'Deadpool' Creator Rob Liefeld Made Sure Cable Was Saved For 'Deadpool 2'
Fans who stuck around for the credits scene at the end of Deadpool were treated to a clever parody of the Ferris Bueller's Day Off after credits scene. But rather than just being a gag with comedy as its only payoff, this credits scene also promised the big screen introduction of a Marvel Comics character in Deadpool 2. That character will be Cable, a badass time traveler with a bionic arm and one glowing eye. However, Cable was once on the table to appear in Deadpool's origin story. But the Merc with a Mouth's creator advised against it.
Find out more about why we didn't get Cable in Deadpool after the jump.
For those who don't know, Cable is a character who has quite a history in the comic books with Deadpool. The two had their own comic book series that ran for 50 issues, but before that, Deadpool first appeared on the page of Marvel Comics in New Mutants #98. In that issue, he was tasked with killing Cable. So why wasn't Cable used as part of the origin of Deadpool on the big screen?
Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld explained to CinemaBlend that cable was being considered for the first film, but he spoke up to say that probably wasn't a good idea to begin with:
I absolutely recommended that they not include Cable in the origin story of Deadpool because it wasn't necessary. That was on the table of things that were being considered, and I felt like, 'No, no, no.' Deadpool is a good enough character. He can carry his own movie and doesn't need Cable. Similarly, it's a mistake I believe that Batman v Superman made. They tried to do too many things at once and tell too many stories.
Indeed, one of the problems Batman v Superman had was that it may have bitten off more than it could chew. It was tasked with having DC Comics' two biggest characters have a substantial conflict while also introducing the rest of the Justice League, and by association a larger cinematic universe. Introducing Cable would have just complicated things when unfamiliar audiences needed a more streamlined introduction to Deadpool.
Liefeld went on to explain that the idea of holding Cable back was in order to slowly make the universe bigger, much like Marvel did. He elaborated:
Where Deadpool came out, [it] gave you this story, and I think they are somewhat following what I'm referencing as the Marvel strategy... Iron Man 2 gave us Black Widow, and started building. And Cap 2 gave us Black Widow, Falcon, and Winter Soldier, you know? I believe that the fact that we've got the opportunity to build now on what Deadpool... OK, this is corny, they can build on the cable they laid with Deadpool, in the first movie, you know? Those are strong tracks, and so now they continue to build out on that.
That's a smart move, mostly because Cable is a character who deserves a big introduction. Plus, he could end up having interesting ramifications on the larger X-Men universe. Cable is the son of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and a clone of Jean Grey, as a result of Mr. Sinister manipulating their family lineage in order to give birth to a mutant powerful enough to defeat Apocalypse. That origin may not be explored in Deadpool 2, but it would be an interesting connection to make.
For now, we don't have any details on what Deadpool 2 has in store for us, but actors like Stephen Lang and Dolph Lundgren are interested in playing Cable. As soon as any solid casting information is available, we'll let you know.