Fox’s Canceled ‘X-Force’ Movie Would Have Featured Josh Brolin in a Dual Role

The history of superhero films is filled with intriguing what-ifs, and the X-Men franchise is no exception. Due to studio mergers, evolving creative visions, and characters left in limbo, fans have spent years speculating about what might have been before Disney’s acquisition of Fox transformed the entire mutant landscape.

One of the most significant losses from that transition was the planned ‘X-Force’ film, a spinoff that seemed like a natural progression following ‘Deadpool 2,’ which introduced the team in its final moments. With Drew Goddard set to direct and Josh Brolin committed to a multi-picture deal as Cable, the project appeared poised to become one of Fox’s most ambitious mutant films before it was abruptly halted.

Now, Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld has disclosed who was intended to be the main antagonist in that abandoned film: Stryfe, a clone of Brolin’s Cable. In an interview with The Direct, Liefeld confirmed that Brolin was slated to take on a dual role, portraying both Cable and his villainous counterpart in the unproduced movie.

According to Liefeld, Brolin was genuinely excited about the chance to play both characters. “I think it’s safe to say, Josh was really excited, because he signed a multi-picture deal, and he was excited about the prospect of not only playing Cable, but longtime fans of X-Force know that he would have been portraying Stryfe as well,” Liefeld shared with The Direct.

In the comics, Stryfe is a clone of Nathan Summers, better known as Cable, created by the Askani Tribe as a backup plan in case Cable ever died. Apocalypse later used the clone as a host body before ultimately discarding him, leading Stryfe into madness upon discovering the truth about his own existence.

Liefeld also revealed that Stryfe’s introduction into the franchise was almost realized even earlier than the planned ‘X-Force’ film. “The X-Force movie that was going to be coming to screen that Fox had planned before Disney bought the Fox catalog; he was absolutely in that movie,” Liefeld mentioned, adding that there were initial discussions about featuring Stryfe in a post-credits scene of ‘Deadpool 2’ before those ideas were abandoned.

Ultimately, that post-credits scene took a different route, focusing instead on Deadpool manipulating Cable’s time-travel device to change the timeline and save Vanessa. Brolin’s Cable has not been seen on screen since, missing out on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ entirely, although rumors suggest that Ryan Reynolds hopes to bring the character back for a future MCU project.

Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige took creative control over the X-Men franchise, and the Goddard-directed ‘X-Force’ film never materialized. Marvel is now constructing its own version of the mutant universe from the ground up, with a fully rebooted ‘X-Men’ film currently in production.

Given the excitement surrounding Marvel’s mutant plans over the past year, it’s clear why fans are still lamenting what the scrapped ‘X-Force’ project could have offered. A double dose of Brolin facing off against himself as both hero and villain seems like the kind of chaotic energy that made ‘Deadpool 2’ such a success.

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