Deadpool 2: How The Vanisher Cameo Happened

The following contains major Deadpool 2 spoilers. We have a spoiler free review here if you prefer.

Among the many surprises of Deadpool 2, there is one amazing cameo that happens so fast you might have to see the movie twice to catch it.

During the sequence in which Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Weasel (TJ Miller) are interviewing potential recruits for X-Force, one alleged superhero who does make the team is the Vanisher — except we never see or hear him during the interview.

Deadpool and Weasel literally speak to empty air, plus the guy’s headshot is blank, so we actually don’t know if the Vanisher is even there. Of course, this being Deadpool, he’s hired anyway (and yes, there was a Vanisher in the comics who first appeared in 1963 as a villain in X-Men #2 and later joined X-Force).

Cut to the scene in which X-Force jumps from a plane to go after Cable (Josh Brolin) and sure enough, there’s a seemingly empty parachute where the Vanisher should be. But as the parachute accidentally crashes into electrical wires, frying the would-be hero, he suddenly (and briefly) becomes visible — and it’s none other than Brad Pitt.

Sadly that’s the end of the Vanisher — and Pitt’s first appearance ever in a superhero movie — but we got a chance to ask director David Leitch how it all came about.

“I have a history with Brad in that I’ve worked with several movies with him as a stunt double, so there was a connection and a way to reach out,” Leitch explained “Obviously the massive love and good will from the first one, and Ryan’s charm and celebrity power (laughs) were also helpful, plus (producer) Simon Kinberg had written (Pitt starring vehicle) Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

“So there was a lot of common ground to reach out to the man,” Leitch continued. “There was also an early conversation about Cable with him, but there were time frames and things that just didn’t work for him. But he always left the door open that he would love to help and be involved, and if there was anything, to give him a call. So he held up his end of the bargain when we reached out.”

While the idea of Pitt as Cable is intriguing, Brolin nails the part and we can’t imagine anyone else doing it at this stage. In the meantime, even though his time as the Vanisher is tragically short, we also hope that Pitt might have gotten a taste for the genre and wants to participate again — after all, James Gunn is looking for someone to play Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3…

Deadpool 2 is out in theaters now.