Let’s be honest: no one needs another reason to ship Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds because they have just about everything someone would want in a relationship. They’re funny and playful, but they also show up for each other, supporting their professional goals and publicly praising the other (all this, and they are raising four children). We love them, you love them, and it’s impossible not to, right?! But the pair got everyone’s attention again when they attended the premiere of Lively’s new film, It Ends With Us.

It was a big night, as Lively promoted her new romance/drama (which was created on a tiny budget), and Reynolds was right there to support her. She looked stunning in a vintage Versace midi dress (which may have also been a nod to Britney Spears, as the superstar had worn it 20 years prior). In a clip from the event, which was shared on TikTok by user aleshossy19, you can see Reynolds giving an interview, and Lively walks past him. The pair say nothing, but Lively playfully taps her husband’s butt and keeps walking. She is also filmed with the biggest smile on her face!

Her actions are completely in line with what we know about their relationship, but the best part is that Reynolds did not even turn around to see who it was … he just knew! Fans have highlighted this interaction, and the comment section of the video is filled with people who ship Lively and Reynolds.

Fans react to Blake Lively giving Ryan Reynolds a little tap

TikToker aleshossy19 captioned the post with a message we can all agree with, as she wrote, “I love them.” Fans have reacted with support for the relationship. “The fact he knew it was her cause he didnt look back omg,” a comment reads. “He doesn’t even flinch,” another shared.

Other reactions include, “She’s so real for that,” “Absolutely no flinch response to this means it’s their normal…AND I LOVE IT!!,” and “I love how normal she is! Fame hasn’t ruined her or Ryan! Love and appreciate them!”

Lively and Reynolds’ met in 2010 on the set of Green Lantern (at the time, Lively was dating fellow Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley, and Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johannson). It wasn’t until the following year that things between them turned romantic, and by September 2012, they were married. In the years that have followed, they’ve shared a glimpse into their relationship on social media and in interviews.

They make an exceptional team, and this is something Lively has addressed before. “Everything we do in life we do together,” she told Vogue in 2014. “If I’m working on a movie, he helps me with my character; I do the same with him. Picking out a coffee table. What we’re going to eat. He’s a beautiful writer — he’s written a lot of stuff for us. And he’s got a great barometer, and he knows me, so he will tell me if it’s not as good as it can be.”

The third time around, Ryan Reynolds’ trademark character has inspired more fanfare than ever before. And there’s no guessing as to why.

Finally, after Marvel’s domination on the big screen, the Merc With the Mouth has entered the MCU. Deadpool (Reynolds) has had his taste of the limelight since his first solo venture in 2016, but Disney’s merger with Fox has invited him to the big leagues. In Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds has done the impossible by convincing Hugh Jackman to return as the ball of fury with claws as they head out to save the universe from destruction. The film has been a return to form for Marvel which has candidly been plateauing since 2019’s Endgame. But this time around, fans have returned to the theater in droves, including one particular sect of viewers with all one thing in common.

A Deadpool screening was overwhelmed with Ryans

In a display that would make Reynolds himself proud, an entire screening was filled out with an audience exclusively named Ryan. Under the TikTok handle, Ryan Meetup, the event was chronicled for all of the internet to witness. Each Ryan in attendance was gifted a Deadpool shirt and they were treated to Ryan-specific advertisements. One Ryan even brought some Aviation gin. Together, they enjoyed one of the best MCU films in recent memory, along with a special guest.

Ryan Meetup acknowledged that they would be remiss if they did not invite a Hugh, since Reynolds invited the famous Jackman to appear alongside him. In this tongue-in-cheek manner, they welcomed a Hugh whose last name was Ryan. All in all, the viewing seemed to be a success. If nothing else, it brought joy to the social media platform for a time.

“Now this is boys will be boys,” commenter Lee posted to a typical response from Ryan Meetup: “Ryans being Ryans.”

Ryan Meetup was so so committed to the bit that they fully endorse changing one’s name to Ryan just so more people can contribute to these events. One bystander in the video allegedly changed her name while they pushed this agenda further in the comments.

