Deadpool and Wolverine’s incredible opening song was in an X-Men movie with Hugh Jackman over 20 years ago

What a time to be alive

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Warning: Mild spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine ahead!

Deadpool and Wolverineis filled to the brim with various Easter eggs, references, and cameos – but there’s one you might have missed.

In the film’s opening scene, Deadpool slaughters a bunch of TVA agents to NSYNC’s 2000 smash hit “Bye Bye Bye.” The epic – and unexpected – opening features dancer Nick Pauley in the suit throwing down the classic music video choreography while Ryan Reynolds is in the suit snapping necks and throwing punches. The song choice seemed like an obvious pun, as Wade is saying “bye bye bye” to the agents that are trying to bring him back to the TVA for nefarious reasons. However, it’s not the first time the song has been featured in a movie starring Wolverine – and given how niche and specific the film’s references are, we doubt it was a coincidence.

In X-Men 2, which hit theaters in 2003, there’s a scene where Rogue (Anna Paquin), Pyro (Aaron Stanford), and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) are in a car. Wanting to relieve some tension, Pyro turns on the radio hoping for some calming music – but the three get blasted with “Bye Bye Bye” and swiftly shut the radio off. Check out the clip below.

Bye Bye Bye in X-Men 2 (2003) pic.twitter.com/qBnHdVO7LoJuly 31, 2024

Deadpool and Wolverine is in theaters now. If you’ve already seen the threequel (or want to know exactly what Jackman is laughing at), dive into our breakdown of theDeadpool and Wolverine ending, plus our guides toDeadpool and Wolverine cameos,Deadpool and Wolverine Easter eggs, and all theWolverine variantsandDeadpool variantsfeatured in the film.

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Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent’s Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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