Warning! This article features spoilers for the opening credit sequence of Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the leading roles and bizarrely references the latter's character in 2012 period musical Les Misérables.
Wolverine fan @WolverSteve on X/Twitter shared an image of the film that includes the reference, and director Shawn Levy replied to confirm it's real and intentional. "We've been wondering who would notice that first," he said.
In the opening fight scene, as Deadpool is throwing around parts of the deceased Logan's body to kill myriad members of the Time Variance Authority, his skull flies towards the camera and freezes on-screen for two or three seconds.
We've been wondering, who would notice that first!🫡 https://t.co/9WsHGJMOQU
— Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) September 9, 2024
The reference is carved into the roof of Logan's mouth, behind the rotten or missing teeth. It simply reads "24601." Jackman plays Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, otherwise known as Prisoner 24601.
This character was also referenced in Deadpool 2, as a map drawn by Deadpool has a location connected to "Prisoner 24601." The throwback in Deadpool & Wolverine is therefore as much a reference to Deadpool 2 as it is Les Misérables, perhaps pointing to Reynold's desire to work with Jackman long before he was locked in for the third film.
Deadpool & Wolverine has become known for its wealth of references and cameos from Marvel cinematic history, pulling in characters from well beyond the worlds of its two titular heroes. This approach certainly drew people in, as the film crossed $1 billion at the global box office in just its third weekend available.
In IGN's 7/10 review, we said: "Deadpool & Wolverine is a hilarious superhero buddy comedy full of surprising, self-referential MCU humor and unsurprising plot and pacing problems."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