“I wanna be called Ryan. not fair,” bob posted. Ryan Meetup was quick to respond: “You can change your name, we have the paperwork.”

This is not the first example of Ryans meeting up, either. Ryan Meetup has done a collection of similar events, which can be found at https://ryanmeetup.com/events. The group has previously put together events including Rytoberfest, St. Ryan’s Day, and Ryami Vice, all with the purpose of meeting more people named Ryan. Per Deadline, Deadpool & Wolverine recently crossed the $900 million mark at the box office, and while there is no confirmation that Ryan Meetup helped, it certainly couldn’t have hurt.

Blake Lively is known for many things. Her acting, her Gossip Girl role, and her awesome marriage to Ryan Reynolds, to name just a few. However, she does have a special skill that doesn’t get enough recognition.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have been together for over a decade and they’re one of the most beloved Hollywood couples. It’s not just because they have amazing chemistry and look amazing together — although that does help — but because of how comfortable they are around one another and how much they tease each other. However, when things get serious, they also know how to support and be there for each other.

In several interviews, Reynolds has praised Lively for a special skill that Hollywood often overlooks. Lively, too, has doubled down on her comments that people are usually interested in activities that are generally considered for women, like baking.

Blake Lively has an eye for script improvements

In several interviews, Reynolds credited his wife for coming up with the snarky remarks in several of his movies. The actor is very hands-on during production and notes that Lively has a special talent for finding improvements where no one can.

“She’s helped me so much in Deadpool, all kinds of movies that have been big successes,” Reynolds explained to Sirius XM. “There’s a lot of A++ writing that I’ve done that was actually Blake; Blake would jump in, grab the keyboard and [say] ‘What about this?’ And I’d be like, ‘That’s incredible’.”

The actor continued, “Maybe it’s cause there’s inherent sexism in the business. I will say that a lot of times, ‘She wrote that, Blake wrote that not me. That was her.’ And it’s like, they still, later on, repeat the story as ‘I wrote it.’”

During her latest interview with Vogue for the September cover issue, Lively echoed a similar sentiment, telling the magazine: “My husband did an interview where they asked, ‘What’s something surprising that people don’t know about your wife?’ And he said: ‘It’s that she’s a writer. She writes on every movie she works on.’ And the interviewer said: ‘And the baking? And the baking, right? She’s a great baker.’ It was just such an interesting moment. I don’t know if it’s a female thing or not. They want to talk about the baking.”

She noted in the interview that she doesn’t find a blank page appealing, but loves finding scenes that could use a magical touch.

Lively has many special qualities, does many impressive things, is the mother to four children, and, yes, enjoys cooking and baking. With her being an actress, it’s unnerving to process that even an A-list star like herself can be subjected to the same mundane, even a little sexist, questions as the rest of the world. However, considering how Lively’s famous friend, Taylor Swift, is often judged for not having children and not being married, it shouldn’t be surprising that people want to focus on Lively’s looks or her interest in stereotypical activities rather than her real skills.

We can’t deny Ryan Reynolds is talented and hilarious, and no one else could have done a better job at playing Deadpool. Despite his obvious talents. One of the best things about him is how appreciative he is of his fellow stars, and his recent tribute to Jennifer Garner is getting everyone’s attention.

Fans of the Marvel Universe were thrilled to see Garner return to the screen as Elektra Natchios (and she worked hard to get into peak shape for her performance). But Reynolds may have been the most excited of all. He recently took to Instagram to share a bunch of photos of them working together, both onscreen and off.

“This @jennifer.garner person. She has a blackbelt in nice, but has inside her, an unblinking hurricane of vengeance. I’ve worked with Jen twice now. She brings a completely different scope of skills to each movie but can’t hide one detail… I don’t care how talented someone is, you can’t hide humanity. She’s not only one of my favourite performers, she’s one of my favourite people.”

He ended his message by informing fans that he “owes her” and praised her for being “a baller.” But the burning question here is, does Garner feel the same about working with Reynolds? And more importantly, is there a possibility of them working together for the third time? 

