Ryan Reynolds might be the man most famous for playing the Merc with a Mouth, but he's by far the only one. So what do we know about the stunt doubles who brought Deadpool & Wolverine to life? Warning: spoilers follow!
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00:00So, what do we know about the stunt doubles who brought Deadpool and Wolverine to life?
00:04Warnings!
00:05Spoilers follow!
00:06Deadpool is about as nontraditional as superheroes come.
00:10Not only are his antics fairly R-rated, but the character also likes to dance, and often
00:14uses moves that are designed for how cool they look rather than, say, efficiency.
00:19Maximum effort!
00:21Although Reynolds tries to stay in the suit as much as possible, his age means that it
00:25isn't always possible for him to physically portray Wade Wilson in his more animated moments.
00:30Fortunately, the fact that Wade Wilson appears in his costume most of the time means that
00:34it's pretty easy to hide the fact that a stunt double is performing under the mask.
00:39Alex Kichkovich has been Reynolds' stunt performer throughout his tenure as the Merc with a Mouth.
00:43Not only has he been the actor's double for all three Deadpool installments, but he also
00:47previously worked with Reynolds in The Adam Project.
00:50Speaking to Tatler, Reynolds described Kichkovich as a really gifted guy with a four-teen pack.
00:56For Deadpool and Wolverine, Kichkovich worked as a fight coordinator and doubled for Reynolds
01:01in fight sequences.
01:02As a stunt double, Kichkovich has worked extensively in Marvel projects, mostly those involving
01:07the X-Men.
01:08He also doubled for Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and Kurt Russell in both Christmas
01:13Chronicle films.
01:15While most actors in a film will only need a single stunt double, occasionally multiple
01:19stunt performers are required.
01:21That's certainly the case with Deadpool in Deadpool and Wolverine, a character who features
01:25in almost every scene and takes part in the lion's share of the action.
01:28Part of the reason Deadpool needs multiple stunt performers in the film is his distinctive
01:33fighting style, which often showcases his acrobatic prowess.
01:37Some of the stunt double work in Deadpool and Wolverine fell to Rick English, a veteran
01:41of the stunt game who has credits in over 160 projects.
01:46Reynolds was likely already familiar with English due to his work on the Hitman's Wife's
01:49Bodyguard.
01:50The 2021 movie saw him perform a number of stunts and act as a motorcycle stunt double
01:55during an action-packed chase sequence.
01:58English is particularly well-known for his work on comic book movie productions.
02:02He has worked as a stunt double on several DC movies, including The Batman and The Dark
02:06Knight, as well as MCU projects such as Black Widow and Secret Invasion.
02:12As another stunt performer who stood in for Ryan Reynolds on Deadpool and Wolverine, Johnny
02:16James is no stranger to doubling for the Canadian A-lister.
02:19He has done the dirty work for Reynolds in several films, including The Hitman's Wife's
02:23Bodyguard and Red Notice.
02:26James might not have been in the industry quite as long as some of the other stunt performers
02:30in Deadpool and Wolverine, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the necessary skills
02:34to bring Wade Wilson to life.
02:35His first role came in Terminator Genisys, in which he worked as a motion-capture performer.
02:40He later landed parts as a stunt performer in some of Hollywood's biggest franchises.
02:45For example, if you're a Star Wars fan, then you've likely seen James in action without
02:49knowing it.
02:50He did stunt work for Solo, A Star Wars Story, and Andor.
02:53In terms of superhero films, one of his earliest credits was Justice League.
02:57He went on to land gigs on Spider-Man Far From Home and, more recently, Secret Invasion.
03:02It's Wolverine.
03:03You're damn straight it is.
03:04Disney brought him back.
03:05They're gonna make him do this till he's 90.
03:07Although Wolverine is among the most famous Marvel superheroes, Deadpool and Wolverine
03:12marks the first time the actor has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
03:16The filmmakers knew they had to deliver on the action, with Wolverine going up against
03:19Deadpool and Sabretooth in fights that fans have wanted to see on screen for a long time.
03:25Wolverine has something of a unique fighting style, an expert martial artist who's as tough
03:29as nails.
03:30The mutant is also a savage fighter who is capable of bouts of pure rage.
