Deadpool & Wolverine Removed One Detail From Matthew McConaughey’s Cowboypool

Despite being packed full of cameos, “Deadpool & Wolverine” included some guest appearances that you might have missed. For instance, star Ryan Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, voiced Lady Deadpool, one of the many Deadpool variants who arrive towards the end of the movie and try to take out Wade Wilson and Logan (Hugh Jackman). But Lady Deadpool remains fully covered by her spandex suit and face mask throughout, making this one of the less overt guest spots in a movie that turned cameos themselves into an art form.

Similarly, Matthew McConaughey voices yet another Deadpool variant, Cowboypool, who also remains hidden behind a face mask throughout the scene in question. As it happens, this was simultaneously one of the more exciting and most anticlimactic cameos in the movie. Fans have been waiting for some time for McConaughey to make his Marvel debut, and a few lines in a “Deadpool” movie that may or may not have influenced the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe felt like somewhat of a letdown. Still, there’s no denying it was a fun surprise to hear that unmistakable Texan accent emanate from behind Cowboypool’s mask.

But just because Cowboypool, or “the Deadpool Kid” as he’s known in the comics, only showed up briefly, that doesn’t mean the crew didn’t take their time getting every aspect of this variant right — including dropping one detail that would have significantly changed his overall look.

The Western version of Deadpool first appeared in 2010’s issue #7 of “Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth.” He was also later seen in issue #2 of “Deadpool Kills Deadpool” in 2012, despite having been shot in the head by Deadpool Prime in his previous appearance. Now, he’s had his cinematic debut with “Deadpool & Wolverine.” 

In an Instagram post, concept artist Jonay Bacallado revealed that the Deadpool variant scene was “one of the first ones to be conceptualized” for the film, and shared the final concept for Cowboypool’s outfit.

Ballacado noted that costume designer Mayes Rubeo “wanted to pay homage to the western genre” with Cowboypool, explaining how the team took inspiration from “great icons like Clint Eastwood.” One of the most obvious allusions to Eastwood’s illustrious Western career is the poncho, included in this final design and clearly modeled on the actors’ look in his “Dollars Trilogy”: “A Fistful of Dollars”, “For A Few Dollars More” and “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” It’s the same poncho that inspired Jake Sully’s new look in “Avatar: The Way of Water,” only in Ballacado’s version, the garment is adorned with Deadpool symbols.

Oddly enough, this item, which so clearly accomplishes Rubeo’s goal of “paying homage to the western genre,” was completely absent from Cowboypool’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” appearance, in which he’s seen wielding pearl-handled six-shooters and sporting a ten-gallon hat, a neck scarf that doubles as a mask, and a cured leather waistcoat. The final slide in Ballacado’s post demonstrates how the final costume differs quite dramatically from the concept art in that respect, and the artist offers no explanation as to why. The whole thing is made even stranger by the fact that Ballacado states in his caption that “The Deadpool poncho pattern was even created in the traditional method of knitting.” Not in the film, it wasn’t.

Was the Cowboypool poncho ever actually made, using the “traditional method of knitting?” At this point, the answer remains unclear, though it seems likely that Jonay Bacallado was just referring to the method used in the concept art to depict the knitted look of the poncho. Meanwhile, as recently as August 31, 2024, Eastwood can be seen as wearing what he claimed was the “original poncho,” in one of his incredible social media photos plastered with multiple stamps of “authenticity.”

Elsewhere a “Fistful of Dollars” remake is said to be the works, so modern audiences will likely get their chance to witness the majesty of a modern Eastwood-style poncho when that project sees the light of day. For now, while the mystery of what happened to Cowboypool’s poncho remains unsolved, the real question is whether Cowboypool will indeed remain Matthew McConaughey’s one and only foray into the MCU. That seems unlikely, but given how long it took just to get the man to say a few lines in a VO guest appearance. But who knows?