Deadpool 2 Homages Animated X-Men Series' Juggernaut/Colossus Fight

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool 2.

Whether the nod is intentional or merely a happy coincidence, director David Leitch's Deadpool 2 brings an epic moment from X-Men The Animated Series to the big screen.

During the final act of Deadpool 2, fans are finally treated to a cinematic brawl between two titanic X-Men characters: Colossus and Juggernaut. Despite different versions of both characters appearing in X-Men: The Last Stand, the two Marvel characters never duked it out in the live-action movie, and it's likely for the best since most fans are happy to forget all about Cain Marko's previous big screen incarnation.

But now, the Juggernaut has returned to the X-Men cinematic universe and, just like the new version of Colossus that appeared in Deadpool, this one feels more comics-accurate. He may not be as physically impressive as his comic book counter-part, but the film makes it clear that he's a force to be reckoned during his (literally) big debut as he casually rips Deadpool in half, which leads to one of the funniest bits in the movie. Now, this towering and mighty version of Charles Xavier's stepbrother (the movie confirms he wears the helmet to protect himself from Xavier's telepathy) has returned to the big screen and he's finally going to fight the X-Men's heavy-hitter, Colossus, as well as some other characters, like Deadpool, Domino, and Cable.

During the slugfest between the two powerhouses in Deadpool 2, the super-strong villain attempts to hit the courageous X-Man with a school bus. As that scene unfolds, fans of X-Men The Animated Series may experience a case of déjà vu, because the very same thing happened during the classic animated show!

In the episode "The Unstoppable Juggernaut," the imposing and virtually unstoppable enemy lures the X-Men into a fight by robbing a bank. When Wolverine, Jubilee and the police are unable to bring the big guy down, Colossus steps up, tossing a car at his opponent, who effortlessly swats away the projectile. Juggernaut then one-ups Colossus by grabbing a school bus and violently throwing it directly at the hero. Colossus barely dodges the attack, and immediately retaliates by tossing a tank at the villain -- who punches the tank right back at the hero. Colossus can't dodge the hit, and he's buried under the armored vehicle, completely and utterly defeated.

The cinematic brawl between Colossus and a brand new version of Juggernaut is much more vicious than a game of dodgeball with vehicles. The two heavy-hitters really slug it out and land some brutal hits, but while Colossus is clearly outclassed - Juggernaut literally stomps on his face at one point - the metallic X-Man isn't one to shy away from a fight. What's more, he learns from Deadpool that he needs to fight dirty if he wants to survive the encounter. While the tall X-Man is giving it everything he's got, Juggernaut grabs a bus and tries to hit Colossus with it. Colossus dodges the attack, and unlike in the animated series' confrontation, the bus goes crashing into Essex's "Mutant Rehabilitation" building, conveniently giving Domino a way to let young mutants escape the structure. Lucky her.

Is Juggernaut trying to hit Colossus with a bus an intentional nod to X-Men The Animated Series? That's up to Deadpool 2's creative team to confirm, but even if it turns out to simply be a neat coincidence, it's still a pretty cool one.

Directed by David Leitch, Deadpool 2 features Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Stefan Kapičić as the voice of Colossus, and Karan Soni as Dopinder, with newcomers Zazie Beetz as Domino, Josh Brolin as Cable, Julian Dennison as Russell and Jack Kesy as Black Tom Cassidy. The film arrives Friday in theaters nationwide.

KEEP READING: Deadpool 2 Finally Gives Us THAT Crossover — Well, Sort of

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Deadpool 2 Brawl Takes a Page From X-Men: The Animated Series