Who plays Lady Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine?

From massive MCU stars returning with a twist, to iconic comic book characters played by A-listers, to welcome appearances for beloved heroes from Fox's slate of Marvel movies, the movie is sure to delight fans with some of the big names it wheels out – with director Shawn Levy revealing that some of the stars had not been predicted by fans.

And there had certainly been no shortage of predicting. Ahead of the release, one of the big questions on fans' minds was the matter of who might be drafted in to play Lady Deadpool, a female variant of the superhero who had long been confirmed to be making an appearance.

A Marvel Comics character since 2010, the latest addition to the MCU could be about to explode in popularity.

There were all sorts of suggestions as to who might be playing her – with some fans even speculating that pop superstar Taylor Swift could be taking on the role.

Well, now that the film is out, the identity of the character has been revealed – read on for everything you need to know.

Who plays Lady Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine?

In the end, it's Blake Lively who takes on the role of Lady Deadpool. Of course, this isn't too much of a surprise – the former Gossip Girl star has been married to Ryan Reynolds since 2012, and so it makes perfect sense that she would be involved in the film.

Indeed, Lively had been one of the most commonly identified stars when fans were guessing who might play the role, so plenty of people will feel vindicated about their predictions.

Despite her appearance in the film – which comes when Wade Wilson and Logan are confronted by a huge army of Deadpool variants – we never actually sees Lively's face, as she is wearing her mask the entire time.

Her identity is therefore not revealed until the credits – and it turns out she's not the only big name hiding behind a Deadpool mask in that scene.

Matthew McConaughey is credited as playing Cowboy Deadpool, and although we don't see his face, we do briefly hear his distinctive Southern drawl.

But both those big stars are upstaged by one Deadpool variant who seems destined to emerge from the film as its breakout star: Peggy the Dog, who plays Dogpool.

Who is Lady Deadpool in the Marvel comics?

In the comics, according to the Marvel Database, Lady Deadpool is "a female counterpart of Deadpool from the alternate reality Earth-3010".

Named Wanda Wilson, the character is best known for joining a group of rebels who fought against loyalists in the United States and battling General America.

Wilson made her debut in Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #7 in 2010, making her a relatively recent addition to the long-running Marvel Comics universe.

After her live-action debut, though, we expect plenty more interest in her stories.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now showing in UK cinemas.

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