You probably remember the moment in Deadpool 2 when the floor of the convoy truck starts to buckle. The sheer mass of whatever is inside is terrifying. Then, out steps a massive, metal-domed behemoth that actually looks like the Juggernaut from the comics—not the weirdly proportioned version we got in 2006.
But if you sat through the credits waiting to see which massive bodybuilder or A-list star played him, you might have been confused. The credits famously listed Juggernaut as being played by "Himself."
In reality, the Deadpool 2 Juggernaut actor was hiding in plain sight the entire time. It wasn't one person. It was a "village," as the creators put it. And the voice? It belonged to the same guy who was already wearing the red spandex.
The Secret Identity of Cain Marko
Let’s get the big reveal out of the way: Ryan Reynolds is the voice of Juggernaut in Deadpool 2.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Reynolds was already playing Wade Wilson, playing the "real" Ryan Reynolds in the post-credits scenes, and then he decided to take on the most iconic X-Men powerhouse too. Honestly, it wasn't even the original plan. According to Reynolds, he provided the voice as a "temp" track during post-production. They intended to find a permanent voice actor later, but the budget was getting tight.
They realized that Reynolds' "Brooklyn brawler" delivery, once modulated and pitched down to a subterranean bass level, worked perfectly. It saved the production money and added another layer to the meta-narrative Reynolds loves so much.
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But while Ryan provided the voice and the attitude, he wasn't the only one "acting" as the character.
A Director With a Massive Face
If you look closely at Juggernaut’s facial expressions—the way his mouth moves when he says he's going to "shove that cab driver" up Deadpool’s backside—you aren't looking at Ryan Reynolds. You’re looking at the director, David Leitch.
Leitch, who has a legendary background as a stunt performer and director of John Wick and Atomic Blonde, provided the facial motion capture. During the editing process, it became more efficient for the director to just jump into the mo-cap rig himself rather than hiring a specialist.
So, we have a weird cinematic hybrid:
- Voice: Ryan Reynolds.
- Facial Expressions: David Leitch.
- On-Set Reference: Various stunt performers (including a 6'5" performer for scale).
- Animation: Framestore (the VFX team that built the digital body).
Why This Version Changed Everything
For years, fans were pretty salty about Juggernaut’s previous live-action appearance. Vinnie Jones played him in X-Men: The Last Stand, and while Jones is a tough guy, a human in a muscle suit just couldn't capture the "unstoppable force" vibe.
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The Deadpool 2 team—writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick—were obsessed with "fixing" the character. They wanted a Juggernaut that was actually ten feet tall and capable of ripping a person in half.
The choice to go fully CGI allowed them to make him a true monster. It also allowed for that brutal fight between Colossus and Juggernaut, which remains one of the best "big guy" brawls in superhero movie history.
The Stunt Double Struggle
Even though Juggernaut was CGI, the actors on set still had to fight something. Stefan Kapičić, the actor who provides the voice and facial capture for Colossus, actually had no idea who was playing his opponent for most of the shoot.
Kapičić has mentioned in interviews that he’d be working on scenes with Reynolds, and then suddenly see Ryan jumping into a mo-cap suit to do reference work for the character he was about to fight. It kept the set energy chaotic and creative.
To get the height right, the crew often used a smaller stunt performer (around 5'7") to fight a much taller actor (around 6'5") to simulate the scale difference between a normal human and a mutant behemoth. They didn't even record "mo-cap" in the traditional sense on set; it was mostly used as a visual guide for the animators later.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Credits
There’s a common myth that a famous uncredited wrestler played the role. While it’s true that wrestlers are often tapped for these types of parts, Juggernaut truly was a digital creation.
The "Himself" credit was a joke, a classic Deadpool move to keep the mystery alive during the opening weekend. It’s the same movie that featured Brad Pitt as The Vanisher for exactly three frames of film. The production was a revolving door of cameos, but Juggernaut was the only one that required the leading man to talk to himself in the recording booth.
How to Spot the Reynolds Influence
Next time you watch the movie, listen closely to the cadence. Even with the heavy digital modulation, Juggernaut has that specific "Reynolds" timing.
The way he delivers lines like, "I'm going to rip you in half now," has a slight comedic beat that feels very much in line with the rest of the film's humor. It’s less of a generic "movie monster" growl and more of a character with a short fuse and a very specific vocabulary.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you're a filmmaker or just a huge Marvel nerd, there are a few things to take away from how the Deadpool 2 Juggernaut actor situation was handled:
- Necessity is the mother of invention: The "temp voice" becoming the final voice is a great example of how budget constraints can lead to iconic creative choices.
- Scale matters: If you're doing a CGI character, don't be afraid to go big. The reason the 2018 Juggernaut worked is because he looked like he belonged in a comic book, not a gym.
- Look for the "Village": Modern characters are rarely just one actor. They are a combination of voice talent, mo-cap performers, and digital artists.
If you want to see more of how this came together, check out the "Deadpool’s Lips Are Sealed" featurette on the Blu-ray. It shows David Leitch actually doing the facial capture and gives a much better look at the raw footage before the VFX team turned him into a giant in a metal helmet.
To see the direct contrast, you can re-watch X-Men: The Last Stand and compare the physicality. The difference between a guy in a suit and a fully realized digital Juggernaut shows exactly why the "village" approach won out.