It’s going on seven days since Ryan Reynolds and the powers at 20th Century Fox announced Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut and now, thanks to NY Post, we have official confirmation that Omega Red was included in Deadpool 2‘s theatrical cut, after all.
He’s a character typically associated with Wolverine, but for David Leitch’s sequel, it’s been confirmed that Omega Red was among those crooks and villains locked up in the Ice Box.
How do we know, exactly? The aforementioned Super Duper Cut of Deadpool 2 alludes to a bonus scene featuring Wade Wilson playing chess with big Red, and while it was initially rumored that Ryan Reynolds was draped in makeup and heavy prosthetics for the cameo scene, NY Post recently revealed that Jets offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley was the one under the mask.
See for yourself:
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Shepley originally signed up to be an extra for Deadpool 2, only to land a pretty significant cameo under the watchful eyes of Reynolds and Leitch. He certainly looks the part, too, after makeup artist Bill Corso (h/t Omega Underground) shared a close-up of Omega Red in full costume.
Alas, Dakoda Shepley was initially booked for 21 days of shooting on Deadpool 2, only to have his role downsized after production clashed with the Jets training program. So had things panned out differently, the X-Men villain known as Omega Red could’ve enjoyed an even bigger role opposite Wade Wilson and Co.
Fox’s Super Duper Cut of Deadpool 2 will be available via Blu-Ray on August 21st – just one week after the arrival of Avengers: Infinity War‘s own Blu-ray release (pre-order here).
