Split image of Pyro in X-men the last stand looking at his hand in front of pyro in marvel comics wreathed in fire

One Marvel star confirmed to be returning for Deadpool & Wolverine has roasted an X-Men: The Last Stand villain costume, calling it an “ensemble from Hot Topic.” As trailers and images continue to emerge, the highly anticipated selection of Deadpool & Wolverine cameos from prior Marvel movie stars are steadily being revealed. This has brought anticipation to a fever pitch as fans expect plenty more. Though there is no sign yet of their leader – Ian McKellen’s Magneto – most of the villainous mutants from Fox’s X-Men franchise have seemingly made the cut as they nonetheless continue to appear.

Among the first to be revealed was Aaron Stanford’s Pyro, who recently joined the Deadpool & Wolverine press tour to tell Entertainment Weekly that he thought his X-Men: The Last Stand outfit paled in comparison to his new one. Stanford appeared in the record-breaking first trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, where he could be seen sporting an outfit with a distinctly apocalyptic vibe – although the goggles were, at least, far more faithful to the comics than what he received in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Stanford wasn’t shy about pointing this out himself, as his full comments can be read below:

“In the original X-Men films, Pyro gets really shortchanged in terms of a costume. In X2, we start off with Pyro in Xavier’s School for Gifted Mutants. The SWAT team bursts in in the middle of the night and we have to flee. So for half the movie, I’m in my jammies. I never got the cool leather, tactical suit that all the X-Men wear. And in X3, I was just dressed in an ensemble from Hot Topic, basically. So to have him be in a proper superhero costume that was actually taken from the comics themselves was very cool.”

Why Pyro’s Costume In Deadpool & Wolverine Is So Much Better Than X-Men: The Last Stand

Pyro with the Brotherhood of Mutants in X-Men The Last Stand

There is a lot to be said for superhero movie costumes that remain faithful to the comics – as exemplified by the furor sparked by Wolverine’s own comic-accurate costume reveal. This is something that Fox’s X-Men franchise famously shied away from in an era when superhero movies weren’t as reliably bankable as they are today, a notion that Cyclops’ notorious “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?” line hammered home. As the MCU would eventually show, comic accuracy instead leans into the ostentatious nature of comic books without the need to skimp on (more) realism.

This is why Pyro’s outfit Deadpool & Wolverine much better. By swapping a hoodie and jacket for something more unusual yet substantial, he stands out in a way that is befitting for a mutant that can control infernos. Besides, a thick vest with a red undershirt, thick gloves and goggles is perfectly practical for the same reason, while capitalizing on the Mad Max and post-apocalyptic aesthetic that seems to define the Void in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Although the Void is yet to be confirmed in Deadpool & Wolverine , Alioth’s presence in the trailers suggests that this is where much of the movie takes place.

Finally, Stanford has a good point in associating the outfit with Hot Topic, as he is not the only character in Fox’s X-Men franchise whose design looks particularly dated decades down the line. Nonetheless, it is Fox that delivered the MCU’s greatest superhero suit to date in Deadpool, so it is safe to say that the franchise could have probably followed suit with Pyro had he reappeared before joining the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine.