One of the biggest delights of Deadpool 2 for comic book fans is how it’s weirdly more accurate to its source material than a lot of other X-Men universe movies, as it throws in a ton of out-there concepts that would likely go over the heads of general audience members but will mean a lot to Marvel diehards.
One of the most notable involves Juggernaut. The fact that the unstoppable villain appears in the sequel at all was a pleasant surprise – well, assuming you’d missed all those bits and pieces of evidence that suggested he was going to show up. It’s not a perfect rendition of the character, sure, but even with limited screen time, Deadpool 2 manages to deliver a much more faithful version of the villain than the one Vinnie Jones played back in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
For one, the sequel unexpectedly reveals that an aspect of the character from the comics is now canon in the movie universe as well. When Juggernaut accompanies Russell to siege the Essex Home for Mutant Rehabilitation, the scene begins with them in mid-conversation about why the mutant wears his distinctive helmet. It’s explained that he has it to stop his brother from reading his mind. Juggernaut then goes on to mention that his brother’s also in a wheelchair.
Though the film doesn’t go so far as to say his name out loud, the exchange does enough to confirm that Professor X is indeed Juggernaut’s sibling. This fits with their familial relationship in the comics, as Charles Xavier and Cain Marko became step-brothers when their parents get married. One brainy and the other brawny, the pair never got on, which led to them becoming enemies as adults.
While it’s not terribly significant to the film itself, this is still another fun little reference hidden in Deadpool 2, though we’ve got no idea how it makes sense with wider X-Men continuity. After all, Charles and his adoptive sister Raven have never mentioned having a brother before. Still, we probably shouldn’t think too much about it. As Deadpool himself said in his first movie: “these timelines are so confusing.”
