Josh Brolin, known for his role as Cable in Deadpool 2, candidly addressed his absence from the new Deadpool film. Earlier this year, Brolin revealed that he was not invited to participate in the latest instalment, which is notably not considered a third film in the Deadpool series. This new film, titled Deadpool & Wolverine, features Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who reprises his role as Wolverine despite seemingly retiring the character in 2017’s Logan.

Months before the film’s release, Brolin discovered that although he was not involved in the project, his name appeared in its IMDb credits. When asked by Bingeworthy if this implied his participation in the film, Brolin humorously responded, “Am I? Yes! I so wanted to be in that movie.”

Promoting the now-cancelled Prime Video series Outer Range, Brolin elaborated on his absence, stating, “[Marvel] is a more complex labyrinth than Outer Range will ever be, my friend. And I will never know where that went or what that is or what I’m involved with or what I’m not involved with – the MCU being so involved now.” Reflecting on his experience, he added, “Cable was a lot of fun. I really liked doing that role. That was a lot of fun.”

Brolin, who also portrayed the MCU villain Thanos, noted the unique nature of Deadpool & Wolverine, the first in the franchise to be released under the MCU umbrella. Director Shawn Levy described the film as a “two-hander” between Deadpool and Wolverine, emphasizing that it offers a fresh take distinct from the previous two movies. “It’s a different thing that’s very much Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure,” Levy told Screen Rant at CinemaCon.

The film has emerged as one of Marvel’s biggest hits in recent years, following disappointing performances from The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Deadpool & Wolverine is also set to be Marvel’s only big screen release in 2024, with more traditional releases expected the following year, including Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and a reboot of Fantastic Four. This reboot will reintroduce Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU in a new role.

The new Fantastic Four cast includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach. At Comic-Con last month, Pascal and Kirby’s off-screen chemistry generated significant buzz among fans. The pair will portray the iconic husband-and-wife duo Reed Richards and Sue Storm in the film.