Deadpool Fans Are Convinced One Taylor Swift Lyric Is An Easter Egg Just For Them
Taylor Swift has conquered the world of music, and it's long been rumored that the next step in her career is the movies.
She has her own eponymous production company, for one. In 2020, she starred in the documentary "Miss Americana," and in 2021, she directed a short film adapting her song "All Too Well," starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien. Aside from a handful of supporting roles in several films, she also took the 2023 box office by storm with the "Eras Tour" concert film.
Swift has a passionate fanbase, one that is famous for finding (or creating) supposedly hidden messages across her lyrics. Now, her newly released 11th album, "The Tortured Poets Department," has whipped up a new Swiftie theory.
The last track of "The Tortured Poets Department" — "Clara Bow" — concludes with the line: "The future's bright and dazzling." Fans jumped to the obvious conclusion; of course, Swift is hinting to her fans that Marvel Studios has cast her as the X-Men Dazzler/Alison Blaire. For the Marvel uninitiated, Dazzler is a mutant singer with the power to convert sound into light, making her an extra-skilled concert performer. In the Marvel Universe, Dazzler is a huge pop star, so when fans think up hypothetical casting, they usually pick real musicians — including Swift.
The theory continues that Swift will debut as Dazzler (whether as a mere cameo or harbinger of a larger role) in this year's "Deadpool & Wolverine" (which dropped a trailer shortly after Swift's album was released). After all, director Shawn Levy appeared in "All Too Well," so he theoretically has the connections to get Swift in his new movie.
Dazzler of the X-Men
Saying that Swift's word choice of "dazzling" means she's about to join the MCU is a "reach" puts it politely. But let's look past that.
I feel if Marvel had cast Taylor Swift, they'd be hyping it up. The company's in a bit of a slump and getting the Swifties on its side could be the box office shot in the arm it needs. "Eternals" keeping Harry Styles' post-credit scene cameo a surprise didn't save that picture from becoming one of Marvel's lowest-grossing.
Plus, Taylor Swift isn't just an artist, she's a brand — she's powerful enough to do whatever projects she wants. Would she really want to partner with a studio like Marvel, which famously keeps its creatives on a short leash, when she could easily get a movie of her own made?
Moreover, "dazzling" isn't an out-of-place word choice. It shows up in the song four times, the first three as part of the refrain "promise to be dazzling." The song is about a woman (representing Swift herself) gaining confidence, so it makes sense to end the song with a statement about her bright future.
That's not to say Swift couldn't play Dazzler. Fans cast musicians as the character because singing is an essential part of her character. Swift, as Dazzler, wouldn't need anyone to dub her over or autotune. Her melodic ballads are a bit different than Dazzler's disco-inspired pop, but hey, Swift's got range. She's also got an obvious talent for theatrical performance (check out her action-movie-inspired music video for "Bad Blood").
Furthermore, one of Swift's go-to artistic moves is writing songs about her relationships. (Sam Sanders of Vulture called her "The Greatest Self-Portraitist of Our Time.") Leah Williams and Carlos Gómez's "X-Terminators," where Dazzler hunts down her cheating, vampire ex with other X-Women? It's like a Taylor Swift song as a superhero comic.
Who can play Dazzler?
In 2019's underwhelming "X-Men" film "Dark Phoenix," Halston Sage had a small cameo as Dazzler. Looking ripped right from the comics, she gives a private concert for the students at Xavier's School.
This cameo, a non-sequitur in the movie, is because Dazzler debuted in the "Dark Phoenix Saga" comic arc (specifically "Uncanny X-Men" #130, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne). Yes, one of the silliest X-Men of all debuted in one of the darkest arcs. You see, Dazzler wasn't an invention of Claremont's. As chronicled by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, the company's VP of business affairs Alice Donenfeld suggested in 1979 that Marvel create a female singer character to capitalize on the disco fad.
Dazzler has never had much luck being a multi-media sensation. Marvel teamed up with Casablanca Records for an unmade TV special starring Dazzler (script written by Shooter). The project evolved into a movie starring Bo Derek, but never escaped development hell.
In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, filmmaker Cameron Crowe pitched a Dazzler movie starring Dua Lipa — which may not be mutually exclusive with Swift playing Dazzler thanks to Marvel's multiverse. Other actors/singers who fit include Sabrina Carpenter and Reneé Rapp. Beyoncé previously did voicework in the photorealistic 2019 "Lion King" and she can rival Swift's star power. Paramore's Hayley Williams has never acted in feature films, but she's a force on stage with a knack for vibrant outfits and making music cinematic (the music video for "Brick By Boring Brick" is a Guillermo del Toro homage).
Or, perhaps a certain blonde country-pop star should play the dazzling Miss Blaire after all.
"Deadpool & Wolverine" releases in theaters on July 26, 2024, so there are only a few months to go until we learn if Taylor Swift's future is really dazzling.