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Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine is a fantastic comic book superhero extravaganza. For longtime Marvel fans and comic book readers, the film is a cornucopia of delights with its amazing style and repeatedly pays homage to its titular Marvel characters. The film finally features Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on the big screen wearing a costume faithful to his comic book roots. Not to mention, Wolverine teaming up with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) for the first time paid off in dividends. One of the best sequences in the movie features Deadpool traveling the Multiverse, visiting a variety of alternate Wolverine variants, since Deadpool needs a replacement to save his universe. The montage features Jackman showcasing many of Wolverine’s iconic looks throughout his illustrious 50-year history, as well as references to some classic Marvel storylines. However, one variant of Wolverine was conceptualized for the film but did not make the final cut.
During a recent post on his Instagram (shown below), feature film concept artist Phil Saunders revealed some artwork he created for a Wolverine variant meant to be depicted in Deadpool & Wolverine. He created the concept art at the direction of Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development, Andy Park. The artwork features Wolverine decked out in his iconic “Weapon X” look from the comics, as first drawn by the legendary artist Barry Windsor-Smith, including the classic Weapon X helmet, wires, and technology. This equipment is meant to monitor Wolverine’s vital stats but also condition and brainwash him under the overseers of the Weapon X program.
The “Weapon X” storyline debuted in Marvel Comics Presents #72, revealing how Wolverine gained his adamantium-bonded skeleton and claws. Scientists of the Weapon X program kidnap and experiment on Wolverine, aka Logan. His skeleton is bonded with adamantium, and he is brainwashed and conditioned to become a living weapon and tool for killing. Eventually, Wolverine fights back against his captors and escapes into the wilderness, where he lived for several years. This huge, groundbreaking storyline offered crucial insight into Wolverine’s backstory. Windsor-Smith also became the first artist to design and draw the famous Weapon X attire for Wolverine, which typically depicts Wolverine covered with nothing except for his skivvies (if not outright nude), covered in various wires and tech designed to control and transform him into the perfect weapon and killing machine.
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The storyline influenced Saunders as an artist in a big way. As he wrote on Instagram, “This iconic image of Weapon X is likely my most indelible memory of Wolverine from that period,” adding, “I knew I had to translate this image to live action.” Saunders’s artwork looks like a more faithful rendition of Windsor-Smith’s Weapon X design than the attire that appeared onscreen in a previous live-action X-Men movie.
Hugh Jackman Sports the Weapon X Look in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’
Interestingly, Jackman appeared in Weapon X attire in the 2016 movie, X-Men: Apocalypse. For his cameo scene, the captured X-Men encounter “Weapon X” at Colonel William Stryker’s (Josh Helman) military compound. However, Wolverine is wearing a less elaborate headset compared to the iconic helmet featured in the original Marvel Comics storyline. Saunders’ concept art seems like an attempt to more faithfully adapt the classic Windsor-Smith design, but it was not meant to be, as the Weapon X variant did not get translated into the epic montage sequence.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Features Plenty of Variants
Saunders’ concept art of Weapon X looks exceptional, but it would have been a bit redundant to portray Jackman as Weapon X again. Not to mention, the Wolverine variant montage sequence features Easter eggs and references to multiple classic costumes and storylines for Wolverine, including Old Man Logan, Wolverine as his Patch alter-ego, Henry Cavill‘s Wolverine, and Wolverine’s harrowing crucifixion from the cover of The Uncanny X-Men #251. It would have been cool to see an extra variant of Weapon X, but fans were treated to some awesome alternate iterations of the character in the film. Nevertheless, Saunders’ artwork looks fantastic, like it was ripped straight from the comics, and it’s fun to imagine what could’ve been.
Deadpool & Wolverine is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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