After months of speculation, rumors, and a brief flirtation with professional weirdo Michael Shannon, 20th Century Fox has officially ended its search for the role of Cable in Deadpool 2 — and they’re borrowing an actor from the MCU. Josh Brolin is heading over to the X-Men universe, where he’ll go toe-to-toe with Ryan Reynolds’ Merc With a Mouth in the highly-anticipated sequel to last year’s record-breaking box-office hit.

No, it’s not just you: According to THR, Brolin did sort of come out of left field to snatch up the highly-coveted and much-touted role of the mutant antagonist who’s set to make his debut in Deadpool 2. Many names have been rumored over the last several months, with the shortlist reportedly including Stranger Things star David Harbour and, more recently, Michael Shannon — now that would have been something. Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe’s names were also rumored for the role of Cable, a character who has a particularly significant comic-book history with Deadpool, and whose involvement in the movie sequel was teased at the end of the first film.

As previously reported, Cable isn’t a one-and-done role — Brolin has signed on for four films total, and the character is poised to headline the long-developing X-Force movie. Brolin joins a cast that also includes returning players Ryan Reynolds, T.J. Miller, and Morena Baccarin, as well as Atlanta star Zazie Beetz in the role of mutant mercenary Domino.

With his casting in Deadpool 2, Brolin now has two superhero franchises under his belt — the actor is also currently filming Avengers: Infinity War, in which he reprises the role of the villainous Thanos in what’s expected to be Marvel’s biggest film to date.

Deadpool 2 begins filming this summer for a 2018 release.

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