Jennifer Garner responds to Ryan Reynolds’ tribute 

Jennifer Garner not only saw Ryan Reynolds’s tribute, she reacted to it with great enthusiasm. “I’ll fight bad guys for you any day,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. She also thanked Reynolds for his “years of kindness and generosity.” There could not have been a better response because it has given us hope that there are more collaborations to come.

Fans have reacted to Reynolds’ Instagram post and it’s clear they want to see more of Elektra in the future. Reactions include “Truly screamed when I saw her,” “Seeing her on-screen as Elektra again was INCREDIBLE!!!!,” and “The daredevil joke was the funniest part of the movie she was like ‘meh.’”

Reynolds has also been praised for how gracious he has been throughout his work on Deadpool. “The best part of the whole movie, to me, is how appreciative you have been to the other actors and actresses for reprising their roles from years past,” a comment reads. “You’ve always been one of my favorite actors, but this just shows how good of a person you are as well.”

Let’s face it; streaming services are primarily the places that people go to for poorly-crafted background noise in the form of uninspired actioners, tepid erotic thrillers, or overly-commercialized rom-coms. It’s a sad reality, but a reality nonetheless.

But often enough, these readily-available film libraries are also the drop-zone for prominent blockbusters that are gearing up for a second life, and they’ll fight to death to earn that, even if Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman—the joint kings of the box office at the moment thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine—are among the casualties.

Per FlixPatrol‘s scores for Aug. 7, the Jackman-led Van Helsing is no match for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s explosive reign atop the worldwide Max film rankings. Reynolds, meanwhile, has failed to fend off one Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes with his pair of prior Deadpool movies, and the Wes Ball-directed continuation of one of the greatest modern sci-fi franchises has summited the Disney Plus worldwide film rankings as a result.

The Deadpool & Wolverine woes don’t end there, however, as Henry Cavill’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has narrowly lost out to Dave Bautista’s My Spy: The Eternal City in the realm of Prime Video’s worldwide film rankings. Cavill, of course, cameoed as a Wolverine variant in the MCU money magnet, and if a great many comic book movie fans have their way, it won’t be the last we see of “Cavillrine.”

And even Sandy Cheeks of SpongeBob SquarePants fame got her licks in, with the Netflix original Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie dominating the streamer’s worldwide film charts, leaving Reynolds’ The Hitman’s Bodyguard in the dust at ninth place.

Indeed, the Deadpool & Wolverine talent may be set to cross a billion dollars at the box office this weekend, but on streaming, the day belongs to a pair of 2024’s most charming blockbusters, and two other movies who have yet to justify their existence outside of this little tango.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are nearing the end of an extended worldwide press tour for Deadpool & Wolverine. However, as Blake Lively will debut a new film called It Ends With Us, Reynolds and Jackman joined forces again and crashed a press junket, turning it into the funniest interview you’ll ever see.

It Ends With Us is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name. The project has been long in the works, with Jane the Virgin‘s Justin Baldoni directing and starring as Ryle Kincaid, with Blake Lively playing Lily Bloom. The film follows Lily as she overcomes a traumatic childhood and unknowingly starts an abusive relationship with Ryle. The film also stars Brandon Sklenar as the other love interest, Lily’s old flame Atlas, as well as supporting roles for Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) and Hasan Minhaj (The Daily Show).

With It Ends With Us scheduled for premiere on August 9, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman found a different way to promote the film.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman crushed It Ends With Us‘ Brandon Sklenar’s promo interview

In a five-minute interview called “Junket Crashers,” Reynolds, his mom, Tammy, and Hugh Jackman take turns interviewing Sklenar, making him as uncomfortable as it gets. From a proposal from Reynolds’ mom to turn him into Ryan’s new dad, to questions about his glutes workout, Sklenar handled it as professionally as he could. While asking the questions, Reynolds proved that he really is the real-life Wade Wilson, his humor matching Deadpool’s to a T.

