Vinnie Jones is not back as the Juggernaut in Deadpool and Wolverine, after playing the character in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Sorry not sorry for the non-spoiler there, but amid all the parade of cameos and surprises in the new film, and even the key role the X-Men villain plays in the plot, the ex-footballer turned actor is not a last-second addition to the cast. And no offense to Vinnie Jones, but it is 100% fine they got a new Juggernaut for the movie.
As mentioned, Jones portrayed the unstoppable mutant villain with a metal dome in the third live-action X-Men movie. While it was a critical, fan, and box office failure, Jones clearly became enamored with the character – he even wound up pushing for a Juggernaut spin-off movie. That's not entirely out of the realm of possibility given Fox at the time was also considering spinoffs for other relatively under-the-radar characters like Gambit. But also, other than Jones, it wasn't entirely clear who would want to see that film.
Cut to 2018, and Juggernaut made an appearance as a third-act villain in Deadpool 2. The new take on the character was specifically there because the creative team behind the sequel didn't think Juggernaut was done justice in his previous appearances – including Jones in X-Men 3.
"Ryan Reynolds is the voice of Juggernaut, believe it or not," co-writer Rhett Reese told IGN at the time. "Slightly modulated with a computer to bring his register down. But Juggernaut is such a force of nature, and he has not really been done justice in previous movies, because he wasn't ever a CG character. And so, we just thought he was probably the coolest character never to be used as of yet in the right way."
Not only was Reynolds the voice of Juggernaut, director David Leitch was the body: his face and movements were used to create the CG model for the character.
Then, when it came time to bring Juggernaut back (again) for Deadpool and Wolverine, the goal was clearly to go back to the X-Men: The Last Stand version. Spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine past this point, but in the film, a ragtag team of heroes need to steal Juggernaut's helmet in order to shut down the mind-manipulating powers of main villain, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). The Juggernaut who shows up looks like Jones, moves like Jones, and is dressed in the same helmet and barely-there costume Jones wore in The Last Stand. But it's not Jones.
According to the actor, he's not in the movie because it was a chore to put on the suit, and they couldn't pay him enough money to convince him to slap it back on. He said as much in an interview with Yahoo UK, explaining why he wasn't going to be in the MCU film.
"I just got asked to do Deadpool, the new one now, and I spoke to the director [Shawn Levy] and I just said it's such a drama putting that suit on mentally and physically," Jones told the outlet. "I mean it had its mental toll as well because you're in it and you can't do anything all day, you can only drink through a straw. So we couldn't strike the deal for Deadpool [and Wolverine]. But Deadpool's my favourite movie of all fucking time more or less. I really wanted to do it, but they didn't have the budget to put me in the suit."
Should actors be paid what they're worth? Sure. Clearly Marvel ponied up enough money to bring back Ray Park as Toad, Tyler Mane as Sabretooth, and Kelly Hu as Lady Deathstrike for essentially nothing roles. So why not Jones?
…Because it also would have been okay if Park, Mane, and Hu didn't come back in their respective roles. Is it nice to see them? Yes. But unlike Aaron Stanford's Pyro, who has an actual role in the movie, none of the other Deadpool and Wolverine cameos impact the plot of the movie in any way. Juggernaut is definitely the most crucial to the plot when it comes to the ex-X-Men characters, but, as it stands, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) makes a quip about a third Juggernaut actor, and we all move on with our lives.
Beyond that, no shade to Jones, but what is the only thing you can remember about his performance from X-Men: The Last Stand? It's a safe bet your clearest memory is Juggernaut uncomfortably repeating a viral internet meme: "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!" Would watching his ankles get sliced by X-23 (Dafne Keen) really bring viewers the #JusticeForJuggernaut they've so desperately craved since 2006? Probably not.
So ultimately, despite Juggernaut's prominence in the plot, it wasn't worth the money to bring Jones back. And frankly, given all the pain it seems to cause him to put on the suit, it doesn't seem to be worth his time, either. But hey, as comic book fans know well, nobody stops the Juggernaut. Maybe with the success of Deadpool and Wolverine, he'll get a shot at that Juggernaut solo film after all. Or, if not, they can just bring in a fourth actor.
Deadpool and Wolverine is in UK cinemas now and hits US theaters on July 26. For more on the movie, check out our piece on the Deadpool and Wolverine post-credits scene or our verdict on the film in our Deadpool and Wolverine review.
As for what Marvel has in store for us next, see our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows, or get ready with our how-to on watching the Marvel movies in order.
