At a time when some fans were uncertain of FOX's cinematic direction for the X-Men, Deadpool came out of the floodgates kicking and screaming, becoming an absolute critical and financial success. The movie was given all the more respect and admiration given the fact that it managed to do that on such a small budget, with a script that had been leaked online years prior. The character was a breath of fresh air in the current cinematic portrayal of superheroes, and the fact that the film was rated R allowed it to be wholesomely different.

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Given the film's popularity, it was no wonder that a sequel was announced – it was actually announced by Deadpool himself, in the movie's after-credits scene. It's been almost two years since the first Deadpool hit theaters, but our excitement for the sequel hasn't diminished. Now that a new poster for the film has been released, it looks like the marketing machine is set to begin and once again take the world by storm. Today, CBR raids the tunnels of the image sharing service known as Instagram and lists 15 behind the scenes pictures of Deadpool 2 to help get you hyped for the movie.

15 LYING IN FRONT OF THE X-MANSION

One of the highlights of Deadpool -- a movie already filled with highlights -- was seeing the Merc with a Mouth interact with the X-Men. Sure, there weren't many of them around, save for Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, but the two of them proved to make a fine and hilarious addition to the movie, proving to be equal parts foils and allies to Wade's crazy, yet heroic antics.

While we are eager to see Deadpool's particular brand of humor return to the big screen, we are also excited to see if there will be even more presence from the X-Men. This picture, which was the first released before cameras would roll on the film, seems to indicate that Wade will in fact return to the X-mansion and, once again, the results will be all sorts of off-beat and hilarious.

14 JOSH BROLIN IS THE GOOD-HEARTED CABLE

After he had already been cast as the hard-boiled mad tyrant Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, some fans may have been uncertain when faced with the announcement that Josh Brolin was cast in the role of Nathan Summers, aka Cable. The character is grizzled and battle-hardened, he's serious and heroic, but he also can have a soft side when pressed.

If any fans were uncertain about how Brolin would fare in balancing the duality of warrior and father figure, then this picture is surely all that is needed to assuage them. Taking the time to pose with a young fan dressed as Deadpool, the actor easily showed that he can pull-off the role, all while demonstrating that he understands what the character, and the franchise, mean to a whole lot of people.

13 BLIND AL RETURNS

Blind Al may not have had the biggest role to play in the first Deadpool movie, but as an important part of Wade's cast in the comic books, she was given a bit of time to shine, especially with her dry sense of humor. For fans of the first film, it then might come as a relief to see that the character will once again return to bring the laughs and just maybe offer some much-needed constructive advice.

If there was any doubt that Deadpool 2 might forget its roots, this picture should be enough to put those concerns to rest. It's quite easy for the sequel of a successful movie to let go of what made it work the first time around and make it bigger instead. Therefore, it's quite nice to see that even the smaller characters were given a chance to return.

12 INTRODUCING DOMINO

X-Men comics fans know that there are a lot of mutants around, some more popular than others. The first Deadpool movie limited the number of mutants to only a handful, with Wade, Colossus and the mostly unknown Negasonic Teenage Warhead, but the sequel is looking to add one more to that number – and it's a character who has quite the fan-following: Domino.

Actress Zazie Beetz was cast in the role of the chalk-skinned assassin, and this first picture was released to show us what to expect from the character. Right then we could see that the essence of the character was perfectly intact, while taking a few liberties to make her feel really at home in the Deadpool world. Domino is an awesome character, and we can't wait to see Zazie Beetz bring her to life.

11 COMFORT FIRST

Part of what made Deadpool such a massive hit was not only its goofy, off-beat marketing, but the fact that the movie itself was very much just like that. Deadpool is the kind of character who can break the fourth wall, draw cute-but-violent sketches and talk about his love of unicorns. There are simply no limits to how far or low he can go for a joke, no matter how complicated or overly simplistic.

This picture was posted by Ryan Reynolds, showing the actor taking a break from filming while wearing some very comfortable footwear. But the beauty of Deadpool, the movie, is that there is no telling if this is a behind the scenes picture, or one taken directly from the movie. Wade Wilson is just as capable of wearing Crocs as Ryan Reynolds, which just goes to show that the humor will once again be on point.

10 A LEADING MAN WITH MOVES

Deadpool is not only just about crazy jokes and fourth wall-breaking. It's also about action – and a whole lot of it. The first movie had many spectacular action scenes and fight sequences that had viewers on the edge of their seats, and if what little we know of the sequel is anything to go by, Deadpool 2 will more than double down on the firefights and fisticuffs.

On this Instagram video, we can easily see that leading man Ryan Reynolds takes the stunt aspect of the movie very seriously. Bringing to life a super(ish)hero is hard work, and here Reynolds shows that he is more than willing to go the extra mile to make sure he can properly portray the acrobatics that have become signature moves of the mutant mercenary.

9 GETTING THE CABLE LOOK JUST RIGHT

Ever since he has first appeared in the comic books, Cable has had a distinct look that has become iconic, something that helped him achieve the status of fan-favorite. Coming from a dark and grim future, the character has been through his fair share of battles, and he has plenty of scars to show for it. The scars on the one side of his face are just as much a part of the character as his gigantic guns.

On this picture, we can see part of the makeup process that actor Josh Brolin had to sit through to get the Cable look just right. We have heard many stories of actors going through long and arduous makeup sessions for comic book movie roles, and it seems like Brolin didn't have enough of it while sitting down to get the perfect Jonah Hex look.

