We guess James McAvoy’s Deadpool & Wolverine invitation got lost in the mail

[This article discusses the cameo appearances in Deadpool & Wolverine. Reader discretion advised.]

Strolling through the internet this fine Monday, it’s easy to get lost in the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds has monetized his friendship with Hugh Jackman to the tune of $205 million domestically. Now the pride of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Deadpool is also its savior, bringing as many of his orphaned 20th Century Studios superheroes into the Magic Kingdom as possible. Pulling some ideas from The Flash, Deadpool & Wolverine even invites actors from beyond the movies, casting performers who merely dreamed of donning the tights. It is a superfan’s dream, where Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm can be in the same movie as Channing Tatum’s never-realized Gambit. What a time to be alive.

However, though Patrick Stewart made his return to one of Marvel’s endless multiverses, and Deadpool & Wolverine centers Professor X’s follically challenged sister as the villain, Charles Xavier is nowhere to be found. We’re not the only ones who noticed. Speaking to Variety, McAvoy said he’s “always” interested in returning to his golden space-age wheelchair. It doesn’t matter if “something I’ve done before or something completely brand new,” McAvoy is “actor ready.” But there wasn’t enough room for poor little McAvoy in a movie already bursting with Blake Lively. Ultimately, the actor had to settle for a shoutout in the credits, hopefully securing him a taste of that $500 million global opening. (Though we doubt it. Mint Mobile and Aviation Gin don’t pay for themselves.) McAvoy joked that he “demanded” inclusion in the credits, but there were never any plans for him to appear. “If there was a world, they clearly threw that idea out the window before calling me.”

If only McAvoy had received the same call as Wesely Snipes. Snipes tells EW that he wasn’t confident that his Blade cameo would make the cut, what with Marvel being so skittish on a reboot. But then, unlike McAvoy, he got the call. “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.’ He told me the idea…They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.”

Sure, rub it in, Mr. Snipes. We don’t want to speculate about what McAvoy did to Kevin Feige, but it’s time to bury the Mjölnir and get this guy back in the bald cap.