Reynolds joining the interview to help promote It Ends With Us isn’t surprising, as he and Blake Lively have proven many times that they are couple goals. However, his mom joining in to question Sklenar, as well as Jackman being as threatening as possible, is just the cherry on top.

However, the twist you never saw coming is that all three of them leave the interview completely enamored with Brandon Sklenar. At the end of the interview, which also included Sklenar fanboying over Jackman’s role in 2012’s Les Misérables, Reynolds, Tammy, and Jackman all wear sweaters similar to the one Sklenar wore while they raved over the actor. Even more, Jackman made the biggest revelation: “I think we found the next Wolverine.” Those are really big words there, Jackman.

Blake Lively also promoted Deadpool & Wolverine

Before we found out Ryan Reynolds’ entire family is in Deadpool & Wolverine and that Blake Lively really played Lady Deadpool, the Gossip Girl alum hyped the film ahead of its release. She took credit for all the millennial references in the film, and gushed about feeling “seen.”

Lively noted that she should “be competitive bc @itendswithusmovie is coming out in 3 weeks,” but couldn’t help but praise the film, adding that, “it’s hard not to encourage my ladies to spot all the ways we’ve influenced @deadpoolmovie I’ve never been more proud. And I’ve given birth 4 times.”

The It Ends With Us star also attended the superhero film’s premiere with the perfect Lady Deadpool-inspired outfit, having a lot of fun by bringing model Gigi Hadid in a Wolverine-themed yellow outfit. A couple who promotes each other films together, stays together, and we love to see it.

Deadpool & Wolverine was almost short one of its mind-blowing cameos as it turns out one multiversal character who shows up in the superhero blockbuster was originally supposed to be played by Ryan Reynolds himself…

The Deadpool Corps fight scene is one of the most blood-pumping, and blood-spilling, parts of the movie, with the epic action sequence seeing Wade Wilson and Logan slicing and dicing their way through a legion of Deadpool variants. Although none of the Deadpool Corps remove their masks — not even Lady Deadpool, and we’re still not over it — they are brought to life by a variety of hilarious vocal cameos. Including basically the entire Reynolds clan.

Easily the most surprising Deadpool Corps cameo, though, has to be Matthew McConaughey as Cowboypool. Although many probably came away from the film thinking “hey, whoever voiced that guy did a really good McConaughey impression!”, those who paid attention to the credits would’ve seen that this actually was the man himself. That said, the Dazed and Confused icon wasn’t always set to play the part.

“Ryan, you’re fired”: Deadpool & Wolverine director reveals how Matthew McConaughey came to be Cowboypool

According to director Shawn Levy, he was originally keen to have Reynolds voice Cowboypool himself. The movie’s leading man even recorded all the character’s lines, but he was determined to get a big name to replace him. Levy himself wasn’t convinced that was necessary, until McConaughey miraculously agreed to come aboard.

“Ryan [Reynolds] in early cuts was the voice of Cowboypool,” Levy revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “He did the greatest Cowboypool and I implored him to let us use his voice.”

His tune changed, however, when McConaughey came through for them:

“I feel like, eventually, he was like, ‘Okay fine, we’ll stick with my voice unless we can get someone like Matthew McConaughey.’ Cut to…yes! Literally, days later, Matthew sent us that recording. It was so good and dropped in like butter. ‘Ryan, you’re fired as Cowboypool. Matthew, you’re in.'”

Although we hope Reynolds’ voiceover for Cowboypool ends up getting shared at some point, McConaughey’s cameo is easily up there with Brad Pitt as the Vanisher in Deadpool 2 as one of the most unlikely actor appearances in a Marvel movie. You might say everything turned out alright, alright, alright in the end.

Just about everyone thinks Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are couple goals, and there is no denying the sheer awesomeness of their playful attitude and hilarious banter. So, when Marvel fans heard there was going to be a Lady Deadpool cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, the only right choice was Lively!

