What The Deadpool & Wolverine Stunt Doubles Look Like In Real Life

When it comes to making movies, actors usually get most of the credit, but they are not the only ones involved in bringing a character to life. Several people often have a role in this, from the directors who can help shape a star's performance, to the makeup team that gets individuals looking right for the part. Perhaps the biggest unsung heroes of all are the stunt performers, without whom it would be almost impossible to film the action sequences, fights, or chase scenes that have come to define Hollywood blockbusters.

For a big superhero film like "Deadpool & Wolverine," which has a lot of focus on close-quarters combat and acrobatic battles, stunt doubles are even more important. They stand in for the stars and do things that they simply can't do, whether that's for safety or practical reasons. Yet, by the very nature of their work, we rarely get to see their faces. Here's what the stunt doubles who helped bring "Deadpool & Wolverine" to life actually look like.

Deadpool is a pretty non-traditional superhero. Not only does he have some R-rated antics, but the character also dances and purposely uses moves that are designed to look cool rather than be completely efficient. Although Reynolds likes to be in the suit as much as possible, his age means that it isn't always possible for him to physically portray the character. Fortunately, the fact that Wade Wilson appears in his costume most of the time means that it is pretty easy to hide the fact that a stunt double is playing the anti-hero. 

Throughout Reynolds' tenure as the Merc with a Mouth, Alex Kyshkovych has been his stunt performer. Not only has he been the actor's stunt double for all three "Deadpool" installments, he also previously worked with Reynolds in "The Adam Project." Speaking to Tatler, Reynolds described Kyshkovych as a "really gifted guy" who "has a 14-pack." For "Deadpool & Wolverine," Kyshkovych worked as the fight coordinator and doubled for Reynolds in fight sequences.

As a stunt double, Kyshkovych has worked extensively in Marvel projects, namely "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "X-Men: Apocalypse," and "X-Men: Dark Phoenix." He also doubled for Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Revenant" and Kurt Russell in both "The Christmas Chronicles" films. For Netflix's live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender," he worked as co-stunt coordinator and fight designer, playing a major role in putting together the fight between Aang and King Bumi.

While most characters and actors in a film will only need a single stunt double, there are some parts that might require multiple stunt performers. That's the case with Deadpool in "Deadpool & Wolverine," a figure who features in almost every scene and takes part in most of the action. Part of the reason Deadpool has multiple stunt performers in the film is his distinctive fighting style, which often showcases his acrobatic prowess.

Some of the stunt double work in "Deadpool & Wolverine" fell to Rick English, a veteran of the stunt game who has credits in over 160 projects. Reynolds was likely already familiar with English due to his work on "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard." The 2021 movie saw him perform a number of stunts and act as a motorcycle stunt double during an action-packed chase sequence.

English has worked on several major superhero productions, including "The Batman," "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "Wonder Woman 1984." Within the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the talented stuntman has plied his trade on "Black Widow" and "Secret Invasion." Other notable stunt credits include "No Time To Die," "Kingsman: The Secret Service," and "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation." As an actor, he has appeared on-screen in the British TV show "Merlin" and the miniseries "Demons."

Yet another stunt performer who stood in for Ryan Reynolds on "Deadpool & Wolverine," Jonny James is no stranger to doubling for the Canadian A-lister. He has done the dirty work for Reynolds in several films, including "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" and "Red Notice," establishing a lasting relationship with the actor.

James might not have been in the industry quite as long as some of the other stunt performers in "Deadpool & Wolverine," but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the necessary skills. His first role came in "Terminator Genisys," where he worked as a motion capture performer. This was a job he continued in "Assassin's Creed" in 2016 before he landed parts as a stunt performer in some of Hollywood's biggest franchises.

Among his impressive stuntman credits are "Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw" and "Fast & Furious 9." If you're a "Star Wars" fan, then you've likely seen James in action without knowing it — he did stunt work for "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and "Andor." In terms of superhero films, one of his earliest credits was "Justice League." He went on to land gigs on "Spider-Man: Far From Home" and, more recently, "Secret Invasion."

Although Wolverine is among the most famous Marvel superheroes and moviegoers are familiar with Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the mutant, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is the first time the character and actor have appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The filmmakers knew they had to deliver on the action, with Wolverine going up against Deadpool and Sabretooth in fights that fans have wanted to see on screen for a long time.

