If you watched the recent “Deadpool & Wolverine” trailer, which brought the whole “Deadpool” gang back together, mostly, you’ll have noticed three absent players critical to the “Deadpool” franchise. One is easy to explain. Following a sexual assault allegation and alarming behavior afterward (including talking sh*t about star Ryan Reynolds), T.J. Mackey is persona non-grata and no longer playing Weasel. Zazie Beetz once said she would love to return for “Deadpool 3,” but her character Domino is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Josh Brolin as Cable.
Domino appears to be a key player in the franchise, and there are still expectations or hope that she’ll appear in the film, even in a post-credit scene, as her absence may have been due to scheduling, but Brolin seems to be out, period.
READ MORE: Josh Brolin Heard “Through The Grapevine” That Marvel Is Bringing Back Thanos
In a recent Collider interview, the host began with a rapid-fire attack of questions starting with “Are you in Deadpool 3, and if not, why?”
“No. I don’t know. Because Ryan [Reynolds] doesn’t like me?” Brolin said, somewhat mischievously.
Collider interjected, “I don’t think that’s the reason,” and Brolin responded, “I dunno… Maybe?” while taking a long awkward beat to look at the camera to either suggest more or just f*ck with the viewer (which admittedly, Brolin is totally capable of doing).
Now, it’s certainly ambiguous enough not to take overtly seriously. That said, it wouldn’t be the first time Brolin has kind of talked a little bit of smack about “Deadpool,” especially considering how reverently he still talks about his Thanos role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (on a recent Hawk vs Wolf podcast, he spoke about it in very favorable terms and said he “loved” the role and the experience).
‘Deadpool’ was hard,” Brolin admitted in a recent 202 podcast conversation with Team Deakins. “Even though it was funny, it was harder. That was more of a business transaction; it was more, ‘We need to make this like this,’ which I didn’t feel that way with ‘Avengers.’”
At one point, Brolin actually revealed that he had four appearances as Cable scheduled, so maybe that’s still in the cards, but it seems unlikely. Meanwhile, “Deadpool” comic book creator Rob Liefeld, who is always something of a “Deadpool” cheerleader online and likes to talk on the actor’s behalf, like Brolin in the past, seems miffed that Brolin’s character isn’t in the film, posting to social media and seeming upset about it. Brolin admitted in the past that he almost didn’t take the Cable role because he was “tired” and thought maybe doing Thanos was already too much.
Either way, it seems there is no Cable for Brolin, at least for now, and the actor has admitted he’s heard rumblings of a Thanos return, so maybe he’ll find a way back into the MCU somehow.