WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Free Guy, now in theaters.
In Free Guy, nobody is exactly as they seem. All player characters in the video game world of Free City choose an avatar, so a heavily tattooed biker could really be a nine-year-old girl, and Channing Tatum could secretly be a basement-dwelling nerd. As an NPC, Guy doesn't get to enjoy "changing skins" but director Shawn Levy puts the concept to good use by hiding some celebrity cameos in plain view by altering their avatars. And one of them just happens to be Ryan Reynolds' old nemesis.
Early on in Free Guy, Guy, who is an ordinary bank teller, crosses paths with the mysterious Molotovgirl (Jodie Comer) and is instantly smitten. He tries following her to strike up a conversation to no avail. She's intrigued that this NPC broke his standard behavioral pattern, but not curious enough to distract her from her mission.
See, Molotovgirl's real name is Millie Rusk. She is an indie game developer that sold her company to the mega-corporation Soonami Studios, which makes the Free City game. She and her programming partner Keys (Joe Keery) developed sophisticated AI for a virtual life simulator game they were working on called Life Itself. Though Soonami CEO Antwan (Taika Waititi) bought their company, he stole Millie's AI program and used it to power his debauched Grand Theft Auto-style open-world game instead. Antwan is planning on deleting the original game to release a sequel that leaves no trace of his theft, effectively killing Millie's lawsuit against him. With limited time, Millie heads into the world of Free City to uncover the truth.
Millie, as Molotovgirl, seeks out an information broker in a dingy alley and comes across a man heavily disguised with a mask. And Masked Player in Alley is voiced by none other than Hugh Jackman. This Masked Player has a video clip of Millie's game hidden somewhere within Free City. He sells the evidence at a high price, and Molotovgirl is willing to pay the credits; provided he doesn't ask any questions. Masked Player in Alley starts wondering why this clip is worth so much money to her and asks what its true significance really is when Molotovgirl turns around and shoots him. Don't say she didn't warn him. Though his avatar's appearance is unrecognizable, Masked Player's voice unmistakably belongs to Jackman.
This scenealso marks a reunion of sorts because Jackman previously acted in the 2011 film Real Steel, which Levy also directed. Reynolds and Jackman have a long, sordid The Prestige-esque rivalry dating back years now, so it's funny to see it continue in Free Guy. Their pretend feud featured heavily in both Deadpool films and has somehow outlived Jackman's tenure as Wolverine. Interestingly, it was Jackman who actually helped connect Reynolds and Levy to even make this film possible. While Jackman's cameo in Free Guy is brief, it helps get the ball rolling for Molotovgirl to discover the truth and expose Antwan as a thief.
To spot Hugh Jackman's cameo for yourself, watch Free Guy in theaters now.