Wolverine has something of a unique fighting style. An expert martial artist who is tough as nails, the mutant is also a savage fighter who is capable of bouts of pure rage. Of course, you also have to consider his retractable Adamantium claws, which lead to lots of up close and personal scraps. While "X-Men" changed Hugh Jackman forever, particularly in his approach to transforming his body for a part, even he can't do everything needed for the role. Instead, stunt double Daniel Stevens took up some of the slack.

An industry veteran, Stevens got his start as a stunt double on the Australian soap opera "Home and Away." He has plenty of experience doubling for Jackman as Wolverine, taking on the job in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "The Wolverine," "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and "Logan." This time around, Stevens had to alter his facial hair several times due to the different Wolverine variants that appear in the film. The stuntman has plenty of MCU experience, having previously worked on "Iron Man" and "Avengers: Endgame."

The last time we saw Wesley Snipes portray Blade was in 2004's "Blade: Trinity," which Snipes reportedly filmed in a bizarre way: He's said to have had an on-set feud with director David S. Goyer that led to him only communicating through sticky notes. Someone who will have seen what actually happened first hand is Ryan Reynolds, who co-starred as Hannibal King. The production issues associated with Snipes (as well as his age) led many to believe that we'd never see him as the Daywalker again, which is why it was a surprise to see him reprise his most famous role in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

In the film, Blade helps the titular protagonists fight Cassandra Nova and her forces in the Void. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Snipes revealed that he had thought it would be impossible to return as the character, but was eventually convinced by Reynolds. "I didn't think that Marvel was into it, Disney was into it," he said. "I thought it didn't make sense to me, but [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, 'Okay, I got to take this call. Let's see what this is about.'"

Being in his 60s, Snipes was not able to perform the same kind of stunts that he did more than two decades ago. Instead, Cali Nelle doubled as Blade in the film. Previously, Nelle has worked on superhero projects such as "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," "Loki," "The Batman," and "Black Widow." He also had an acting role in the latter, playing one of the scientists in the infamous Red Room.

Long before "Deadpool & Wolverine" hit theaters, Channing Tatum was set to portray Gambit in his own movie. Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox threw a wrench into the works, and it looked as if Tatum's chance of playing his favorite superhero was dead and gone. Fortunately, the third installment in the Deadpool series provided the perfect opportunity for Gambit to appear, and Tatum jumped at the chance to finally play the Marvel character.

At first glance, Gambit might appear little more than a glorified magician, but the mutant is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and is capable of manipulating kinetic energy, augmenting his card throwing skills. Gambit plays a pivotal role in helping Deadpool and Wolverine escape the Void, fighting against Cassandra Nova with the help of the resistance members known as the Others. Stunt double Joel Adrian substitutes for Tatum during this set piece.

Adrian's involvement in "Deadpool & Wolverine" tipped off fans that Tatum and Gambit were likely appearing in the film. This isn't the first time that the stunt performer has appeared in a superhero project: He has previously worked on "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" and "The Batman." Other notable credits include "The Matrix Resurrections," "The King's Man," and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." As an actor, Adrian has had uncredited parts in "The Witcher" (he played a character called Hemrik) and "Marco Polo" (in which he appeared as a Crusader).

Like other Marvel Cinematic Universe films that have explored the Multiverse, "Deadpool & Wolverine" features a lot of variants of characters. These are typically slightly altered versions of established iterations that provide a spin on what someone like Deadpool looks like in another universe. One of the most memorable from "Deadpool & Wolverine" is Ladypool, a female version of the Merc with a Mouth who has long blonde hair flowing out of the top of her mask.

Ryan Reynolds' wife and fellow actor Blake Lively provides the voice of Ladypool, but the character — who is involved in a rather large fight scene at the conclusion of the story, when dozens of Deadpool variants fight the original Wade Wilson and Wolverine — was physically embodied by Christiaan Bettridge. Lady Deadpool's stunt double, who looks very different in real life, has been involved in a wide variety of projects since making her stunt performer debut on the SyFy series "Hunters."

Among her recent credits are the MCU film "The Marvels" and the Famke Janssen-led psychological thriller "Locked In." Bettridge is best known as Gal Gadot's stunt double, having appeared as the actor's characters in "Wonder Woman," "Justice League," "Wonder Woman 1984," and "Red Notice." A former dancer and athlete, Bettridge is due to launch her own on-demand fitness training program.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is jam-packed with small details like hidden cameos and references. This is most obvious during the dramatic fight with the Deadpool Corps, where dozens of Deadpool variants attempt to stop the original Deadpool and Wolverine from reaching Cassandra Nova to put a stop to her plans. The fact that the vast majority of these characters are masked means that the filmmakers were able to hide many actors in plain sight, as was the case with Cowboypool.

