Deadpool 2: 102 Easter Eggs, Gags & References Explained
The greatest cameo of all time?
Deadpool 2 is a rare joy among sequels: it is bigger, better and funnier than the original, taking everything that works in it and dialling it up as well as dealing with some of the shortfalls that held it back. It is a stunning achievement by David Leitch and Ryan Reynolds that adds emotional depth and complexity to the many, many laughs and packs in some surprises that you literally won't believe they managed to pull off.
There are moments in there that will demand you talk about them for years (until the sequel or the X-Force movie comes along) and a commitment to pop culture appreciation that only the Merc With A Mouth could manage. At times, it's almost relentless and just as there were more than 100 references in the first movie, there are a LOT in the sequel.
So strap in...
102. Goading Disney?
The first scene sees Deadpool lighting up, which might seem like a normal thing for the Merc to do, but it definitely feels like he's goading Disney - his potential new paymasters - whose policy is not to show smoking in any of their movies.
Deadpool makes it very clear this is a family movie and says that they all have to start with a big death, like Disney flicks Bambi and The Lion King, and Saw 7. That's about as much Disney mention as there is.
101. Logan's Music Box
'Pool also gets a "F**k Wolverine!" in early as he's talking about that movies impact as an R-Rated movie in his speech about family films. As he talks, he produces a music box with the striking sight of a dead Logan impaled on a tree trunk, which spins to music when he winds it up. How delightfully joyful.
100. The Ho Joke
In the background of Wade's apartment, there's a poster on the notice board with the chemical symbol for Holmium. It's not exactly the cleverest gag in there, but it's a crude nod to the fact that Holmium's symbol is Ho, which has become something of a meme.