8 INTRODUCING THE ONE AND ONLY CABLE

Cable has been a fan-favorite X-Men character for a long time. To many, he was the pure representation of what the team of mutants' comic book series was like in the '90s: big, flashy and over the top. With his blue X-Men outfit, yellow straps, glowing eye, metal arm and gratuitously enormous guns, the character was instantly iconic, and it's a look that has pretty much stayed the same, even to this day.

Expectations were high following the casting announcement of Josh Brolin as Cable, and fans were eagerly anticipating a first look at the character in full costume. As it turns out, they realized they had nothing to worry about when this picture was released – the first official picture of Deadpool 2's Cable. Here, we saw that Brolin was perfect, from the weapons, to the modernized costume and the battle-hardened look.

7 SOMEBODY BULKED UP

For Josh Brolin, the challenge in bringing Nathan Summers, aka Cable, to life was never going to be just about wearing the appropriate costume or nailing down the character's personality. A big part of who and what Cable is as a character is communicated by his massive size. Definitely one of the bigger X-Men outside of the metal-covered Colossus, Cable is one who overshadows Deadpool, quite literally.

To achieve this fact, Josh Brolin no doubt had to spend a great amount of time in the gym, to sculpt his body and gain a whole lot of muscle mass to make his version of Cable one that was as faithful as it could be to the comic books. And, as we can see from this picture, it seems like the results more than speak for themselves. Here, we see the actor's resolve to transform his body, and his devotion to the role.

6 A PERFECT EASTER EGG

Deadpool Bea Arthur Easter egg

The first Deadpool film was chock-full of many Easter eggs and direct references to the comic books, some more obvious than others. It's a movie where repeat viewings were more than rewarding, and we have no doubt that the second will be exactly the same. To give us a hint of this, Ryan Reynolds went so far as to reveal the first Easter Egg on his Instagram account.

The pictures the actor posted revealed the names Deadpool has given to his swords: “Bea” and “Arthur.” This is an obscure reference to the comic books, where Wade Wilson is known to have an obsession with the Golden Girls actress. In fact, the character also wore a shirt with the actress' likeness in the first film, and it looks like the trend will continue into the sequel.

5 HINTS AT SOME PRETTY AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHY

Deadpool Cable behind the scenes

From its opening scene, Deadpool was a stylish film that took things in a very different direction. Its action scenes were visually spectacular, inventive and truly cinematic. Although Tim Miller may not be back in the director's chair for the sequel, fans who were wondering if the movie would still feel like it was part of this particular universe were shown they had nothing to worry about.

In fact, in the above picture of a very distraught-looking Cable, we can see that there will be some amazing cinematography at work in the film, some that might not just rival the first film but maybe even surpass it. We're not sure if this is a promotional shot or something that will come to pass in the film, but we can't wait to see more of these inspired visuals.

4 A NEW CAST MEMBER

Although a movie very much about its leading man, Deadpool proved to be popular thanks to a colorful cast of endearing supporting characters like Morena Baccarin's Vanessa, T.J. Miller's Weasel and Karan Soni's Dopinder, the taxi driver. Each have been confirmed to return for the sequel, and it looks like we will be getting some new characters on top of that.

Thanks to this picture posted by Ryan Reynolds, we had confirmation that Paper Planes and Hunt For The Wilder People New Zealand actor Julian Dennison would have a role in the sequel. Though his role has remained undisclosed for the time being, we wonder if he might be playing someone from the comic books, or a new character altogether. Either way, we are certain the results will prove hilarious.

3 A CREW HARD AT WORK

Not all movie work goes in front of the camera. More often than not, there are just as many hands working to make the movie the best it can possibly be behind the camera. Without a strong crew, there is only so far a movie can go, and on this picture posted by director David Leitch we see that there is great care and dedication brought to the set of the film.

Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick, who wrote the screenplay of the first movie, have returned to pen the sequel, meaning that we will truly get a proper sequel to the story of Deadpool. The writers understood what made the character work in the comics, and together with David Leitch and the work of their tireless crew, we are truly certain to get a sequel that is worthy of just as much praise as the first film.

2 JOSH BROLIN PUTTING IN THE WORK

It's one thing to look the part, but it's an entirely different thing to actually live through it. Josh Brolin was facing an uphill battle when he was cast as Nathan Summers. The 49 year-old actor knew very well what he was signing on to, and what kind of physical work that meant. Cable is a hulking beast of a man, a character whose presence speaks for itself.

It would have been easy to go the prosthetics, makeup and digital route, but instead Brolin went absolutely all in. In this video, which he posted on his Instagram page, you can see that the actor went through some intense and vigorous training sessions that he took the part to heart, pushing himself beyond what he thought capable. Don't believe us? Go through his account. This isn't the only video.

1 ACTION: DAVID LEITCH IN THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR

The first Deadpool was directed by T.J. Miller and though he didn't return, the franchise is in more than safe hands with David Leitch in the director's chair. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he was the co-director of a little, awesome action film titled John Wick, a movie whose swift and elegant action scenes quickly became a signature of sorts.

Not only is Leitch a director, he is also a stunt coordinator and stuntman himself – which means that, all in all, the man knows his stunts, and he more than knows his actions scenes. This name is all you really need to know to be excited about Deadpool 2. Considering that it's a movie that will focus on action, we can only imagine what Leitch has in store for Domino, Cable and Deadpool.

What are you most excited to see in Deadpool 2? Let us know in the comments!