Learning The Alpha-Bet: 'Deadpool 2' Teases More Mutants With Set Picture Easter Egg

Prepare to place your bets on Deadpool in the death pool, as director David Leitch is queuing up a second round in the ring for Ryan Reynold as the Merc with a Mouth. This time, our scarlet sassmouth will be facing off against the time-traveling offspring of Jean Grey's clone and with Cyclops, reuniting with old friends, and will be joined by that kid Ricky Baker from Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Production may only have recently begun, yet alongside Josh Brolin's various pics of his transformation, some spoilerific set pictures have already started making their way online. With #Deadpool2 currently filming in Vancouver, fans are poised for any and all information that could give a hint about the film's plot. While we can't promise you that, we can give you the very first Easter Egg hot off the set.

Flight Of The Alphas

At first it may not look like a lot, but taking to Twitter, Hollywood North (which covers productions in Vancouver) shared a snap from the set. Atop an inconspicuous cab, we see an advert for a Canadian holiday company called Alpha Flight. We don't know whether this cab will have anything to do with the return of Karan Soni as Dopinder, but there is more to the name Alpha Flight than meets the eye.

For those who aren't quite as #comicbook savvy, Alpha Flight was the name of a team of Canadian heroes who first appeared in X-Men #120 from 1979. The original roster included the maple leaf-wearing Guardian, the homosexual Northstar and his multiple identity sister Aurora, the beast-like Sasquatch, the magical Shaman, and Snowbird — a demi-god who could transform into animals of the North.

While Leitch could just be giving a nod to a bygone era, the Canadian heroes affiliation and Vancouver filming may be slightly pointing to the team's inclusion. If Fox is keen to push the envelope further to outdo Marvel in the diversity stakes, Northstar would certainly be a move in the right direction for LGBT rights in superhero movies. Personally, I would just like to see Deadpool bring the fur-covered Sasquatch to our screens to brawl with Colossus.

Although Alpha Flight were never officially classed as X-Men, they will always be affiliates of Xavier's kids, and often butted heads with our spandex supes. Ironically, this isn't the first time the team has been teased — the name Alpha Flight can be seen when Mystique hacks into William Stryker's computer in X2. And although #RyanReynolds teased a lack of X-Men cameos in the sequel, he didn't say anything about those who aren't actually X-Men.

A Whole 'Pool' Of Talent

Looking at the exponential growth of the X-verse, we should remember that Simon Kinberg once said that Fox was planning on adding an Alpha Flight film to its roster, so why not start now? Let's be honest, Gambit isn't going anywhere, is it? Wolverine may currently be having a dirt nap, but with Alpha Flight originally introduced as part of his backstory, their inclusion could slowly ease the clawed Canuck back into the Foxverse.

Just like the original Deadpool ended with the tease of Cable, expect the equally tongue-in-cheek sequel to follow suit and introduce the upcoming X-Force movie. As for Alpha Flight, once known as the "other" Marvel team, they have sadly faded into the background after their series ended in 1994. While there have been several attempts to restart the series, the team has always failed to get off the ground. Why wouldn't Fox expand even further beyond the constraints of Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and X-Force? Deadpool 2 could certainly give Alpha Flight some much-needed wind beneath their wings.

(Source: Hollywood North)