Robert Downey Jr. Had a Cameo Written for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

[This story contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.]

Before Robert Downey Jr.’s return to Marvel as Doctor Doom, the Deadpool & Wolverine team contemplated bringing him back as Tony Stark.

Paul Wernick, co-writer of the scene, says, “There is a script. We have the Downey draft.” In the version that made it to theaters, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) visits Avengers Tower in 2018 to meet Happy Hogan (played by Jon Favreau). Wade inquires if Stark will join them, but Happy eventually rejects Wade from joining The Avengers.

Originally, Tony Stark was supposed to appear together with Happy. The Deadpool & Wolverine team had a backup plan: If Downey declined or Marvel opposed the cameo, they could pivot the scene to focus solely on Happy.

Writer Rhett Reese adds, “Jon was amazing about it. He stayed committed while it was still uncertain, and graciously agreed to expand his role when it became clear Downey wouldn’t be involved.” Reese also noted that they understood why it didn’t happen, given Downey’s dramatic Comic-Con reveal as Doctor Doom right after their movie came out.

Downey, who became one of the world’s highest-paid movie stars playing Iron Man, retired from the role after 11 years with Avengers: Endgame in 2019. At San Diego Comic-Con last month, he made a surprising return announcement: he would come back for two Avengers movies as villain Victor Von Doom.

Even without Downey’s cameo, Deadpool & Wolverine brought in a plethora of characters and impressive box office revenue. It’s expected to surpass the $1 billion mark over the weekend, marking a high point for Reese and Wernick. They joined the Deadpool franchise in 2009 and spent six years with Reynolds trying to get the first movie made.

Reese and Wernick, who wrote the script with Reynolds, director Shawn Levy, and Zeb Wells, reflected on some of the bold creative choices they made, as well as the directions they ultimately abandoned, including a potential Deadpool vs. Zombies plot.

Reese explains, “We certainly had elements before Hugh Jackman joined, like Wade’s birthday party and his job at DriveMax. When Hugh joined, it locked many doors for us. We realized we didn’t want to use the dead Logan, so it was either time travel or a variant. We chose the variant path, which answered several questions and helped shape the movie. We envisioned a road trip, a buddy movie, and we thought of the Void, and everything fell into place within a week-and-a-half.”

When asked about the creative decision to have Wade dig up Logan’s grave, Wernick says, “We expected backlash for bringing back Hugh as Wolverine. Deadpool breaks all the rules, so it was fitting for him to dig up Logan’s grave just after assuring fans we wouldn’t touch Logan.”

Regarding returning actors’ input, Reese reveals that Channing Tatum, who plays Gambit, insisted on using Gambit’s accent, adding an extra layer to his character interaction with Deadpool. Both writers believe that this film could serve as a launching point for a solo Gambit movie.

“Deadpool makes fun of everything and everyone, including himself,” Reese mentions, emphasizing Ryan Reynolds’ knack for injecting humor that often pokes fun at various characters and ideas, including elements from the MCU.

Favorite moments from the film include Deadpool strapped in a minivan seatbelt and the iconic slow-motion scene where Wolverine pulls his mask over, perfectly timed with the opening riff of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”

Reese concludes, “The final scenes, particularly when Wolverine and Deadpool hold hands as electricity pours through them while ‘Like a Prayer’ plays, evoke strong emotions. It’s very goose bumpy for me.”

Wernick adds, “What makes Deadpool so relatable and entertaining is that he does make fun of everyone. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then what are we doing?”

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