Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary
Deadpool & Wolverineis one of the most exciting movies inMarvel Cinematic Universehistory, but the project’s choice to use Tyler Mane’s Sabretooth has been the source of confusion. As promised by Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and the rest of the team behind the movie,Deadpool & Wolverine’s castfeatured several surprise appearances. The size of the cameos varied depending on the character, with both past villains and heroes getting their chance to shine in theMCU’s only movie in 2024.
Wolverine’s nemesis in Marvel Comics and other forms of media is Sabretooth. With Jackman coming back forDeadpool & Wolverineand the movie possibly being the final superhero entry for the star, Sabretooth needed to be present. Marvel knew this, bringing back Tyler Mane as Victor Creed and having him fight Jackman’s Wolverine. However, despite having appeared in the ill-receivedX-Men Origins: Wolverine,Liev Schreiber’s version of Sabretooth is the most popular one, which generated confusion overDeadpool & Wolverine’s plotfitting in Mane as the villain instead of Schreiber.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Budget & Box Office Explained: How Much It Needs To Make
Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t come cheap, so the latest MCU movie needs to make a significant impact at the box office to be considered successful.
Tyler Mane Played Sabretooth In The First X-Men Movie
Mane was the first actor to give life to Sabretooth in live-action. Before returning inDeadpool & Wolverine, the actor made his only appearance as Victor Creed in 2000’sX-Men, the first movie for the mutant team. Mane’s Sabretooth was part of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, serving Ian McKellen’s X-Men villain in different missions throughout the movie. Sabretooth first fought Jackman’s Wolverine when Magneto sent him to kidnap Rogue. As Wolverine was traveling with her, the two quickly got into a fight. At the end of the movie, Cyclops knocks out Sabretooth with a powerful optic blast.
Despite not being the most popular version of Sabretooth in live-action, it made sense that Mane was the one to play the character inDeadpool & Wolverine. The reason for that isthe MCU movie chose to bring back several actors and characters from the original Fox X-Men movie timeline, likely since those were the characters who interacted with Jackman’s Wolverine early on. As Schreiber’s Victor Creed came from the spin-off filmX-Men Origins: Wolverine, he would have felt out of place among the original Fox X-Men returning stars.
Why X-Men Movies Recast Wolverine’s Nemesis Sabretooth
The X-Men movies feature different versions of characters across timelines, but Wolverine’s nemesis Sabretooth was recast in the same continuity.
Why Liev Schreiber Didn’t Return As Sabretooth
A Previous Comment Could Explain It
A reason why Schreiber’s Sabretooth was not used inDeadpool & Wolverinehas yet to be revealed. In 2023, Schreiber toldGQthat he was not asked to reprise his role inLogan,saying he “would have loved to bring Victor back, anytime anywhere.“Based on him being open to returning as Sabretooth, it seems like Marvel might not have called the actor to reprise his role, just like inLogan. The reason for that could be the desire to focus on actors from the original X-Men movies or Schreiber’s pay hittingDeadpool & Wolverine’s budget harder than Mane’s.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
