Deadpool 2’s Bleak Opening Was Almost Slightly Different

It’s fair to say that Deadpool 2 began on a fairly bleak note.

Rather than focusing on Wade Wilson and Vanessa’s blossoming relationship – after all, the lovestruck couple managed to cheat death by the skin of their teeth two years ago – the David Leitch-directed sequel kicks things off with an overhead shot of the Merc casually lying on top of numerous barrels filled with gasoline. Oh, and he’s smoking a cigarette, too, leading to a rather spectacular (and strangely hilarious) failed suicide attempt.

Because just like Wolverine, sometimes Wade Wilson’s greatest strength (read: superhuman healing abilities) is also his downfall, but early on in the creative process, it’s been revealed on the film’s commentary track that Leitch and Ryan Reynolds considered having the Merc smoking a joint before blowing his humble apartment to kingdom come.

“There was a debate. Should it be a joint or a cigarette? And we decided cigarette,” director David Leitch confirmed.

Reynolds added: “A cigarette, I think is far more like, ‘I hate myself. I want to die.’ A joint is, like, ‘We’re celebrating. Logan’s finally dead.’ People would have totally misinterpreted the scene.”

This commentary track, which also features the voices of Deadpool 2 co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, is bundled in with the pic’s so-called Super Duper Cut. It’s teeming with jokes and witty humor, too – more so than the movie itself, after David Leitch revealed to Fandango earlier in the year that Deadpool 2‘s premium edition spotlights those moments of improvisation which, for one reason or another, didn’t make it into the final cut.

It’s funny, there’s so many. There’s so many that are on the cutting room floor, because you do all this improvisation, and you might have three or four versions of one of these moments.

All of this will be included as part of Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut, before the regular old Blu-ray hits brick-and-mortar stores in two weeks’ time.