Warning: contains spoilers for Deadpool 2.
While a lot of superhero films seem to be dialling down the Easter eggs and references to characters and events outside of their own continuity, the fourth-wall-breaking Deadpool 2 has no shortage of cheeky nods to classic movies and comic books.
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If you blinked at all, you probably missed a load. Here's every Easter egg the Digital Spy team noticed.
1. 00-credits
The opening sequence is a clear reference to James Bond, with trippy effects and sexy poses courtesy of Deadpool. It also references the director David Leitch as "One of the Guys Who Killed John Wick's Dog" – which is technically true as he was the co-director of that movie.
The theme, incidentally, is an original song performed by Celine Dion. She hasn't ever recorded a Bond theme, but she probably should have by now, right?
And that backlit chair-splash pose is from Flashdance, of course.
2. Professor X's stuff
The chances of James McAvoy showing up in this movie were slim, but he's definitely here in spirit. Wade wheels around the X-Mansion after surviving a massive, massive injury.
He also tries out Cerebro – although Colossus isn't sure that he knows how it's supposed to work.
3. The X-Men cameo
What were we saying about McAvoy? Deadpool 2 continues the joke from the first movie about the mansion being suspiciously empty – but we also get a quick shot of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Quicksilver (Evan Peters) and their teammates, before Beast (Nicholas Hoult) quietly shuts the door on them.
4. Surge
Negasonic Teenage Warhead's pink-haired, electricity-powered girlfriend (played by Shioli Kutsuna) has to be a nod to the young X-Men member Surge. That character's real name is Noriko Ashida rather than Yukio, and her hair is (dyed) blue rather than pink, but they are still very similar.
In the comics, Yukio is the name of a ninja with connections to Wolverine. To further confuse things, she has also appeared on film, played by Rila Fukushima in The Wolverine.
5. Essex House for Mutant Rehabilitation
The 'Essex' in the name of Deadpool 2's sinister orphanage is a nod to Nathaniel Essex – better known as the mad scientist X-Men villain Mister Sinister. Nor is this the first reference to him – X-Men: Apocalypse's post-credits scene saw some sinister men in black types shutting up a sample of Wolverine's blood in a briefcase labelled 'Essex Corp'.
6. Firefist
New Zealand actor Julian Dennison plays Russell Collins – although he prefers 'Firefist'. He shares both names with the comic book character Russell 'Rusty' Collins – a former member of X-Men offshoot team X-Factor-turned-mutant terrorist. They both have fire powers, but the similarities pretty much end there.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack
The high-security prison for mutants DP finds himself in looks a lot like Kyln from Guardians of the Galaxy, with matching yellow uniforms. Then later in a scene which features a cameo from Alan Tudyk, they're playing the Piña Colada song (ie Rupert Holmes' 'Escape') from Guardians Awesome Mix Tape Volume One.
8. Rob Liefeld
Deadpool says that Domino looks like the creation of "a guy who can't draw feet". Comics fans will recognise this instantly as a reference to Domino and Deadpool's creator, Rob Liefeld, who has a famously… bombastic drawing style that doesn't let anatomy get in the way of having a good time.
Liefeld has been directly involved in the development of the movie, so we hope he isn't too offended.
9. The MCU
Deadpool 2 is packed with references to the MCU. DP calls Cable 'Thanos' (Josh Brolin plays both parts), when he's incapacitated and unable to use his powers he says he's 'basically Hawkeye without the bow and arrow', he also calls Domino 'black Black Widow' and Dopinder 'Brown Panther'.
10. The Vanisher
Yes that is Brad Pitt who is revealed to be The Vanisher. Pitt was originally attached to play Cable but scheduling conflicts meant he had to drop out. But director David Leitch maintained a strong relationship with Pitt so between them they found time for him to come back in this fun cameo.
In the comics, Vanisher is a villainous mutant whose powers are teleportation rather than invisibility – another case of Deadpool playing fast and loose with some lesser-known X-characters.
11. Cable's height
"Don't worry, he's 5ft 11in, not like in the comics," Deadpool says, referring to Cable. In the comics, he's 6ft 8in according to Marvel's official site.
12. One-eyed willy
DP calls Cable (who has one bionic eye) 'One-Eyed Willy'. That's a reference to The Goonies, which Josh Brolin starred in when he was younger. One-Eyed Willy is the legendary pirate whose treasure the Goonies are searching for.
13. Say Anything…
When Deadpool tries to make amends with Colossus at the X-Mansion he does so holding up a teeny tiny boombox, which is playing 'In Your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel. This is a nod to the scene in '80s romantic classic Say Anything… John Cusack's character plays it to his estranged girlfriend (Ione Skye) – it's the song that was playing when they first had sex.
14. Juggernaut's brother
This is the second time Juggernaut has appeared in the X-Men movies – he popped up in X-Men: The Last Stand, played by Vinnie Jones (uttering the classic line) "Don't you know who I am? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!"
Juggernaut says he wears his helmet because his 'brother' kept trying to get into his brain. He's referring to Professor X. In the comics, Juggernaut (aka Caine Marko) is the son of abusive scientist Doctor Kurt Marko. Caine's mum died when he was young and after Charles Xavier's Dad Brian passes away, Kurt and Charles' mum Sharon get together. They're stepbrothers.
15. Colossus, loverboy
Deadpool can't seem to help flirting with the X-Men's most serious member throughout the movie, to the point that Vanessa's spirit says to Wade, "Don't f**k Colossus."
The version of Colossus in the alternate 'Ultimate Marvel' comic book continuity happens to be gay. Will he get together with Wade in X-Force? Do the right thing, Fox.
16. A cure for blindness
In the first Deadpool, Wade kids with Blind Al, saying, "Listen Al, if I never see you again, I want you to know that I love you very much. I also buried 1,600 kilos of cocaine somewhere in the apartment – right next to the cure for blindness. Good luck."
In Deadpool 2, Wade sneaks into Al's apartment, pulls up the floorboards under her rug and retrieves a massive pack of cocaine (labelled "Deadpool's cocaine"). Behind it you can glimpse another package with the words "cure for blindness" written on it.
17. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Stupid
It looks like Wade is always making up bad excuses for being late for Vanessa. One of his excuses is that he was fighting a "caped badass". Fortunately, "his mum was named Martha too".
Now where have we encountered that plot point before?
18. The short-lived X-Force
Deadpool's first X-Force team doesn't last five minutes, which is possibly a nod to the brand-new version of the team introduced in the comic X-Force #116. That issue surprised fans by ending with nearly all the new characters being killed.
One of the members of that short-lived team was the acid-vomiting Zeitgeist, played in Deadpool 2 (briefly) by IT star Bill Skarsgård.
19. Hope
Towards the end of the movie, Cable reveals that his no-longer-murdered daughter is named Hope.
Hope is the name of his adopted daughter in the comics, too – Hope Summers, to be precise. She is the so-called 'Mutant Messiah' – the first of the superpowered beings to be born after Scarlett Witch erased most of the mutant population on 'M-Day'. The sometime X-Man Bishop decided the child had to die, prompting Cable to hide her throughout time. She returned to the present day as a young adult, and bears a striking resemblance to Jean Grey.
Deadpool 2 is out now in the UK and will be released on May 18 in the US. Book tickets here.
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