Ryan Reynolds is teasing the possible return of his iconic superhero Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actor, 49, said in an interview with Sunday Today that a fourth installment for the foul-mouthed character would look different after the success of Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024.
“I have some stuff kind of written, but I don’t think I am ever going to center him again,” Reynolds said on NBC’s weekend program.
He continued to deny a Deadpool standalone movie, adding, “He is a supporting character. He is a guy who is great in a group.”
Speculation has recently swirled over Deadpool’s potential appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, which premieres this December, although Reynolds played coy about his return in a 2024 interview.
“I would say that [director Shawn Levy] and I have been pretty clear,” Reynolds told Collider at the time. “I think, in the most loving way, because talk about the greatest uptown problem any human beings could have is a studio like that saying, ‘What’s next?’ Or ‘How can we make something else?’”
He said about Deadpool and Wolverine, “But this movie was made as a complete experience. It wasn’t meant to be a commercial for another movie. It wasn’t meant to be any of that stuff. And, I think I get a great deal of joy making a movie like that.
“But honestly, right in this moment, I have no idea if I’ll ever wear that Deadpool suit again — I hope I do — but I don’t know. Right now’s the time to just kind of hang it up for a bit and see what happens next.”
Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter later that year that he would like to see Deadpool work with either the Avengers or the X-Men without joining a superhero group.
He said at the time, “If he becomes either, we’re at the end. Deadpool works so well appearing with the X-Men and Avengers, but he always needs to stay an outsider. His ultimate dream is to be accepted and appreciated. But he can’t be accepted. His coping mechanism of deflecting shame through humor works only when used to pave over his many inadequacies. If and when he does become an Avenger or X-Man, we’re at the end of his journey.”
Deadpool officially entered the MCU with Deadpool and Wolverine, which became the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history after earning $1.3 billion at the global box office. The Deadpool franchise’s first two movies were released in 2016 and 2018.
