joke about cocaine. There are a lot of sexual references in "Deadpool & Wolverine," but no actual on-screen sex acts; Disney has always had limits.

On its surface, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is naughty and subversive, although at its core, it's celebrating heartless corporate ownership. The film didn't become a hit because it's challenging its own corporate masters. Instead, it made $1.3 billion (!) thanks to its enjoyable deluge of cameos, including the above-mentioned Fox-owned characters, but also multiple variants of Deadpool and Wolverine. Late in the film, the titular heroes fight and kill 100 Deadpool variants, while earlier on, Deadpool merrily skips through the multiverse, meeting a few dozen versions of Wolverine. Most of them were played by Hugh Jackman, although one was played by Henry Cavill. Another was stuntman Luke Bennett with Jackman's face pasted over his own.

During production, rumors swirled as to what the film might contain. Fan speculation is, of course, a cottage industry until itself, so it's natural that certain false theories would gain traction in the pop consciousness. For months, it was posited that actor Daniel Radcliffe was going to play one of the Wolverines. Indeed, when Radcliffe was seen with a bulkier muscle mass in public, the rumors seemed more plausible. Was the zany British actor going to pass into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Deadpool & Wolverine" co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have since clarified that was never the plan.

When Radcliffe was asked directly about any involvement he may have had in Levy's film in a video for Vanity Fair, he denied it outright. Indeed, he admitted that he wanted to become fit merely for his own edification:

"I got buff because I am obsessive, and I want to [...] You've seen my parents, they're like insane fitness people. So that's just been passed on. But no. No Wolverine. Flattered, but no."

Radcliffe's mom was a casting agent and his dad was a literary agent, but they were also keenly focused on fitness and exercise, so Radcliffe, as an adult, encouraged himself to stay buff. It had nothing to do with playing a superhero or any other role for that matter.

Reese and Wernick, meanwhile, also put the kibosh on Radcliffe's involvement, admitting to THR they never wrote a draft of their script that the actor would have fit into. They had plenty of other wild ideas, but Radcliffe was never involved in any of them. As Reese noted, they would have sooner cast Danny DeVito as Wolverine:

"No, I don't think that ever came up. It was a rumor that flew all over, but I don't think Daniel Radcliffe was ever considered. I think I saw Danny DeVito rumor too. That was never considered, I don't think."

Reese was then corrected by Wernick, saying that the pair actually pitched DeVito to the studio as "Short Wolverine." Reese recalled that was correct, adding, "It was thought it was just funnier to see Hugh. A short version of Hugh was funnier." He also pointed out that "Short Wolverine" was "obviously, other than by the comics, was inspired by Tim Conway's 'Dorf on Golf.'"

"Dorf on Golf," as all truly cultured individual recall, was a 30-minute 1987 comedy short found in well-stocked video stores around the world. Tim Conway played Dorf, a cocky golfer who stood about 3'10" (Conway performed on his knees). Vincent Schivelli played Dorf's bumbling caddy. If the makers of "Deadpool & Wolverine" truly had any chutzpah, they would have included Dorf in their film.