Rumors of the MCU’s demise were greatly exaggerated as Deadpool & Wolverine came into the picture and shattered all sorts of records. It supplanted 2019’s Joker as the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and a big part of that might be the sheer number of cameos the film was able to pull off. On top of familiar names like Chris Evans, Channing Tatum, and Wesley Snipes showing their faces, we got to see Hugh Jackman play many different versions of Wolverine.

Wolverine variants play a big role in the movie’s plot, and we get introduced to quite a few of them as Deadpool is looking for the right one to help him. As a result, many of them were left on the cutting room floor (through no fault of their own). One such variant is a Weapon X design, something audiences were last treated to in the divisive X-Men Apocalypse. Concept artist Phil Saunders gave us a look at what Jackman would’ve looked like if he donned the look again on Instagram.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know the design never actually appeared. With a runtime of over two hours, it makes sense that not every design could make an appearance, but this is certainly one of the cooler variants to be left out of the film. Perhaps part of the reason is that it was seen before in the X-Men franchise, so the creators wanted to take time to spotlight other designs like the hilarious comic-accurate Wolverine.

Concept Art Reveals Deadpool & Wolverine Almost Had Even More Cameos

Deadpool & Wolverine was packed with cameos and variants as it is, but there were almost even more. Through concept art like the Weapon X variant, we have a good idea of what the film could’ve looked like if everything managed to get some screen time. For example, we were very close to getting a female variant of Juggernaut based on the character’s design from X-Men: The Last Stand.

Another shocking design is a Wolverine variant that was actually merged with Deadpool. The end result is a Deadpool with Wolverine claws and the iconic Wolverine mask. These would’ve been short cameos, but there’s no doubt crowds would’ve gone wild seeing some of these designs make appearances no matter how small.

The biggest reactions came from seeing reused characters from previous Marvel franchises like Elektra and Blade show up again. A surprise to many was Channing Tatum finally getting to play the role of Gambit, a film he often lobbied for but never came to fruition.

The biggest surprise might’ve been former Superman actor Henry Cavill showing up for an extended scene as a Wolverine variant. Deadpool explains how the team at Marvel would treat him better, likely about how he was recast as Superman as part of the universe’s reboot led by James Gunn. Fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about seeing Cavill again in the universe as Jackman will continue to portray the character until he’s 90, at least that’s if Deadpool gets his way.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing exclusively in theaters.