Deadpool & Wolverine Director Confirms Easter Egg Fans Have Been Missing

There have been no shortage of elements to unpack in Deadpool & Wolverine, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe film dazzled fans with deep cut references from the Marvel multiverse and beyond. A Marvel fan recently spotted a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it homage to Jackman’s previous filmography, as Logan’s Adamantium skull from the film’s opening sequence is marked with the serial number “24601.” This is the prisoner number of Les Miserables protagonist Jean Valjean, who Jackman portrays in the 2012 film adaptation of the iconic musical.

On Monday, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy confirmed the Les Miserables Easter egg is intentional, admitting on Twitter that “we’ve been wondering, who would notice that first!” This the second time the Deadpool franchise has referenced 24601, as it was also on the map hand-drawn by Wade Wilson / Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) in Deadpool 2.

Will Hugh Jackman Play Wolverine Again?

At the moment, neither Jackman or Reynolds are officially confirmed to be reprising their roles in any Marvel projects, even as the multiversal movies Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are on the horizon. As Jackman revealed during the press tour for Deadpool & Wolverine, he now has a unique 

“I don’t think I understood what it meant to the wider world,” Jackman reflected in a recent interview with The Official Marvel Podcast. “I wasn’t a big comic book fan, in particular, growing up. I had never heard of X-Men. In some ways, I’m really glad I didn’t know. Because, I really approached Logan as I would any other character. Yes, he had claws coming out of him, and yes he could heal himself, yeah he had crazy hair. But, for me, it’s just another character to embody with all the human-ness of him. I said, as an actor, I work as much on the voice and the physicality of any part I play. On film, it’s your eyes, but every part of you that you use. Looking at these big beautiful images, I was like, ‘Look at the economy!’ They can sell an entire action sequence with 12 images. It was about marginalized communities, minorities, and all of this stuff. Look how unique they were and where they stood and the  animal side of him. So, I was playing with all of that. I was in a room working on it. All those poses and all the things I did was everything taken off the comic books.”

What Is Deadpool & Wolverine About?

In Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The film also stars Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox, and Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova, with the return of Deadpool alums Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Rob Delaney as Peter, and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar. Aaron Stanford is returning as Pyro from the X-Men film series, with Jennifer Garner rumored to return as Elektra Natchios. 

Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey and Simon Kinberg serving as executive producers. Deadpool & Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy. Deadpool & Wolverine was released exclusively in theaters on July 26th.