03:34Of course, you also have to consider his retractable adamantium claws, which leads
03:38to lots of up-close-and-personal scraps.
03:41And while Hugh Jackman has given pretty much everything he has to this role over the years,
03:45even he can't do everything.
03:47Instead, stunt double Daniel Stevens took up some of the slack.
03:50An industry veteran, Stevens got his start as a stunt double on the Australian soap opera
03:55Home and Away.
03:56He has plenty of experience doubling for Jackman as Wolverine, taking on the job in a number
04:01of installments in the X-Men franchise.
04:03He's also no stranger to the MCU, having previously worked on Iron Man and Avengers Endgame.
04:09The last time we saw Wesley Snipes portray Blade was in 2004's Blade Trinity, which reportedly
04:14went through a very weird and troubled production.
04:17For example, Snipes is said to have engaged in an on-set feud with director David S. Goyer
04:22that led to him only communicating through sticky notes.
04:24"...he would only answer to the name Blade.
04:27You couldn't call him…"
04:28"...he would only answer to Blade?"
04:30"...to Blade, yeah."
04:31The person who will have seen all this go down firsthand is Ryan Reynolds, who co-starred
04:35in the movie as Hannibal King.
04:36The production issues associated with Snipes led many to believe that we'd never see him
04:41as the Daywalker again, which is why it was a surprise to see him reprise his most famous
04:46role in Deadpool and Wolverine.
04:48In the film, Blade helps the titular protagonist fight Cassandra Nova and her forces in the
04:52Void.
04:53Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Snipes revealed that he had thought it would be impossible
04:57to return as the character, but was eventually convinced by Ryan Reynolds.
05:01He explained,
05:02"...I didn't think that Marvel was into it.
05:05Disney was into it.
05:06I thought it didn't make sense to me, but you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the
05:09blue after 20 years, you go, OK, I gotta take this call.
05:13Let's see what this is about."
05:14Being in his 60s, Snipes was unable to perform the same kind of stunts that he did more than
05:19two decades ago.
05:20Instead, Kali Nell doubled as Blade in the film.
05:23Previously, Nell had worked on superhero projects such as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and
05:28The Batman.
05:30Long before Deadpool and Wolverine hit theaters, Channing Tatum was set to portray Gambit in
05:34his own comic book movie.
05:36"...Like, I was a fan of Gambit since I was a kid, so there's a lot of things that I've
05:39been looking forward to getting to do for a very, very long time."
05:43Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox threw a wrench into the works for a movie already
05:47stuck in development hell, and it looked as if Tatum's chance of playing his favorite
05:51superhero was dead and gone.
05:54Fortunately, the third installment in the Deadpool series provided the perfect opportunity
05:58for Gambit to appear, and Tatum jumped at the chance to finally play the Marvel character.
06:02At first glance, Gambit might appear little more than a glorified magician, but the mutant
06:07is both a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and is capable of manipulating kinetic energy.
06:12Gambit plays a pivotal role in helping Deadpool and Wolverine escape the Void, fighting against
06:17Cassandra Nova with the help of the Resistance members known as the Others.
06:21Stunt double Joel Adrian substitutes for Tatum during this set piece.
06:25This isn't the first time that the stunt performer has appeared in a superhero project.
06:29He has previously worked on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Batman, as well as blockbuster
06:34hits from The King's Man to Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny.
06:39Like other multiverse-adjacent MCU films, Deadpool and Wolverine features a lot of variants
06:43of the key characters.
06:45One of the most memorable in this movie is Lady Paul, a female version of the Merc with
06:49a Mouth who has long blonde hair flowing out of the top of her mask.
06:53Ryan Reynolds' wife and fellow actor Blake Lively provides the voice of Lady Paul, but
06:57the character was physically embodied by Christiane Bettridge.
07:00Lady Deadpool's stunt double has been involved in a wide variety of projects since making
07:05her stunt performer debut on the sci-fi series Hunters.
07:08Bettridge is best known as Gal Gadot's stunt double, having appeared in Wonder Woman, Justice
07:13League, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Last Jedi.
07:15And Red Notice, a former dancer and athlete, Bettridge is due to launch her own on-demand
07:19fitness training program.