A Western-inspired version of the Merc with a Mouth, Cowboypool comes equipped with a cowboy hat, revolvers, spurs, and an Old West accent. Matthew McConaughey provided the voice for the character, marking the Oscar winner's debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The person inside the suit, though, is stunt double Tom Cotton — which makes sense given McConaughey isn't exactly known for his action roles.

The New Zealand stunt performer, who is based in London, has credits for stunt work in more than 40 television and film projects. His most recent role outside of "Deadpool & Wolverine" was in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," and he also worked on both "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "The Batman." Cotton also has MCU experience, having been a stunt performer in "Black Widow," and he has collaborated with Ryan Reynolds in the past, working on "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard."

Audience members around the world probably gasped when Chris Evans first appeared in "Deadpool & Wolverine," with early glimpses suggesting that he was once again taking on the mantle of Captain America. Heck, even Deadpool himself believes this is the case, only to be let down when it turns out that Evans is reprising a very different Marvel role from earlier in his career: Rather than Steve Rogers, the actor brought back his portrayal of Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) from the 2000s "Fantastic Four" films.

Johnny Storm helps Deadpool and Wolverine when they first land in the Void and eventually meets something of a grisly demise before he can get too involved in the action, although he does take part in a brief fight. Evans is also the subject of the "Deadpool & Wolverine" end credits scene, with Deadpool using TVA equipment to prove that the foul-mouthed rant Deadpool quotes to Cassandra Nova was indeed genuine.

Stunt performer James Cox doubles for Evans in "Deadpool & Wolverine." This wasn't his first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Cox a regular in recent movies in the franchise. He has been involved in the stunt departments of "The Marvels," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Eternals," and "Black Widow." Outside of the MUC, he has done stunt work in "Wonka," "Tenet," and "Wonder Woman 1984."

Jennifer Garner first portrayed the twin sai-wielding assassin Elektra in 2003's "Daredevil" and later reprised the role for "Elektra" in 2005. As the years went by, it seemed as though Garner's solo spin-off would be her last outing as the character. That wasn't the case, though, as Elektra shows up in "Deadpool & Wolverine" as one of the Others, a resistance group hiding from Cassandra Nova in the Void. She later joins the two protagonists in their assault against Nova's forces, meaning she's involved in plenty of fighting action.

Having last played Elektra almost two decades ago when she was in her 30s, expecting Garner to perform all of her own stunts in "Deadpool & Wolverine" would have been unrealistic. That's where Shaunna Duggins came in. An experienced stunt performer who has appeared in more than 150 films and television shows, Duggins has taken on the role of stunt coordinator and stunt performer in everything from "Ahsoka" and "Fast & Furious 5" to the action thriller "The Kingdom," doubling for Garner in the latter.

Duggins previously made history for her work on the Netflix comedy–drama series "GLOW," becoming the first woman to win a Creative Arts Emmy award in the comedy category for stunt coordination. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she was "honored to be [the] first woman" to scoop the award in this category, adding: "I think this show in general breaks the mold, and I'm so honored to be a part of it."

One of the highlights of 2017's "Logan" is the character Laura, also known by her codename X-23. Cloned from Wolverine's DNA, she shares his bone claws and many of his other abilities, such as advanced healing. She gets hunted down by Transigen after she proves too difficult to control directly. Logan takes it upon himself to escort her to Eden while protecting her from an adult clone known as X-24. She's portrayed once again by Dafne Keen in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

In the third "Deadpool" film, Laura is part of the Others with Elektra, Gambit, and Blade. Managing to convince Wolverine to take part in the attack on Cassandra Nova's compound, she plays a vital role in defeating the villain's forces and allowing Deadpool and Wolverine to escape the Void. Thanks to the efforts of the two protagonists, she is eventually freed and able to join them in their own timeline.

For her action sequences, Laura is portrayed by Nadia Hansell. The British stunt performer is an expert in a number of martial arts and has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, including several Marvel Cinematic Universe entries: She worked on "Spider-Man: Far From Home," "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," "Eternals," and "The Marvels." She's also no stranger to DC films, having plied her trade on "The Batman" and "The Flash."