Deadpool & Wolverine Director Shoots Down Fan Hopes of a Master and Commander Easter Egg

Deadpool & Wolverine was full of Easter eggs, but it did not give a shoutout to Master and Commander. The movie poked fun at 20th Century Fox by filling the Void with iconic setpieces from the studio’s movies before its merger with Disney. When fans saw a colonial-era ship in the background of one scene, many theorized that it was a subtle nod to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, but director Shawn Levy recently explained that they were wrong.

Levy sat down for an interview on The Awardist podcast along with stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. When asked if the old ship might have been a nod to Master and Commander, he wasn’t sure. He began: “I think that the answer is yes.” However, after the interview, he checked with the visual effects team and reached back out to Entertainment Weekly to set the record straight. He said the ship “was a generic ship from their library, adding: “Then we changed its color and made custom sails. So it’s a pure DP&W ship.”

When Levy was first trying to answer the question, Reynolds chimed in to add: “Also, the Titanic was one option, as well, and then it changed a few times.” Seeming to remember as they went along, Levy said: “That’s right. We were going to have the Titanic in it. There are some Fox-centric Easter eggs. In fact, I think Nakatomi Tower [from Die Hard] is in there, as well as the CN Tower, weirdly. So, Canada wins!”

“We talk about best idea wins,” the director continued. “We told the whole visual effects department…’We don’t know everything there is to know about Easter eggs and references. Give us all your juicy ideas.’”

Some of the movie’s other gag cameos included a crumbling Fox logo, a crashed helicarrier that once belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Peter Quill’s ship from Guardians of the Galaxy. This was a comedic twist on an alternate dimension that was first introduced in Loki. The concept wasn’t as funny back then, proving the flexibility of this kind of storytelling.

The podcast interview included plenty of other fun tidbits from Levy, Reynolds and Jackman, including some of the cameos that didn’t work out. Their movie is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and many are expecting it to get more award buzz next year.

Deadpool & Wolverine has enjoyed a very successful run in theaters, and it became available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital HD on October 1st. It will be available to stream on Disney+ starting on Tuesday, November 12th.