Deadpool 2 Writer Responds To Villain Rumor

From what was shown in the most recent Deadpool 2 trailer, much of the movie's conflict will stem from Wade Wilson trying to prevent Cable from killing a pyrokinetic mutant kid, as well as the looming threat of the mysterious DMC organization. But as far as traditional super villains go, the only one we know about so far is Black Tom Cassidy, who will be played by The Strain star Jack Kesy. Last week, it was rumored that Black Tom Cassidy had been cut from Deadpool 2 entirely, but Rhett Reese, one of the movie's co-writers, went on Twitter today and shot down that claim. As he bluntly responded to an article about the rumor:

There you have it, folks. The rumor suggesting that Black Tom Cassidy may have been cut from Deadpool 2 isn't true, and we'll still see Jack Kesy in the Merc with the Mouth's latest big screen adventure. Nevertheless, aside from the report of Kesy was joining Deadpool 2, we haven't learned anything about how his character is being used in the sequel. Black Tom Cassidy is a recurring X-Men antagonist in the comics, but it's hard to tell how he would fit into Deadpool 2 based on what's been shown so far. Well, just because he's still expected to appear doesn't mean we'll necessarily see a lot of him in the movie.

Collider has heard from its sources that in Jack Kesy's role in Deadpool 2's final cut has been reduced. Apparently he had a bigger presence in earlier cuts of the movie, but in the finished product that hits the big screen next month, that's been cut down. Presumably this came as a result of the test screenings, as those in attendance reportedly wanted to see more of Josh Brolin's Cable and Zazie Beetz's Domino. So if those two characters were given more scenes during the reshoots, it would make sense if this came at the expense of Kesy's screen time.

In the comics, Black Tom Cassidy was originally able to generate concussive blasts via any wooden medium, but his mutant ability later expanded to manipulating energy through plants. Outside of the comics, he's only appeared in a few episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series, so his appearance in Deadpool 2 would introduce him to a lot of people unfamiliar with the comics. Alas, assuming this latest update is correct, don't expect him to be a major player in the proceedings.

Deadpool 2 opens in theaters on May 18. As we count down the days until its release, look through our X-Men movies guide to find out what other mutant-centric cinematic projects are in development, and if you're interested to learn what other movies are coming out later this year, head to our 2018 release schedule.