After many years of building up anticipation, the big screen version of X-Force is finally coming together. For the longest time there was a great deal of expectation that the events that unfold in Deadpool 2 would somehow lead to the formation of the notably violent mutant squad, and the most recent trailer for the blockbuster confirmed that the team will have a role to play in the movie. Really, at this stage the only thing we don't know is the full roster of characters that make up the lineup, but that's exactly what we're here to discuss today.
Using evidence provided to us through interviews and footage from the various Deadpool 2 trailers, we've put together this feature looking at what we believe to be the ensemble that makes up the first ever live-action take on X-Force. Some of it is a bit speculative, and could wind up being incorrect, but this is basically what we know so far...
Deadpool
Let's start with the easy one. Based on the most recent trailer, it looks like the movie world will soon see Deadpool as the leader and recruiter of X-Force -- bringing the team together so that they can help him keep a young mutant (played by Julian Dennison) safe from Cable (Josh Brolin). Of course, the Merc With The Mouth isn't much of a leader, which should create a few problems, but he certainly is very skilled at what he does thanks to his incredible healing factor.
In the comics, Deadpool has been closely associated with X-Force from the very beginning, his second appearance ever being in X-Force #2, but it should be noted that he didn't actually start off as a member of the group. Instead, he was originally introduced as antagonist for the squad, which was formed under the leadership of Cable (making the juxtaposition in Deadpool 2 a bit funny). That said, he not only eventually wound up joining the early version of the team, but has also been a part of multiple iterations since -- one of the most notable being Rick Remender's Uncanny X-Force.
Domino
Domino, played by Zazie Beetz, is one of the most exciting new additions to the cast of Deadpool 2, and it's even better news that she will have a key role to play in the formation of the big screen X-Force. We've only seen bits and pieces of what she can do with her mutant abilities so far, but they should ultimately prove to be a whole lot of fun: she has a subconscious telekinetic ability that basically manifests itself as good luck; causing small, strange things to occur in her environment that help push odds in her favor in any particular situation.
Like Deadpool, Domino is another character closely associated with the beginnings of X-Force in the comics -- but her connection is somehow even stranger. Domino was technically a part of the first X-Force lineup, serving as Cable's lieutenant in X-Force #1... but it was eventually revealed that the character fans thought was Domino actually wasn't. Instead, it was revealed she was the shapeshifting mutant Copycat in disguise, leaving the real Domino to be introduced in X-Force #8. This probably won't play out on the big screen in the same way, but it would be interesting to see the movie find a way to cleverly reference it.
Jesse Bedlam
Despite the fact that Terry Crews has become a star in his own right, fans didn't know he joined the cast of Deadpool 2 until the film's second trailer was released, and it was only with the third trailer that we actually found out who the guy is playing. While there was initially some speculation that he would be appearing as G.W. Bridge, it instead has been confirmed that he will be playing Jesse Bedlam -- a hero with the ability to generate and detect electromagnetic fields.
Unlike the first two names on this list, Jesse Bedlam didn't become a part of X-Force until a few years into the team's existence, joining up only after Cable was no longer the team leader. That said, he has long been associated with the group on the page. He should certainly be a real asset to the big screen iteration of the squad, not only because of his impressive powers, but also his awesome brute strength.
Shatterstar
It's at this point in the feature that we enter a more speculative zone, as the rest of the characters we discuss here have not yet been 100 percent confirmed. That said, evidence provided makes us fairly confident. Starting with one of the background figures in the Deadpool 2 trailer "team shot" (seen in the picture above), it looks like one of the weirder characters the film will be introducing is Shatterstar , a genetically engineered mutant from a future alternate dimension.
In the comics, Shatterstar was born as a slave in a dimension known as Mojoworld -- given violent abilities by geneticists that would help him perform in a gladiator arena -- but he was eventually able to escape through time and space and found his way on to the X-Force roster. We don't know who will be playing him at this point, as we have not yet gotten a clear image/close-up of the character's face, but we're definitely excited for the big reveal.
Zeitgeist
Bill Skarsgard became a household name in the fall of 2017 thanks to his absolutely terrifying performance as Pennywise The Dancing Clown in Andres Muschietti's IT, but still he was able to fly under the radar when he was on the set of Deadpool 2. We know this because we didn't actually know he was a part of the production until the most recent trailer... and we still don't even have confirmation about the role he's playing. That said, we do have an educated guess, and that's that he's playing the mutant Axel Cluney a.k.a. Zeitgeist.
The first non-'90s character on this list, Zeitgeist was introduced to the Marvel world in 2001, and stuck around for exactly one issue. In X-Force #116 it's revealed that his special ability is spitting up an ooze that can dissolve any material in the world -- making him one of the weirder mutants around. It should be noted that he was killed off in that same issue, making us wonder exactly how much screentime he will actually have in Deadpool 2.
Peter Wisdom
In August 2017, Ryan Reynolds Tweeted a picture of himself standing with Rob Delaney, and the assumption at the time was that the comedian was just visiting the set of Deadpool 2. This assumption turned out to be wrong, however, as it turns out that Delaney has at the very least a small role in the upcoming blockbuster. In addition to appearing in the background of one moment in the most recent trailer, he is also featured in the headshot you see above -- leading us to speculate that he will be playing the part of Peter Wisdom in the new film.
A creation of Warren Ellis and Ken Lashley, Peter Wisdom is a British Secret Service agent who also happens to be a mutant. His ability allows him to absorb energy and use it to launch "hot knives" made of thermal energy from his fingertips. It should be noted that it looks like Deadpool 2 will be changing up his look a bit, with Rob Delaney rocking an interesting mustache in the role, but it looks like he'll still be the sharp dresser that he is in the comics based on the suit he's wearing in the shot above.
Surge
Last but not least we have Surge -- who, despite what you may be thinking, isn't named after the highly-caffeinated soda that was popular in the late 1990s. Noriko "Nori" Ashida was introduced in 2004 as part of the second generation of the New Mutants team, and while she doesn't have any on-the-page history with X-Force, it's easy to see why she might be recruited for the big screen group. As demonstrated in the Deadpool 2 trailer, she has the power to not only absorb electric energy but also project it (and it seems that she'll be using a charged up chain as her primary weapon).
It should be noted that the specific role has not been confirmed by the production yet, but at the very least we do know that Japanese actress Shiori Kutsuna is a part of the lineup (making it one of her first experiences in American film). It's possible that we won't officially know exactly who she is playing until we're actually in a theater watching Deadpool 2, but Surge seems like a fairly good bet given the evidence provided.
