Kevin Feige Explains Why Marvel Spoiled Dafne Keen’s X-23 Return in Final ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer

“Deadpool & Wolverine” has been pegged as a cameo-filled affair that sees the return of several mutants and other beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While the majority of these appearances have remained a secret, Marvel let one surprise out of the bag in the final trailer for the superhero threequel: the return of Dafne Keen’s X-23 from the 2017 film “Logan.”

According to Marvel chief Kevin Feige, there were a few reasons why the studio decided to spoil the X-23 surprise one week before “Deadpool & Wolverine’s” theatrical release.

“Dafne really wanted to go to the premiere and we said, ‘Well, she really can’t come to the premiere because it would be a spoiler.’ We hadn’t shown it yet,” Feige told Variety at the “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere on Monday night in New York City.

Luckily for Keen, Disney wanted to unveil the character in the trailer because X-23’s appearance teases “an emotional core of the movie,” Feige explained, adding that Disney marketing knows “exactly when to push a little forward and pull a little back.”

Marvel ultimately agreed that X-23 should be included because, Feige said, “it was great in the final trailer” and “that meant Dafne could come to the premiere.”

“Deadpool & Wolverine” marks the return of Hugh Jackman as the animalistic mutant after saying farewell in “Logan.” Ryan Reynolds, who dons the Merc with a Mouth’s red suit for the third time, said he and Jackman wanted the film to deliver two things: joy and a complete experience.

“The thing I’m most proud of is every frame of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is thoughtful in the sense that we spent so much time and so much detail, and paid so much attention to the detail in every single moment… and it just pays off,” Reynolds told reporters.

“I think both of us had such high expectations for the movie,” Jackman said. “So, yeah there’s risk because we wanted this to exceed those expectations, and both of these characters mean so much to us. Our friendship is one of the most important things in my life. So, we wanted to be as great as we could be, and thankfully for me, it’s exceeded every one.”

“Deadpool & Wolverine” debuts in theaters Friday.

See more photos from the premiere below.