Why Deadpool 2 Cut A Huge Fight Between Juggernaut And A Fantastic Four Member
Among the biggest surprises in "Deadpool 2" is the involvement of Juggernaut, one of the many underused "X-Men" characters found throughout Fox's tenure with the franchise, appearing only in "X-Men: The Last Stand." However, even more surprisingly, in Tim Miller's version of "Deadpool 2," Juggernaut would've come face-to-face with the Fantastic Four's the Thing.
While recording an interview for the podcast "The Fourth Wall," the director detailed how he fought for Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) to have a more in-depth story, among other things. He also got the studio's green light to include the Thing in the sequel's climactic battle with Juggernaut. However, when Miller exited "Deadpool 2" because of creative differences, so did the idea of a showdown between these two characters. But while the Thing doesn't appear in the final cut, "Deadpool 2" still uses a version of Miller's idea, putting Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) in the final battle instead.
Fox tried to make a Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover long ago
While a showdown between Juggernaut and the Thing in "Deadpool 2" would've been incredible to see, it wouldn't have been Fox's first attempt at a Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover. Paul Greengrass, who was once in the running to direct a "Watchmen" movie, confirmed on the podcast "Happy Sad Confused" in 2020 that Fox had talked to him about bringing the two superhero teams together, and while he had considered it, he was never attached to any such project.
However, things get more interesting when you consider "X-Men: First Class" writer Zack Stentz's 2019 appearance on the podcast "Fatman Beyond," in which he talks about a secret movie he wrote for Fox in 2011 that used all the Marvel characters the studio owned at the time. "It used the X-Men, it used the Fantastic Four, it used Daredevil, it used Deadpool," he revealed. "It was a really cool freaking script, and we almost had Paul Greengrass directing it, which would've been really cool." He couldn't reveal the title or plot details, but his comments back up Greengrass's that Fox approached him to lead the project. Although the movie never happened, Stentz is proud of the script, believing that it would've been something special.
With the rights for all of those characters now safely under the Marvel Studios banner after Disney's lucrative purchase of 20th Century Fox, it's very likely that fans will finally get to see the Fantastic Four and the X-Men together on-screen. Both superhero groups are slowly making their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with three original X-Men rumored to return with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in "Deadpool 3." Why not throw some "Fantastic Four" characters in there too?