Deadpool’s Tim Miller Reveals Original Deadpool 2 Plans, Including Fantastic Four Crossover and Mutant Vanessa

By now Deadpool 2 is a (semi-)beloved chapter f the X-Men film franchise – but it almost went in a very different direction. If you recall, after the breakout success of Deadpool in 2016, it seemed like the world was director Tim Miller’s oyster, as Miller overcame major hurdles just to get Deadpool made – and then, made it a uniquely entertaining action/comedy, to boot. However, just when things lined up for Miller to get much bigger freedoms in order to make Deadpool 2, there was a major falling out between Miller and Ryan Reynolds over how Deadpool 2 should be shaped, and the studio ultimately went with Reynolds’ more comedic take on the character.

However, while doing the press for his new film Terminator: Dark Fate, Tim Miller opened up about what his version of Deadpool 2 would’ve been like, and it was definitely something more in line with Marvel Comics lore.

As Miller explained to The Playlist, his version of Deadpool 2 also positioned Wade Wilson’s (Ryan Reynolds) relationship with young flame-powered mutant Rusty (Julian Dennison) as the “heart of the film,” but the storylines surrounding that central relationship were very different.

Miller wanted, “a [comic accurate] Cable who was 6 feet, 7 inches,” as opposed to the shorter, stockier version played by Josh Brolin. When it came to Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa, Miller never wanted the heavier dramatic storyline of Vanessa dying, and Wade falling into a deep depression; in fact, Miller was reportedly “most passionate” in his defense of his Vanessa storyline (he claimed to have “cracked the secret” to her character). Full details have yet to come to light, but Miller does reveal that his take would’ve seen Vanessa come around to her comic book roots as the mutant shape-shifter “Copycat,” and used that development as means to explore her and Wade’s love story (bad breakup?). Given how unhappy a lot of fans were with Deadpool 2‘s Vanessa death storyline, this alternate take would’ve dodged some pretty major bullets.

Finally, if the Vanessa thing wasn’t enough, Miller wanted to have the actual Thing be a part of Deadpool 2! Fans now by now that the sequel’s climax sees Rusty partner with The Juggernaut, leading to a major throwdown between Juggy and X-Men’s Colossus – however, in Miller’s version, that fight would’ve been between Juggernaut and Fantastic Four’s Thing! That’s not just wishful thinking, either: Miller reportedly got the full greenlight from 20th Century Fox to make it happen!

It’s hard to read over all this and not think that Marvel fans got cheated out of a superior version of Deadpool 2 – espeially if you (like me) found the sequel lackluster compared to the original. Oh well though, C’est la vie. Here’s hoping Tim Miller’s good ideas were reapplied to making Terminator: Dark Fate the best sequel it can be.

Terminator: Dark Fate hits theaters on Friday. Deadpool is expected to be relaunched in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the coming years.