Comics
Logan’s iconic comic book attack that we missed in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’
Wolverine’s fastball special in the comics was about to appear in Deadpool and Wolverine, but not as such, but as a tongue-in-cheek move in which both superheroes threw a henchman through the air.
‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ has left no one indifferent. It is undoubtedly the big blockbuster of this summer, as evidenced by its impressive box office numbers and mostly positive reviews. However, it is not a perfect movie and has aspects that could be improved. Specifically, many users feel that the icing on the cake in the movie is the absence of one of Wolverine’s most characteristic attacks in the comics: the so-called Fastball Special.
‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ and the Fastball Special “variant” that almost appeared in the movie
A tweet from the multi-talented Ryan Reynolds, star and producer of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, reveals an interesting behind-the-scenes anecdote. According to Reynolds, they tried to do a fastball special in the movie, but instead of Deadpool or Wolverine being the “protagonists” of such a strange attack, they just threw a random henchman through the air.
According to the actor who brings the Merc with a Mouth to life, this brief sequence did not make it into the final cut of the movie, ultimately missing this nod to one of Wolverine’s most powerful and famous attacks in the comics, and one that has been used on numerous occasions.
Many fans believe that for the movie to be complete, despite its maelstrom of cameos, it would have lacked at least one nod to this, and that Deadpool or Wolverine would have starred in this dangerous as well as spectacular maneuver.
What is Wolverine’s Fastball Special in the comics?
The Fastball Special is a very popular team attack in the Marvel Comics. Roughly speaking, a superhero with great strength will throw a smaller superhero directly at his enemies like a baseball.
For the attack to be effective, this smaller superhero usually has some power that makes the act of being thrown effective, or that does not take too much damage in the process. For both of these reasons, Wolverine is usually the ideal candidate for this maneuver: thanks to his adamantium claws, he can tear enemies apart as he lands, and his regenerative powers ensure that he will not suffer irreversible damage in the event of a bad throw or landing.
The first time this joint maneuver was seen was in ‘Uncanny X-Men’ #100 (1976) where Colossus threw Wolverine. After this first appearance in the comics, these two members of the X-Men are the ones who have primarily used this strategy, although they are not the only ones. Throughout Marvel’s history, we have seen other instances of the Fastball Special with different superheroes, such as Spider-Man throwing Kitty Pryde, or Luke Cage throwing Iron Fist.
There have also been variations of this attack, which generally involves one superhero throwing another with great force. For example, Mr. Fantastic can use his elastic powers to “transform” into a slingshot and throw The Thing with great force, or Carol Danvers can throw Spider-Man by grabbing a web as if it were an Olympic hammer throw.