Deadpool 2: Why X-Force Member Zeitgeist Looks So Familiar

When it came to Ryan Reynolds' live-action take on the Marc with a Mouth coming back for seconds, the effort to go bigger and badder with "Deadpool 2" really was a team effort. Just a team that didn't last very long is all. One of the biggest scene-stealing gags of Wade Wilson's cinematic return in "Deadpool 2" is the exceptionally short lifespan of the X-Force. The team is comprised of some wild members, including Bedlam (Terry Crews), Domino (Zazie Beetz), Peter (Rob Delaney), and Vanisher (an extra-crispy Brad Pitt), who dropped in and dropped out for one of the film's best cameos (sorry, Matt Damon).

Among the carnage that unfolds during Wilson's woeful rescue attempt, though, one super that meets the wrong end of a woodchipper is toxic-spitting team member Zeitgeist. Just like every X-Force entrant, the man behind the yellow mouthguard is a perfect pick for such a disgusting role and has a host of other ones that either match or even surpass it in gross levels. In fact, he's part of a Hollywood family tree that has dabbled a fair bit in not only more than one Marvel story but also a couple from Stephen King. That included a tale of terror that cemented him as one of the most terrifying villains in horror history, one that brought a new era of fear to audiences whenever they saw balloons.

Before spitting toxic slime in "Deadpool 2," Bill Skarsgård left audiences hiding behind their hands after stepping into the overly large shoes of Pennywise in Andres Muschietti's two-part adaptation of Stephen King's "IT." Following on from Tim Curry's brilliantly horrifying effort in the beloved TV movie, Skarsgård applied a new take on the character that earned him the award of being the perfect Pennywise. The shift in tone speaking to children, the eye drifting off as IT tries to keep hold of its form, and the occasional dribbling over its desperate thirst for fear were all elements Skarsgård mastered, earning the highest level of praise from the man that created him.

Prior to the release of "IT: Chapter Two," which saw Skarsgård step back into Derry's most feared monster, King had great things to say. "it's a tremendously physical performance," he said (via Yahoo). "He works really hard. It's just amazing, it's balletic, it's so good." For the guy that literally wrote the book on "IT," he wasn't wrong. Between the likes of Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger, Skarsgård's Pennywise earned a spot as one of the most terrifying horror movie villains of all time. Not satisfied with bringing the child-chewing clown to life, though, in between chapters, Skarsgård may or may not have brought another titan from King's villain gallery to life on the small screen as well.

Though not as successful as the films that homed his Pennywise performance, Skarsgård also starred in the small screen ode to the Stephen King universe, "Castle Rock." Colliding stories like "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption," "Cujo," and "The Shining," Skarsgård's character was a man of mystery who was sadly never sold, given that the show was canceled after its second season. Even up to its final moments, though, conspiracy theories were rife over just who Skarsgård's The Kid actually was, with plenty of fingers pointing to a dude that his own brother would coincidentally play shortly after.

Introduced into the show as the inmate of an abandoned prison block, Skarsgård's mystery man sparked a chain of events that got weirder with every installment of the show, with many fans thinking that he was, in fact, legendary hardcase Randall Flagg. Now it turned out he was actually a doppelgänger of another character from a separate dimension, but still, it would've been an interesting route to take given that Skarsgård's older brother, Alexander, got the part of Flagg in the new TV take of "The Stand," proving there really is plenty of Stephen King roles to go around. However, it's odd and unsettling appearances like this that actually benefitted him in what became one of the biggest horror surprises of 2022.

Of course, no one likes to presume, but if a horror film is playing out and the guy behind Pennywise is in an empty house, it's totally understandable to keep your guard up. That was the tone set by Zach Craggier's "Barbarian." Beginning with a double-booked home rental, Georgina Campbell plays a woman who is weary of Skarsgård's Keith Toshko, who is already at the home she's planning to spend some nights in alone. No spoilers, but the film quickly descends into a level of terror that's kept hidden until heads are smashed, and secrets claw their way out. Thankfully, as Campbell told Looper in an exclusive interview, Skarsgård made the whole experience a comfortable one when they shared the screen and before Justin Long arrived to piece together the bloody pandemonium.

"We started with the stuff with Bill, which was great. He's such a talented actor, and he made those scenes so fun and comfortable, and we got that natural back-and-forward, and it was great," Campbell explained. In truth, it's Skarsgård's involvement that sets up the terror going forward. "[It was] very different than when I worked with Justin, where we're both on level 10 of like, 'Oh, my God' — life-or-death situation all the way through," Campbell continued. "It was great. I felt so comfortable with both of them, and they're both such talented actors. It was easy and fun."

After being on the receiving end of an angry mother in "Barbarian" and a lengthy stint in Stephen King's world, one of Skarsgård's most recent turns saw him daring to take on cinema's most feared hitmen, and the result is exactly as we anticipated. In "John Wick: Chapter 4," Skarsgård played High Table member Marquis, who tries to finally put an end to the recent comeback tour of the illusive Mr. Wick (Keanu Reeves). While it still had him handling another villainous role, it was on a terrain that was very different from what Skarsgård was known and used to, which he was excited to be a part of.

Wielding a smugness and upper-class level of annoyance that made him a perfect target for John in his final installment, Skarsgård was a perfect foil for the film and another interesting addition to his catalog of performances. Speaking to Looper about the role, he revealed how he saw this as a chance to add something different to the mix. "I want to try to be as versatile as I possibly can, whether it is crossing genres or playing these vastly different characters," he said. "And I think that's the key to longevity in this business and having a fun career where you can go like, 'I can do a lot of different things,' so you don't end up limited into this box ..."