- "Deadpool & Wolverine," starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is now playing in theaters.
- For a while, fans speculated that Taylor Swift could be in the film, and director Shawn Levy played coy.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" is full of celebrity cameos, but Taylor Swift is not one of them.
In the months leading up to the film's release, Swifties and Marvel fans, two groups known for overanalyzing every minute detail (sometimes grasping at straws), theorized that the pop star could appear in the third installment of "Deadpool." But despite the pop star's friendship with star Ryan Reynolds, she doesn't appear in the film.
However, she recently showed her support for the movie and praised Reynolds' work ethic on her Instagram story.
"He's created the best work of his life, and this film feels like an actual joy portal, a wild escape from reality, and an abs sandwich. I don't know how he did it," Swift wrote.
Here's everything to know about the origin of the cameo rumors and how the speculation increased over time.
Swift's association with 'Deadpool' goes back years
Swift became pals with "Deadpool" franchise star Ryan Reynolds through her friend Blake Lively, who's been married to him since 2012. According to People, Swift and Lively's friendship began in 2015. Since then, they've spent holidays together and Swift has incorporated Lively and Reynolds' kids into her music.
Swift also borrowed a Deadpool costume from Reynolds to celebrate Halloween with her squad in 2016. Swift's cats, Meredith and Olivia, also appear on a shirt worn by Reynolds in "Deadpool 2." The Grammy-winning singer later cast "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy as the dad in her "All Too Well" short film, which was released in November 2021. In addition to Levy's cameo, his daughters also appeared in the video.
Following the success of "Deadpool" (2016) and "Deadpool 2" (2018), Reynolds confirmed that a third installment was in the works in 2019. Levy joined the film as the director in March 2022, marking his third collaboration with Reynolds ("Free Guy" and "The Adam Project").
In September 2022, Reynolds sent fans into a frenzy when he announced on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) that Jackman would reprise his role as Logan/Wolverine, years after 2017's "Logan," which was believed to be his swan song as the Marvel character.
Interestingly, Reynolds and Jackman filmed their announcement video in the same house that Swift used for her "All Too Well" short film — which fueled rumors that Swift would be in the movie. Reynolds shut down the theory in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, but said that he'd "of course" be open to Swift participating in "Deadpool 3."
"Are you kidding me?" he said. "I would do anything for that woman. She's a genius."
Rumors intensified when production began on 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
Filming began in June 2023 and the official X account for the "Deadpool" franchise posted the first official look at Reynolds and Jackman suited up the following month.
In August, The DisInsider posted a video about rumored plot points and unconfirmed castings. This included the claim that the mutant named Dazzler would appear in "Deadpool 3," played by Swift. In the comics, Dazzler has blonde hair and blue eyes, with the power to manipulate sound and transform it into light. She also juggles a singing career with superhero duties in the source material.
This wasn't the first time Swift was mentioned in connection to the Dazzler character.
Back in summer 2015, the singer was photographed hanging out with "X-Men: Apocalypse" writer Simon Kinberg, plus stars James McAvoy and Sophie Turner. This led fans to speculate that she'd pop up as Dazzler in the "X-Men" film, but that rumor was ultimately squashed when the movie was released in 2016 and featured no appearance from Swift.
Given the "Deadpool" franchise's tendency to lean into meta jokes and pop-culture references, plus Swift's friendship with Reynolds, it wouldn't be completely outlandish to believe that she'd appear in the film.
In early October, Swift was joined by Reynolds, Lively, Jackman, Levy, and other celebrities to watch the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.
Swift has been a fierce supporter of the Chiefs and a frequent attendee at their games since she began seeing player Travis Kelce. Meanwhile, Levy told Variety that Reynolds invited him and Jackman to the game.
Although Swift and Levy had different reasons for attending the football game, the singer hanging out with the "Deadpool" director and its two stars made fans more hopeful for a cameo.
That wouldn't be the only time Swift was seen out and about with Levy.
Ahead of the release of Swift's rerecording of "1989," paparazzi spotted the singer hanging out with the filmmaker in New York City's West Village.
Levy then played coy about the possibility of Swift being in "Deadpool & Wolverine." In an interview published in October, Levy told TheWrap that he filmed and edited half of the movie but was unclear if the film would still be ready for its May 3, 2024 release given the delays due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Levy also acknowledged that Swift's fans "sure are loud," but wouldn't confirm or deny her involvement in the third "Deadpool."
"I'm going across the board," he said. "'No comment' because that's a double whammy. That's Taylor-related. And it's MCU-related. I'm no dummy. You're going to have to wait and see."
Just before the release of "Deadpool & Wolverine," Reynolds told E! News that he wanted to clarify the cameo rumor because she's his friend and she's not in the movie.
"I always do say that if anyone ever were to take over the role of Deadpool, actually Taylor would be very good," Reynolds added. "Because that's a superpower that I don't know that she shows everyone too often: She's one of the funniest people I've ever met."