Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman play Canadian superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Deadpool and Wolverine. So it was fitting Tuesday night that they brought their global tour in support of Deadpool & Wolverine, in theatres Friday, to a close in Toronto.
Reynolds, who co-writes and produces the new movie, smiled when he was reminded that the sarcastic Deadpool, otherwise known as Wade Wilson, hails from Regina, Sask.
“Yes, it rhymes with fun,” he joked, alongside Jackman.
But with Jackman’s mutant Wolverine hailing from Northern Alberta, the two heroes, who both possess regenerative healing powers thanks to the Weapons-X program, are the most well-known to come out of Canada.
That factoid gave Reynolds pause as he pondered a Canadian attribute that sticks out about the two characters.
“That’s interesting. I think (it’s their) grit more than anything,” Reynolds replied. “Wolverine more than anyone … Deadpool kind of obfuscates responsibility through humour and kind of plays around with that, while (Wolverine) leans towards unblinking violence. But I think it’s grit.”
“Toughness and grit, I agree,” Jackman added. “And heart.”
“The slogan for the movie is, ‘Let’s f—ing go,’” Reynolds quipped. “I think it should be, ‘Let’s f—ing go, eh!’”
Directed by Stranger Things vet Shawn Levy, the latest Marvel movie marks the first time Reynolds’ foul-mouthed Deadpool and Jackman’s gruff Wolverine are appearing in the MCU. Previously, both characters were owned by 20th Century Fox (which Disney acquired in 2019).
After debuting as the irreverent anti-superhero in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds got a crack at a solo movie with 2016’s Deadpool. Following a second sequel that was released two years later, the Vancouver-born actor pleaded with Jackman to suit up again as the adamantium clawed character. But there was only one problem: Jackman famously retired as Wolverine, with 2017’s Logan billed as his swan song.
“I meant it,” Jackman told Postmedia about his pronouncement. “But at the back of my head, after I saw the first Deadpool, which was about a week after announcing (I was retiring), I thought, ‘Hang on a sec. I think there’s something left to do.’ It took me a few years to come around to it and I rang Ryan and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Nine months later we were shooting.”
“How do you think I felt when he said he wasn’t going to do the role anymore?” Reynolds jokingly asked. “I had just finally finished getting Deadpool made and there we are, the table was set to have the greatest team-up ever and somebody decides to pursue other interests.”
But with the two now starring together in Deadpool & Wolverine, the lone MCU theatrical release of the year, Reynolds said it was perfect timing for the threequel.
“If this had happened three or four years ago, it wouldn’t have been right,” he explained. “This is the exact right time.”
Earlier in the week, during a virtual press conference, Jackman said fans would often speak to him about the rivalry between Deadpool and Wolverine from the comic books.
“We had a go at it with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but (after watching the first Deadpool) I could feel it. I could see it. It was Midnight Run. It was 48 Hrs. It was The Odd Couple; Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” he continued, referencing several famous buddy comedies. “It was all these great matchups that I could feel.”
But it took him a few years to come around to the idea of reappearing as the famous X-Men character.
“We toyed with the idea, but it was August 14, 2022. I don’t know why, I just knew every cell in my body was yelling at me, ‘I want to do this movie.’ So much so, that I pulled my car over and I rang Ryan because I knew they were getting close to filming (Deadpool 3) and I asked him and thankfully he said yes.”
After Marvel dabbled in multiverse storylines in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home and 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Deadpool & Wolverine jumps feetfirst into the concept to bring the two superheroes into the MCU by way of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) — which played a major role in Marvel’s Loki streaming series.
The Wolverine we meet in the film is a variant and — for the first time ever — Jackman suits up in the yellow suit made famous in the pages of the Marvel comics.
Levy — who is directing his first Marvel movie — says people were in tears at the sight.
“The first day on set is one of the days I’ll never forget because when Hugh stepped out in his yellow and blue, for the first time … Hugh was already an icon as Wolverine, but in the yellow and blue, it just went next level,” Levy said. “It was right off the panels of a comic book. You had grown men with tears in their eyes.”
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who produced the first X-Men movie back in 2000, said that execs at Fox resisted the idea of putting Jackman in the suit the first time around because they didn’t think it would be cool.
“There were studio execs in charge who knew that The Matrix had been a big hit and The Matrix has black leather, so (they said), ‘Let’s put them in black leather,’” Feige recalled.
Jackman said that the “highlight” of Deadpool & Wolverine was putting on the iconic yellow and blue superhero suit from the comics.
“Putting on that suit has been talked about from the very beginning, back in 1999,” Jackman said. But 25 years later, he admitted he wasn’t sure if audiences would buy the look.
“The moment I put it on, I remember walking out there with Ryan — him as Deadpool and me in the yellow and blue — and we were amongst this crew that had done hundreds of movies and seen everything. There was a hush and you could feel that everyone was thinking, ‘This is a moment that should have happened 24 years ago.’ I can’t imagine doing it any other way.”
In Toronto, Reynolds said making the movie was “a dream” come true. Bringing Deadpool & Wolverine to Canada for the final stop on a world tour that found the pair touching down in Korea, South America, London and New York City was “essential.”
“How could you not? Two characters that are entering the MCU for the very first time and both characters originate from Canada. So, of course we wanted to come to Canada. This movie and character is my mothership and Canada is my other mothership,” he said.
With the film about to hit theatres, Reynolds and Jackman are urging fans to avoid spoilers that will ruin the movie’s many surprises.
Until Monday night’s premiere in New York City, reporters were only shown the first 40 minutes.
Talking with Postmedia, Levy said he had an easy time keeping Marvel’s secrets under wraps.
“It’s really hard because I have a big mouth. I am really bad with secrets. But I live in constant fear of Marvel and of Hugh and Ryan, who are both so much bigger than me. I was scared they’d beat me up if I said anything,” he quipped.
But Jackman said that the fact that one cameo-saturated battle seen featuring a bevy of MCU characters has stayed hush-hush is a testament to Marvel fans. “They don’t want to spoil it for other fans,” he said.
“There’s a weird kind of camaraderie and solidarity about that,” Reynolds added. “They’re not spoiling anything.”
Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theatres this Friday.