Understanding the Villains of Deadpool & Wolverine: Cassandra Nova, Sabretooth & more

The superhero movie featuring Deadpool and Wolverine introduces a variety of villains, including both new characters and old foes. There are also rumors of surprise appearances. Here is a spoiler-free overview of the major antagonists and their backgrounds.

The antagonists in Deadpool 3 consist of Cassandra Nova, a character that has not yet appeared in any previous films, Sabretooth, who Wolverine may argue has been overused, and the Time Variance Authority, which was last seen in the second season of Loki.

If rescuing Logan from the depths of existential distress wasn’t challenging enough for Deadpool, there are numerous malevolent individuals blocking his efforts to save his companions.

Although it may be surprising, the combination of Deadpool and Wolverine makes for the best Marvel movie in a while, which is why it was essential to have strong villains.

Cassandra Nova

The main antagonist in Deadpool 3 is Cassandra Nova, a character hailing from the Astral Plane. She possesses the ability to take control of other bodies, regenerate her own, and holds a grudge against Charles Xavier in the comics.

During the altercation, she utilized Charles’ body to create her own, with the intention of eliminating him while he was still in the womb. Despite his psychic retaliation, she managed to survive and reconstruct her physical appearance. From then on, Cassandra’s main goal is to annihilate Charles and everything he holds dear.

Cassandra, who was an adult at the time, employed Sentinels to obliterate the mutant sanctuary Genosha, resulting in the deaths of half of the mutant inhabitants.

Some of her other most notable feats include successfully switching bodies with Charles, tricking Emma Frost into snapping his neck, and revealing the identities of the X-Men to humans.

Ultimately, Jean Grey manages to defeat her by utilizing Charles’ memories and performing a Cerebro ritual to reverse the body swap. As a result, Frost (also known as Emma W) successfully tricks Cassandra into being transferred out of the professor’s body and into another one with her mind erased.

Emma Corrin has been cast to play the role of her in Deadpool 3, as seen in her previous portrayal in The Crown.

The Tennessee Valley Authority

The trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine featured a version of the TVA. Although it is known as the undercover organization from Loki, it is unclear if it is a different version. Whether they are truly villains or not can vary from day to day.

Despite their bureaucracy, Wade is not likely to be inspired by them, making them a villain in his crash course of dimension hopping.

Matthew MacFayden’s Paradox is at the helm, and he appears to be a modernized version of Mr. Paradox, a judge from the comics who worked for the TVA.

Despite the TVA’s initial dedication to pruning branches of the sacred timeline in order to maintain the stability of the multiverse, this plan was ultimately disrupted in Loki Season 2 when Sylvie refused to comply.

There are significant developments involving the damaged Temporal Loom and Loki’s transformation into He Who Remains, but the finale of Loki Season 2 does not include any connections to Deadpool 3.

It is logical that it would appear in the new movie, since the TVA is responsible for overseeing the type of mission that Wade and Logan are undertaking. The agents are known for wanting to control such matters.

Sabretooth

Sabretooth has alternated between being an ally and a sworn enemy of Wolverine for many years. He appeared in the original X-Men movie alongside Hugh Jackman in 2000, and the role was later taken over by Liev Schreiber in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which explored Logan’s complex history.

On 28 June, 2024, a clip was released confirming that Tyler Mane, the original Sabretooth actor, would be reprising his role in Deadpool 3. The outcome of their relationship in the film will depend on the events of the multiverse.

The Sabretooth character from the original X-Men films was still alive when we last received an update on his whereabouts.

Victor Creed made his debut in the May 1977 issue of Iron Fist #14. While this may seem random, it is common for comic book characters to develop in ways that may differ from the original vision of their creators, as was the case with Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s portrayal of Creed.

Logan’s tragic backstory undoubtedly makes him the ultimate villain for both Deadpool and Wolverine. To learn more, you can delve into the world of the Deadpool Corps, find out how to watch the movies featuring both characters, and don’t forget to stick around for the post-credits scene in Deadpool & Wolverine.