Ryan Reynolds has been doing the promotional blitzkrieg for "Deadpool 2," but he hasn't been doing enough to help fans know who all these new mutants are ... and they are literally "New Mutants," as many of them -- including Deadpool and Cable -- first premiered in the pages of that comic book series in the early 1990s.
It was an age of excess in the comic book industry, with more outlandish and outrageous characters being introduced seemingly on a monthly basis. With the success of the first "Deadpool" film, Reynolds and company have reached deep into the well of Marvel mutants to pull out Deadpool's old pals from the original "X-Force" series that spun out of "The New Mutants."
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View StoryThe most "extra" mutant of all time is probably Cable, brought to life by the MCU's Thanos, James Brolin. He had even bigger guns and more pouches than Deadpool. Over the years, Deadpool has come to realize how ridiculous he is, but Cable has stayed so very serious, which is why it's always great when the two are thrown together. Cable hates Deadpool so much!
But while their relationship is clearly the centerpiece of the film, there are a whole lot of other people who show up throughout this film's nearly two hour run time. And that's where we come in.
Before you buy a ticket, take a quick look at our rundown of all the new and familiar faces you'll be looking at in "Deadpool 2" with our handy character guide below.
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View StoryTHE TEAM
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) - You know who this guy is. Crazy healing factor, scars all over his body, fourth-wall breaking mutant lunatic. Victim of the same Weapon X program that created Wolverine, Wade Wilson was dying from cancer but now is immune to all diseases and may well be incapable of dying. Or that may be his origin. Even he's not totally sure.
Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) - Back again, the massive Russian built like a classic strongman, Piotr Rasputin has the mutant ability to transform himself into an organic metallic form. He is an honorable man, soft-spoken and compassionate, and willing to sacrifice himself to protect others.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) - Also returning from the first film, Ellie Phimister is a telepath with precognitive abilities and a host of other abilities. For the film, her power set is expanded to include the ability to cause controlled telekinetic detonations. She is also rather surly, but the "Teenage" in her name kind of covers that.
Domino (Zazie Beetz) - While her ability is technically referred to as probability-altering, it basically comes down to luck, and yes that is her real power. Neena Thurman was the only surviving subject in a government breeding program to develop a human weapon and became one of the first members of the X-Force team.
Bedlam (Terry Crews) - His original power set allowed Jesse Aaronson to manipulate electrical and mechanical systems in his vicinity. A later upgrade gave him the ability to manipulate neural responses in the brain, allowing him to confuse his enemies into thinking they were experiencing great pain or confusion, and even sleep.
Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) - Born in an alternate future, Gaveedra-Seven was genetically engineered with enhanced skills for gladiatorial combat. On top of this he has been trained in many forms of combat, and particularly enjoys swordplay, which he can generate shockwaves through. He has also displayed the ability to create teleportation portals.
Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård) - One of the less fortunate mutants, Axel Cluney discovered his mutant ability when he accidentally spewed acidic vomit on a girl's face. He subsequently took to wearing a protective mouthpiece so as to better control his ability. The vomit acts much like the acid in "Alien," able to eat through steel in seconds.
Vanisher (played by a cameo too fun to spoil!) - One of the oldest mutants in the Marvel Universe, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, Telford Porter has the ability of teleportation -- do you see what Stan did there with his real name? Clever stuff, huh? He does not have to see where he teleports, unlike the X-Men nightcrawler. He has worked both with and against the X-Men in his storied career.
Peter (Rob Delaney) - This guy has no mutant abilities whatsoever. He just saw the ad and thought it sounded interesting. Needless to say, he was hired on the spot.
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View StoryTHE FOES
Cable (Josh Brolin) - A mutant warrior from the future, son of Cyclops and the clone of Jean Grey, Nathan Summers' origin is the most complex in comics. He is an incredibly powerful telepath and telekinetic, but much of his mental powers are spent batting a techno-organic virus that has already claimed his left arm and eye.
Black Tom Cassidy (Jack Kesy) - Thomas Cassidy's mutant powers have evolved from the ability to channel force blasts through wood to a more expansive plant-based power set. He can spread his life force across multiple plant life forms, gaining control of them and strength from them and other living beings nearby, thanks to specialized tendrils he can siphon power with.
Juggernaut ("Himself") - Stepbrother to Charles Xavier, Cain Marko was abused by his father and resents Charles because of it. He gained control of the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak, which gave him incredible strength and durability. He is considered literally unstoppable when in motion, but he is vulnerable to mental attacks, which is why he wears a special helmet.
THE TARGET
Firefist (Julian Dennison) - Rusty Collins manifested his pyrokinetic abilities in violent fashion, severely burning an innocent woman. He is further immune to fire himself and is able to control and manipulate existing fire, including the ability to turn some or all of his body into flame, similar to the Fantastic Four's Human Torch. Firefist becomes Cable's target in the film for something he will do in the future.
SUPPORTING CAST
Most of the main supporting cast from the original film returns including Wade's new-fiancee Vanessa (Morena Baccarin, his wiseass roommate Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), over-stressed cab driver Dopinder (Karan Soni) and best friend and gadget-guru Weasel (T.J. Miller). Joining them is Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), a Japanese ronin who specializes in the shuriken, and is also NTW's girlfriend.
"Deadpool 2" also ties itself to Fox's "X-Men" films by featuring a number of cameos, but again, we won't spoil that fun.