Why is the return of Sabretooth in ‘Deadpool 3’ so important?

Deadpool & Wolverine promises to be an embarrassment of riches in the cameo department. The third installment of the Deadpool franchise brings back many of the MCU’s favorite characters. 

So close to the film’s premiere, a new teaser reveals that one of Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) oldest rivals has returned to play. Sabretooth, born Victor Creed, first appeared in live-action in the 2000 X-Men film, which cast many iconic characters for the first time. The new teaser features an epic portent of a showdown, though subverted in classic Deadpool fashion: as Wolverine goes to face down his foe, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) calls for a time-out.

“You look ridiculous!” Deadpool stage whispers as he pulls multiple blades that are still stuck in Wolverine’s body. “People have waited decades for this fight. It’s not gonna be easy.”

Wade echoes what we’re all feeling. We’re huge fans, and can’t wait for this encounter. Though he had about 2 lines of dialogue in the original film, Sabretooth represented a long-running rivalry from the comics. Tyler Mane is reprising his role in Deadpool 3 after more than two decades since his first appearance. This is bad news for Liev Schreiber, who took on the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But bringing back Mane is a move based on nostalgia, for fans who may or may not know Sabretooth’s compelling backstory.

Who is Sabretooth?

As with many comic stories, Sabretooth’s origins have many moving parts. His rivalry with Wolverine could stem from many places, but the most prominent reason for the dislike was Sabretooth’s involvement in the murder of Silver Fox. After killing Wolverine’s lover, the two set down a path of violence for a long time. They later team up for the Weapon X program, which results in similar catastrophic events.  Initially, comic writer Chris Claremont had toyed with the idea that Sabretooth was Wolverine’s father. This plot point would explain why Sabretooth is a constant antagonistic force in Logan’s life, trying to get him to become more animalistic.

This idea was later abandoned, and in the comics, Sabretooth and Wolverine are not related. This differs in movie canon, where Sabretooth was upgraded to Wolverine’s half-brother. X-Men Origins: Wolverine generally sticks to the mutant’s original backstory. Logan was born James Howlett to Elizabeth and John Howlett. One night, when he was a child, he witnesses the truth of his parentage. Though raised as John’s son, he is actually the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Logan kills Howlett one night in a fit of rage, and upon seeing this, young Wolverine’s latent mutant abilities surface. Also present was Victor, who in the film, is Thomas Logan’s son. In the comics, Logan did have another son, but he was not Sabretooth.

It is unclear what version Deadpool & Wolverine will be going with. Since Mane is playing Sabretooth, it may be safe to assume that the original intention of the character will remain intact. But no matter what timeline the film will be going with, the most important thing is seeing two characters with a long history clash claws once more.