‘Deadpool 2’ Changed the Trailer Game With Cable Reveal

The world just met Cable, and it’s fair to say everyone now wants to be a subscriber.

The new look at Deadpool 2 shows off Josh Brolin as the mutant frenemy to Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool — and in addition to looking intense, the footage also manages to take a dig at DC’s Justice League and pack in enough Easter eggs to make Marvel Studios envious. It’s time for the team at Heat Vision to take a closer look.

Ryan Parker: I am so hyped for this film that I forget it is a sequel, which I think is the highest compliment I can pay. The look of this trailer — especially Brolin’s Cable — was so intense, it took me a few moments to process it. One moment it is dark and F’ed up, and the next, the NSFW Wade Wilson we all love. 

Graeme McMillan: I loved the gag about the metal arm not being finished, and how it immediately undercut the none-more-brooding Cable monologue that was going on just before. I didn’t even notice that Brolin’s arm was a regular arm in a sock until it was pointed out, but it was a great way of reminding the viewer, yes, this is a Deadpool movie after all. 

Patrick Shanley: The trailer gives nothing away in terms of story. We just get a peek back into the zany world of Wade Wilson and quick snippets of his new buddies. I mean, they didn’t even advertise that Terry Crews is in this! He’s just flashed onscreen like it’s not a huge deal that Terry Crews (!) is a part of the Deadpool universe. This whole thing is like if Old Spice decided to make a movie based on their commercials.

Aaron Couch: I’ve been curious how the digs at other studios and superhero properties might change from the original (in which Deadpool was the underdog) to the second installment (in which he’s a household name whose movie grossed more than any other X-Men film). Will it seem weird if they are “punching down” to make fun of less successful franchises? But the Justice League gag, making fun of Henry Cavill’s much-obsessed-over CGI’d mustache, worked really well. It’s not mocking Justice League for getting bad reviews or underperforming at the box office (which wouldn’t be funny). It’s mocking Justice League for one of the silliest aspects of production (which is very funny).

Parker: Reynolds and company have completely changed the trailer game. The formula of just showing some of the actual movie, but with a tiny story thrown in (like last teaser’s Bob Ross thing) is such an incredible marketing idea for making sure fans are 100 percent pumped and sharing the trailers/photos on social media. 

McMillan: I feel like the best thing about the original Deadpool movie was the marketing — which isn’t meant as an insult to the movie at all, it’s just that the marketing was so distinctive. If anything, I feel like they’re pushing it even further for the second one. I wonder if we’re going to see any “traditional” trailer for this movie at all. Is it possible to get all the way to the movie without knowing anything about the plot beyond that Cable’s in it? 

Shanley: If there’s one thing that Deadpool does better than anyone else, it’s marketing. The Flashdance poster, the Bob Ross teaser, the Toy Story nods that subtly hint at Disney’s purchase of Fox (also, did everyone catch Wade’s name on the shoes of his toys?) and let’s not forget my personal favorite tidbit, the Deadpool Twitter page which only follows one other account: Hello Kitty.

Parker: The Easter eggs are the icing on the cake. I personally loved the Wade sporting the same shirt Chunk wears in Goonies and the Toy Story dolls homage. I think it’s clear the movie will need to be seen multiple times to catch all the little nods. 

Couch: And Ryan Reynolds even gave you props for calling out that Goonies nod (color me jealous, Parker).

Shanley: Can we talk a bit about Brolin and just how big the month of May will be for him? This guy is going to be Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and then, two weeks later, he’s Cable. I hope he bought his agent some chimichangas. I’m sure Deadpool 2 will address this, and we even got a (very) subtle hint in this trailer with Wade’s “stones” line. Clearly a Thanos reference, right? Right?!

McMillan: It’s almost certainly impossible, but I’d love it if Brolin outright either shows up as Thanos, or at least performs Thanos dialogue in Deadpool, before realizing what movie he’s actually in …

Couch: The film’s secret weapon has to be director David Leitch. His previous film Atomic Blonde was one of the best-looking films of last year and had action that rivaled his other franchise, John Wick. To be honest, I didn’t exactly understand Atomic Blonde‘s twists and turns, but it was a fun ride, and even just from the colors, you can see its influence on Deadpool 2. It can be really hard for a film as beloved as Deadpool to lose its well-liked director for the sequel (I’m already seeing people fret over the idea of someone other than Ryan Coogler directing a Black Panther movie someday), but in this case, the director switch from Tim Miller appears to have worked out fine. 

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Deadpool 2 opens May 18.