Ryan Reynolds has opened up about a major twist that almost made it into Deadpool and Wolverine, the permanent death of Wade Wilson.
In a recent appearance on The Box Office podcast, the 48-year-old actor revealed that he and the creative team actually considered ending the fan-favorite character’s story for good.
“There’s always the thought of killing Deadpool in the last one,” Reynolds said. “We reworked that third act for 45 days straight.” Reynolds, along with editors Shane Reid and Dean Zimmerman and director Shawn Levy, went back and forth on whether the iconic anti-hero should survive.
The turning point came when a fight scene set to Madonna’s Like a Prayer was added. The music choice helped shift the tone, and the team decided to keep Deadpool alive. “I’m such a needle-drop person,” Reynolds admitted, “but I’m really working hard to embrace score. Rob Simonsen helped us blend it all and hit the emotional note we were looking for.”
Marvel Studios also leaned into the decision. According to Reynolds, “Studios are like, of course, it’d be fun to play around with this guy in the future, because he’s a cheat code. He can say things that everyone might be thinking, and it gets you out of trouble.”
The movie served as a send-off to the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel films, which ended in 2019 with Dark Phoenix. “It was emotionally resonant,” Reynolds said. “People thought Deadpool was entering the MCU, ‘Who are we going to see? Jon Favreau? Nope. Nobody else.’ We looked back instead of forward.”
Despite the farewell vibes, it doesn’t look like Deadpool is done just yet. The Hollywood Reporter recently shared that Reynolds is in early talks for a new Marvel film featuring a team-up between Deadpool and a few X-Men characters. In this potential project, Deadpool would take on more of a supporting role.
Reynolds has been open about the idea. In a chat with Andrew Garfield for Variety’s Actors on Actors, he said, “Honestly, my feeling is that the character works very well in two ways. One is scarcity and surprise.”
He added, “We made Deadpool and Wolverine to be a complete experience, not a commercial for another one. Deadpool’s a supporting character more than he is the centre. If he comes back, it’s gonna be in someone else’s movie.”
So while Wade Wilson may not lead another solo outing anytime soon, don’t count him out just yet. With Reynolds still game and Marvel interested, Deadpool’s chaotic charm could pop up again, just not where you expect.
