Top 10 X-Men Movie Easter Eggs

“Deadpool 2” (2018)

In this sequel, Wade Wilson continued his fourth-wall-breaking tradition. Just before the climactic battle, Deadpool and Cable have a small disagreement, and they were enemies just a few minutes ago, so that’s totally understandable. During the tussle, Deadpool tells Cable, “Zip it, Thanos!” - which is a reference to the fact that actor Josh Brolin plays both Cable in the X-verse and the Mad Titan Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At another point in the movie, Wade also calls him One-Eyed Willie, a reference to the movie “Goonies”, which Josh Brolin also had a part in.

“X-Men: First Class” (2011)

Cerebro is an advanced piece of technology created by Professor Xavier and Magneto that helps them to detect and find people with the mutant gene, so that they can be contacted and offered help and safety at the Xavier School. Of course, despite their shared history and interests, Professor X and Magneto have some fundamental ideological differences. During an “X-Men: First Class” scene in which Charles is searching for someone, we can catch a brief glimpse of two characters we should be familiar with: Cyclops and Storm. This foreshadows the fact that these two characters will eventually become X-Men themselves.

“Deadpool 2” (2018)

Rob Liefeld is a comic writer and artist who was huge in the 1990s. He is probably best known for co-creating the X-Force along with one of the series’ more mouthy characters, Deadpool. He had a successful career at Marvel and DC and was one of the co-founders of Image Comics, a publisher that changed the industry. Despite being such a huge influence on the comics industry, he is often the butt of many jokes due artistic eccentricities and technical shortcomings. One stereotype that has stuck with him, deservedly so, is that he can’t draw feet well. So naturally Deadpool can’t help but take a crack at his creator.

“X2: X-Men United” (2003)

William Stryker is one of the main antagonists in the series of X-Men movies, and he has various ties to several prominent mutants. Though he is clearly anti-mutant, he does see them as useful tools to achieve his ends - if properly controlled. And, as fate would have it, his own son turns out to be a powerful mutant. In a brief scene in “X2,” we catch a glimpse of Stryker’s Mutant list. It contains some names that are sure to excite fans of the mutant super-team. Was this list meant to hint at future plans for the X-Men flicks? Though many never made it on screen, the list confirms the existence of a huge cast of characters within the film universe.

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014)

Len Wein was an award-winning comic artist who had a huge influence on the industry. He was the co-creator of several important comic characters, including Swamp Thing, Storm and Colossus - just to name a few. For his work, he was inducted into the Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. Chris Claremont is an artist and was a frequent collaborator with Wein; together they co-created Wolverine and helped revive the struggling X-Men franchise. Claremont even co-wrote the hugely influential 1981 storyline “Days of Future Past.” Fittingly, Wein and Claremont can briefly be seen in the 2014 movie adaptation - a nice tribute to the minds behind the story on the screen.

“Deadpool 2” (2018)

The Merc with a Mouth’s gray and black X-Force suit is admittedly pretty cool. Rather than actually have Wade put it on, however, the sequel instead burns Deadpool badly enough to discolor his regular suit and cover it in ash to create the same effect. This was a nice bit of fan service that managed to avoid the cliche outfit upgrade scene that usually accompanies it, which added to its impact. Of course, seeing him a don a variation of his X-Men outfit was also a real treat.

“The Wolverine” (2013)

In the comics, Trask Industries is the organization behind many anti-mutant technologies. These include mutant detecting devices, weapons, and the notorious Sentinels. Their presence is felt throughout several of the X-Men movies, but Trask most notably appears in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” in which he is played by Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. Before that however, we got to see hints of this evil anti-mutant organization in the mid-credits scene of 2013’s “The Wolverine.” This is just another great way that stories and characters interconnect across media and within this film series.

“X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016) & “Deadpool 2” (2018)

Nathaniel Essex is an X-Men villain created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri. He first appeared in the Mutant Massacre storyline. He’s a shadowy figure who has played a large part in the early life of Cyclops and has had various evil schemes attached to his name over the years. This includes cloning Jean Grey and releasing the Legacy Virus, a plague that killed hundreds of mutants. In “X-Men: Apocalypse” in a post-credits scene, we see the clean up crew working for a corporation called Essex. In Deadpool 2, Russell is being tormented at the Essex House. Talk about looming, sinister presence.

“Logan” (2017)

In 2013’s “The Wolverine,” Yukio predicts Logan’s fate. She says that he’ll die on his back, with blood everywhere, holding his own heart in his hand; it’s a grisly fate to be sure. Well, it turns out her prediction was pretty spot on - she just wasn’t speaking literally. At the end of “Logan,” Wolverine goes out on his back with blood everywhere. But he isn’t holding his own heart; he’s holding his clone daughter, who, over the course of the film, has become his metaphorical heart. And maybe literal too, if you consider that she’s his clone. Either way, the screenwriters did a great job of tying these films together.





Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



The Other Deadpool

“Deadpool” (2016)

20th Century Fox





Sentinel Head

“X-Men 3: The Last Stand” (2006)





Dazzler

“X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016)





Voice of Beast

“X-Men” (2000)



Alpha Flight

“Deadpool” (2018)

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014)

Just before one of the coolest scenes in the entire franchise, where Quicksilver puts on some tunes and saves the day, we see a short scene between him and Magneto where it is revealed that Quicksilver’s mother once knew a guy who could control metal. This is a nod to the fact that in the comics, Quicksilver - whose real name is Pietro - is Magneto’s son. Magneto also actually has a daughter who later becomes Scarlet Witch, and who happens to be Quicksilver’s twin. Because of the deal between Fox and Marvel studios, the characters needed a different origin story in the Avengers movie, however. Again, this just goes to show how much thought and care went into translating these characters and their stories to the big screen in an interconnected way.