07:22Deadpool and Wolverine is jam-packed with hidden cameos and references.
07:25This is most obvious during the dramatic fight with the Deadpool Corps, in which dozens of
07:29Deadpool variants attempt to stop the original Deadpool and Wolverine from reaching Cassandra
07:34Nova.
07:35The fact that the vast majority of these characters are masked means that the filmmakers were able
07:39to hide many actors in plain sight, as was the case with Cowboy Paul, a Western-inspired
07:44version of the Merc with a Mouth.
07:46Cowboy Paul comes equipped with a cowboy hat, revolvers, spurs, and an Old West accent.
07:51Matthew McConaughey provided the voice for the character, marking the Oscar-winner's
07:55debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
07:58The person inside the suit, however, is stunt double Tom Cotton, which makes sense given
08:02McConaughey isn't exactly known for his action roles.
08:05Cotton has credits for stunt work in more than 40 television and film projects.
08:09His most recent role before Deadpool and Wolverine was in Indiana Jones and the Dial
08:13of Destiny, while he also worked on both Avatar, The Way of Water, and The Batman.
08:18Cotton has also collaborated with Ryan Reynolds in the past, working on the Hitman's Wife's
08:22bodyguard.
08:24Chris Evans' appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine makes for quite the shock, with the movie
08:27initially teasing that he has once again taken up the mantle of Captain America.
08:31Heck, even Deadpool himself believes this is the case.
08:34Soon enough, however, it turns out that Evans is reprising a very different Marvel role
08:39from earlier in his career, Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch, from the original
08:43Fantastic Four movies.
08:45"...Flamer!"
08:47Johnny Storm helps Deadpool and Wolverine when they first land in the Void, and eventually
08:51meets a grisly end before he can get too involved in the action, but he does take part in one
08:56brief fight.
08:57Stunt performer James Cox doubles for Evans in Deadpool and Wolverine.
09:00This wasn't his first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
09:03In fact, Cox is something of a regular in recent movies in the franchise, having appeared
09:08in movies from the Marvels to Eternals to Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
09:13Jennifer Garner first portrayed the assassin Elektra in 2003's Daredevil, and later reprised
09:19her role for Elektra in 2005.
09:21As the years went by, it seemed as though Garner's solo spinoff would be her last outing
09:25as the character.
09:26That wasn't the case, though, as Elektra shows up in Deadpool and Wolverine as one of the
09:31Others.
09:32She later joins the two protagonists in their assault against Nova's forces, meaning she's
09:36involved in plenty of fighting action.
09:38Having last played Elektra almost two decades ago, expecting Garner to perform all of her
09:42own stunts in Deadpool and Wolverine would've been a tad unrealistic.
09:47That's where Shauna Duggins came in.
09:48Duggins is an experienced stunt performer who has appeared in more than 150 films and
09:53television shows.
09:55Duggins previously made history for her work on the Netflix comedy-drama series Glow, becoming
09:59the first woman to win a Creative Arts Emmy Award in the comedy category for stunt coordination.
10:05She told The Hollywood Reporter that she was honored to be the first woman to scoop
10:08the award in this category, adding,
10:10"...I think this show in general breaks the mold, and I'm so honored to be a part of it."
10:15One of the highlights of 2017's Logan is the character Laura, also known by her codename
10:20X-23.
10:21Cloned from Wolverine's DNA, she shares his bone claws and many of his other abilities,
10:26such as advanced healing.
10:28Laura is once again portrayed by Daphne Keene in Deadpool and Wolverine.
10:31In the third Deadpool film, Laura is part of the others alongside Elektra, Gambit, and
10:36Blade.
10:37Managing to convince Wolverine to take part in the attack on Cassandra Nova's compound,
10:41she plays a vital role in defeating the villain's forces and allowing Deadpool and Wolverine
10:46to escape the Void.
10:47For her action sequences in the movie, Laura is portrayed by Nadia Hansel.
10:51The British stunt performer is an expert in a number of martial arts and has appeared
10:55in dozens of movies and television shows, including MCU movies such as Spider-Man Far
11:01From Home, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Quantumania, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.