Thanos (Josh Brolin) Is Playing Cable in ‘Deadpool 2’

Drew Dietsch
Movies Comics
Movies Comics Marvel

Deadpool 2 has been teasing the casting of Cable for a while now. Deadpool’s straight-faced sidekick was mentioned in the post-credits scene of the first movie, so we’ve all been eagerly anticipating who would play the time-traveling mutant. Well, the decision is one we did not see coming.

Josh Brolin will play Cable in Deadpool 2. OK, I love B-rolls as much as anyone else (No Country for Old Men for life, bro), but this is insane! Brolin is already cast as Thanos the Mad Titan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Now he’ll be pulling double duty over at Fox with the X-Men franchise? HAS THE PLANET GONE MAD?!?!

Cable v Thanos: Dawn of Jokes

deadpool thanos

So, Deadpool 2 HAS to acknowledge this casting conflict, right? Deadpool makes his money on breaking the fourth wall and taking the piss out of comic book movies and continuity. Scoring someone like Josh Brolin means that the Merc with a Mouth will have a plethora of real world jokes to use.

Seriously, how does this work out? Don’t want to be a Chicken Little here, but does this mean Brolin has been feeling a little peeved with Marvel? Plenty of fans and casual viewers have been miffed at how Marvel has been dragging out Thanos’s role in the MCU. Could Brolin have gone, “Oh, Fox will let me have fun in their superhero movie? And I get to show my actual face? And be on screen for more than a few seconds? Sign me up!”

Doesn’t Matter, Have Cable

cable deadpool

It’s a shame we didn’t get some of the other rumored actors for the role – I miss you already, Pierce Brosnan – but Josh Brolin is a great actor and has an even greater sense of humor. He saved Men in Black III with how funny he was, and interviews with him are always a delight.

We’ll be hearing more about Deadpool 2 as the year goes on, but now we are just waiting to see Brolin in costume. Knowing these movies, I bet he’ll look as ridiculous as you want him to. Big robot arm and cybernetic eye and everything. Can’t wait.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.