“An epiphany masquerading as a midlife crisis”: Ryan Reynolds Didn’t Miss the Chance to Embarrass Hugh Jackman After Actor Agreed to Return as Wolverine for Deadpool 3

Marvel fans are finally getting the superhero team-up they have all been waiting for. Deadpool & Wolverine is coming to theaters, and this long-awaited collaboration brings together two of the most beloved superheroes, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Reynolds and Jackman have been friends long before they starred in this movie, and their playful banter off-screen has become almost as legendary as their characters on screen. Their hilarious chemistry is one of the main reasons that fans have been requesting this collaboration for a long time.

Ryan Reynolds Takes a Playful Dig at Hugh Jackman’s Return as Wolverine

Hugh Jackman had previously hung up his claws after his emotional farewell in Logan back in 2017, and everybody believed that was it. But that was not the case with Ryan Reynolds. He had been trying to get Jackman on board for a Deadpool-Wolverine team-up for years, and he wasn’t about to give up.

Reynolds made a couple of proposals at Marvel Studios, and some of them had quite wild outlines. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed that he proposed a low-budget idea where Deadpool and his taxi driver buddy Dopinder will go on a road trip, certain situations will come up along the way, and Deadpool will deal with them, and that’s it.

It was not until Jackman had an “epiphany” that things took a positive turn. Jackman said in the interview that he was just driving along one day when it hit him, and he couldn’t get the idea of Deadpool and Wolverine teaming up out of his head. Reynolds couldn’t resist poking fun at his friend’s sudden change of heart. He said,

An epiphany masquerading as a midlife crisis.

Although Reynold was joking about Jackman, he definitely has genuine love and respect for his friend. In the interview, he mentions that he is “always rooting for Hugh to score and win,” and he knows it is likewise from the other end as well. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, director Shawn Levy believes Deadpool and Wolverine are the perfect comedic duo. There is Deadpool, who is like a hyperactive kid in a superhero’s body, and he is paired with the gritty, mostly silent Wolverine. However, Levy also hints at the deep regret and darkness that both characters share.

Hugh Jackman’s Spontaneous Decision to Join Deadpool 3

Jackman’s decision to join Deadpool 3 was so spontaneous that he did not even consult his agent before agreeing to do the movie. In an interview with Fandango, he revealed that after he returned from his aforementioned drive, he immediately called Reynolds. Jackman said,

And I literally couldn’t wait to arrive, Soon as I arrived, I rang Ryan. And I just said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Like, I hadn’t rung my agent, no one. I had to ring my agent and said, ‘Oh, by the way, I have just committed to a movie.’

Jackman admitted that he really thought he was done with Wolverine after Logan. That movie gave the character such a perfect ending, and he didn’t want to mess with that. But the idea of teaming up with Deadpool was just too good to pass up.

However, not everyone was on board with the idea at first. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed in an interview with Empire that he actually advised Jackman not to come back, saying Logan was the perfect ending. But once he understood the approach they were taking, he got excited about the possibilities.

So how are they bringing Wolverine back without undoing Logan? It turns out this isn’t exactly the same Wolverine everyone has seen before. Jackman said in his Empire interview that they are using some Marvel timeline trickery to explore different sides of Wolverine that haven’t been shown yet.

Deadpool & Wolverine will release in theaters on July 26, 2024.