Deadpool & Wolverine nearly introduced notorious MCU villain

Deadpool and Wolverine, accompanied by Cassandra Nova, will soon make their way onto screens. However, she was not initially the top pick to be the film’s antagonist.

Indeed, Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy came close to choosing one of the most iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe villains: Mephisto.

In their search for potential adversaries for Deadpool and Wolverine, the duo considered various contenders and drew inspiration from the comics. With a plethora of options available, they ultimately settled on the supervillain Cassandra Nova. However, they initially entertained the idea of Mephisto before ultimately deciding on Cassandra Nova.

“Levy revealed to Collider that they had gone through various iterations of the story before settling on the final version. Initially, it was sparked by a call from Hugh, but eventually they came up with the idea of making Cassandra Nova Charles’ sibling.”

Comic panel of Mephisto sitting on a chair with a halo around his head — Marvel Comics

“That happened shortly after, as Cassandra’s connection to Professor X sparked an intriguing dynamic and fascination towards you [gestures to Jackman].”

Reynolds further elaborated that it was the comic books themselves that served as their inspiration for including Nova in the upcoming film.

“He described the panels of Cassandra with her hands inside someone’s skull as both repulsive and captivating. We knew immediately that she would make the perfect villain.”

Despite Cassandra Nova being chosen for the upcoming Marvel movie, it would have been understandable if Mephisto had been chosen instead. With a presence in the comics since 1968, he has been a longstanding character.

Modeled after a demon, Mephisto quickly established himself as one of Spider-Man’s primary adversaries. However, he has also clashed with other notable heroes such as Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Doctor Doom. Perhaps his most infamous act was manipulating Wolverine into unknowingly murdering his own X-Men comrades in Wolverine #70.

For years, there has been a strong anticipation among fans for his appearance in the contemporary MCU, by any means possible.

Despite having previously appeared in superhero movies, the character was portrayed by Peter Fonda in Ghost Rider (2007) and later by Ciarán Hinds in Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance.

The highly anticipated movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, is scheduled to premiere on July 25. For those interested, we will also be sharing our insights from the sneak peek event and our speculations on who will play Lady Deadpool.