Here’s a return no one saw coming: Aaron Stanford is appearing as the mutant Pyro in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” reprising his role from “X2: X-Men United” and “X-Men: The Last Stand.” It feels like the movie settling for whatever cameo it can secure (Stanford isn’t exactly a star, although he did lead the “12 Monkeys” TV series) since Pyro is very much a B-lister among the X-Men.

St. John Allerdyce (just John Allerdyce in the movies) has the mutant ability of pyrokinesis, or controlling fire (hence his adopted name of Pyro). However, it comes with a caveat. Unlike, say, Firebenders from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” or Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, from “Fullmetal Alchemist”, Pyro can’t create fire. Hence, his comic costume has a dual hose flamethrower (with the tubes affixed to his wrist) to create the flames for him, which he can then manipulate.

Mr. Allerdyce is Australian (with the accent to show it), continuing the trend started in the reboot “Giant-Size X-Men” #1 work to make “X-Men” more international (Wolverine was Canadian, Storm African, Nightcrawler German, and Colossus Russian) — mutants are children of the world, not just the United States.

Reportedly, artist John Byrne (co-creator of Pyro) intended to make the character gay, but writer Chris Claremont overruled him. Making an “X-Men” character whose whole persona is a pun on “flaming homosexual” sounds a lot like Byrne.

Pyro in the X-Men comics

Pyro debuts in the famous “X-Men” comic arc “Days of Future Past” (which inspired the 2014 movie). He’s part of Mystique’s new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, alongside precognitive Destiny, earth-moving Avalanche, and the immovable Blob; the Brotherhood debuts in costume on the final page of “Uncanny X-Men” issue #141, aka “Days of Future Past” part 1.

The Brotherhood intends to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly, an anti-mutant demagogue. Unbeknownst to them, Kelly’s death will result not in mutant dominance, but mutant extinction at the hands of robotic Sentinels. Kate Pryde, once the teenage X-Man Shadowcat, travels back in time (possessing her younger self) to stop Kelly’s assassination and change the future.  Thanks to Kate, the X-Men show up to battle the Brotherhood (the battle unfolds in issue #142).

Pyro uses his power creatively, not simply blasting flames at the X-Men but forming the fire into the shape of a monster. It takes Storm calling down a monsoon to defeat him.

Pyro endured as a member of the Brotherhood (even if they later rebranded as Freedom Force, employed by the U.S. government). Every “X-Men” cartoon has followed suit (including the failed pilot “Pryde of the X-Men”), depicting Pyro as a “muscle” super-villain employed by Mystique or Magneto. It helps that his powers are easy to understand and depict in action scenes.

The animated Pyro closest to the comics is the one from the 1992 “X-Men” cartoon, where he’s also part of the Brotherhood and has the same costume as the comic iteration (Pyro is one of the mutants on Magneto’s side charging against the X-Men in the series’ opening title sequence). The “X-Men” animated series even adapted “Days of Future Past” for its first season finale; some details were rearranged, but Pyro’s supporting role wasn’t.

Future versions of Pyro

In the early 1990s (after Claremont had been forced off “X-Men”), writer Fabian Nicieza introduced the Legacy Virus, a mutant killing disease (and clear AIDS allegory). Pyro was one of the infected. Slowly dying gave him time to think and regret, so Pyro dies saving Senator Kelly from another assassination attempt in 2001’s “Cable” #87 (written by Robert Weinberg, penciled by Michael Ryan). This brought Pyro’s character full circle and changed Kelly’s mind about mutants.

Of course, this is Marvel Comics, where no one really stays dead (except Uncle Ben). When mutant-kind settles on the island of Krakoa in 2019, they invent a way to revive the dead by combining mutant powers such as telepathy, time manipulation, etc. They get to work reviving long-dead mutants to let them share in paradise. Pyro is one of the first revived; not because he’s important, but because he isn’t and thus useful as a “lab rat.” From there, Pyro joined the cast of “Marauders” (by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli), sailing the seven seas as part of Captain Kate Pryde’s crew to bring mutant refugees to Krakoa.

Robert Kirkman (author of “Invincible”) introduced Pyro to “Ultimate X-Men” (a separate continuity) in 2007. Continuing with the original Pyro’s heroic death, this Pyro wanted to join the X-Men. He was not a member of the Brotherhood, but the Morlocks (sewer-dwelling mutants who can’t pass as human). Unlike the devilishly handsome and blond-haired original, Ultimate Pyro was covered in burn scars from spending so much time near fire.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Pyro doesn’t have the scars, but his costume resembles “Ultimate” Pyro (yellow torso, red sleeves, and goggles).

Pyro in the X-Men movies

Pyro in the “X-Men” movies is (1) American and (2) Initially introduced as a student at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. He makes a cameo in “X-Men” (played by Alexander Burton) but only comes into prominence in “X2.” In keeping with the movie’s stripped-down aesthetic, this Pyro doesn’t have a costume and wields only a cigarette lighter from which to make fire.

Pyro is a bad boy from the beginning and is slowly seduced by Magneto’s (Ian McKellen) mutant supremacist rhetoric (Magneto tells Pyro he’s a “God among insects”). His role as an X-Men student converted to Magneto’s rhetoric is similar to Quentin Quire/Kid Omega, star of the incendiary arc “Riot at Xavier’s.”

At the end of “X2,” Pyro leaves with Magneto and Mystique, and in “The Last Stand,” he’s Magneto’s lieutenant, having traded in his lighter for a wrist-mounted flamethrower. The movies play Pyro as an evil rival to Bobby Drake/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore); it’s a pretty intuitive pairing given their opposite powers. In fact, Pyro’s last scene in the “X-Men” movies is a duel with Iceman where they blast fire/ice at each other — Iceman wins.

After that, Pyro disappeared until “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Given he’s a minor character and the movie will be exploring the multiverse (home to many Pyro variants), I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s being brought back as cannon fodder.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is scheduled for release on July 26, 2024.