You probably remember the wood chipper. It’s the kind of cinematic image that sticks with you, mostly because it’s so aggressively gross and sudden.
In 2018, Bill Skarsgard appeared in Deadpool 2 for about as long as it takes to microwave a burrito. He played Axel Cluney, better known by the codename Zeitgeist. If you blinked, or maybe just looked down to grab a handful of popcorn, you might have missed the fact that the guy under the yellow mask was the same actor who had just traumatized the entire world as Pennywise the Clown in IT.
It was a weird choice. A "why is he even here?" kind of moment.
But looking back from 2026, Skarsgard’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tenure in the X-Force wasn't just a random cameo. It was a masterclass in how the Deadpool franchise subverts superhero tropes by burning through A-list talent for a single, high-concept punchline.
Who Was Zeitgeist Anyway?
Honestly, the name "Zeitgeist" sounds like he should be able to control the collective consciousness or maybe predict the next big fashion trend. Nope. His actual mutant power is much more... moist.
Axel Cluney vomits acidic bile.
That’s it. That’s the power. He wears a protective mouthguard because, naturally, having a mouth full of corrosive liquid is a logistical nightmare for your teeth.
In the comics—specifically X-Force #116—Zeitgeist was actually the leader of a celebrity-obsessed version of the team. He was arrogant, fame-hungry, and ended up dying in his very first issue. The movie takes that brief, tragic comic history and turns it into a gore-soaked comedy routine.
The Best Joke in Deadpool 2
The buildup was legendary. The trailers for the sequel made a massive deal out of the X-Force. We saw Terry Crews, Lewis Tan, and Bill Skarsgard looking like absolute badasses in the back of a cargo plane. Fans were speculating about future spin-offs. We thought we were seeing the birth of a new franchise pillar.
Then they jumped out of the plane.
High winds—which Wade Wilson completely ignored—turned the grand entrance into a slaughterhouse. While Deadpool crashed into a billboard and Domino landed safely (because luck is a superpower, fight me), the rest of the team met some of the most creative deaths in Marvel history.
Bill Skarsgard’s Zeitgeist met his end in a wood chipper.
It’s a brutal scene. He gets sucked in feet-first. But the real "Deadpool" twist? Peter, the powerless, mustachioed "everyman" played by Rob Delaney, rushes over to help him. In his final death throes, Zeitgeist accidentally spews his acidic vomit all over Peter, dissolving the poor guy’s arm and killing him too.
It was a double-kill of comedy and horror.
Why Put a Massive Star in Such a Small Role?
You have to wonder why an actor of Skarsgard's caliber—who was at the peak of his IT fame—would agree to a role where his face is covered for half the time and he dies in five minutes.
It’s about the "anti-movie."
Ryan Reynolds and director David Leitch wanted to mock the very idea of the "superhero team-up." By casting someone as recognizable as Skarsgard (and Brad Pitt as the invisible Vanisher), they inflated the audience's expectations just to pop them like a balloon.
Skarsgard has always had a bit of a "chaos gremlin" energy in his career choices. Just look at his recent work in Dead Man's Wire (2025) or his upcoming turn as Little John in The Death of Robin Hood (2026). He likes roles that allow him to be physical, weird, and slightly unrecognizable. Playing a guy who pukes acid into a wood chipper fits that vibe perfectly.
The "Wasted Talent" Argument
Some fans still feel a little cheated. Screen Rant and various Reddit threads have argued for years that the Fox X-Men universe "wasted" Skarsgard. They point to his voice role as Kro in Eternals as another example of Marvel underutilizing one of the best physical actors of our generation.
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I get it. Skarsgard is a chameleon.
But I’d argue the "waste" is exactly why the joke works. If Zeitgeist had been played by a random stuntman, the death would have been a "cool effect." Because it’s Bill Skarsgard, the death is a statement. It tells the audience: "No one is safe, and nothing is sacred."
What We Learned from Axel Cluney
If you're revisiting the film or just curious about how Bill Skarsgard ended up in Deadpool 2, here are the takeaways:
- Expectation Subversion: The X-Force sequence is a parody of the high-stakes team assembly we see in Avengers or Justice League.
- Comic Accuracy (Sort of): While the death was different, the spirit of Zeitgeist dying immediately matches his original 2001 comic debut.
- The Cameo Culture: This paved the way for the even more insane cameos we saw in Deadpool & Wolverine, proving that big stars are more than happy to show up just to die for a laugh.
If you’re looking to track Skarsgard’s evolution from acidic mutant to legitimate powerhouse, his 2025-2026 slate is the place to look. Between the IT: Welcome to Derry series and his more dramatic turns, he’s moved far beyond the wood chipper.
But for those of us who appreciate the darker side of superhero comedy, Axel Cluney will always be a legend. A very short-lived, very gross legend.
Next Step: Check out the "Peter" Twitter archive (if it's still live in your region) to see the original promotional posts where they "introduced" the X-Force members—it's a goldmine of deadpan humor that makes the eventual movie deaths even funnier.