TikToker taylitaisamamacit made a short video reminding us of why we all ship this relationship so hard. In the clip, she applies red lipstick while audio from Gossip Girl plays in the background. The text on the screen reads, “Husband goals is Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool saying there are 206 bones in the human body, 207 if he’s watching Gossip Girl. And that he was going to tell Blake when Wolverine was ‘making a move’ on him.” She ended her message by noting how she loved Blake Lively’s commentary and the nod to the line in The Proposal (the 2009 romantic comedy that Reynolds starred in alongside Sandra Bullock). 

Everyone was hyped about the identity of Lady Deadpool

Fans have reacted to the video, and the comment section of the post indicates that many people found the dialogue in the film exceptional. Plus, there were so many brilliant hints about her identity before it was confirmed. “Let’s not forget the comment about how hot lady deadpool was after just having a baby,” a comment reads. “My favorite I immediately looked at my husband when he said the gossip girl part and was like his wife plays in gossip girl,” another weighed in. 

Other comments include, “IT WAS SO CUTE HE USED EVERY CHANCE TO NAME DROP HER,” “I loveddd the commentary in this!!!,” and “It was all so funny and cute.” 

The only real letdown in the film is that Lady Deadpool was never actually unmasked, and it would have been so much better if she had been. Fans speculated about her real-life identity months before the film was released, and it feels like a missed opportunity. They could have done so much more, right?! So, how do we even know it was her? Well, that moment came when Lively finally answered the question on everyone’s minds with a lengthy Instagram post. 

Lively posted a bunch of pictures, including photos of her from the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, where she rocked a custom-made red bodysuit. In the caption, she explained how the character had been in the works for much longer than we realized, and she was the original inspiration. “In 2010, @robliefeld drew an unmasked Lady Deadpool for the first time, go to the next slide for his words. @deadpoolmovie wasn’t real. And Rob had no idea I was working with @vancityreynolds. 12 years later I read Rob’s post. A year after that, @deadpoolmovie 3 was filmed. And today it’s in theaters. The universe has such a magical sense of humor sometimes.”

Despite desperately wishing for an unmasking, we can’t complain too much because Deadpool & Wolverine lived up to expectations. It was also a family affair: Reynolds and Lively’s daughter, Inez, played Kidpool, and Odin is credited as Babypool (they have four kids in total, so the Marvel Universe could get a lot more creative in the future if they so desire). 

Ryan Reynolds wants you to know he has all the answers when it comes to Deadpool & Wolverine‘s most perplexing mystery, even if he isn’t ready to share them with the rest of the class just yet.

Surprisingly, given how it was described as both a finale to Fox’s X-Men franchise and the opening salvo of the MCU’s “mutant era,” Deadpool 3 is actually a largely standalone endeavor that’s not all that bothered about establishing any ongoing plot threads for the future of Marvel. Excepting, that is, dropping Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s anti-heroes into the 616 mix, which could well pay off in a big way come Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

This is even alluded to in the movie itself. Memorably, when Mr. Paradox is showcasing a bunch of iconic Marvel clips to Wade Wilson, one sees Thor sobbing over what looks to be a dying Deadpool. A flustered Paradox admits that Wade wasn’t supposed to see that yet, as it’s from the future. DP continues to mention and deliriously daydream about the Asgardian throughout the film, but we never do get a clear answer on why exactly Thor was crying.

We didn’t, but apparently Reynolds did. Being the cruel tease that he is, Reynolds shared a behind-the-scenes shot from filming on that moment, along with the promise that he’s well aware of why Thor was bawling up a storm over Wade’s body. “I know why Thor was crying,” he said. “I can’t unknow it.”

Really? That’s all you’re going to give us, Ryan? With Reynolds’ tormenting tease, it’s easy to imagine there’s some bigger conspiracy at work here and this tearful bit of foreshadowing is setting up some payoff later down the line — in the grand finale to the Multiverse saga itself, perhaps? As one fan quipped, “Must be a Secret… maybe some Wars…”

Of course, the real reason Thor is crying in this vision of the future is because that’s what Chris Hemsworth was doing in the repurposed Thor: The Dark World footage that was used to make this cameo possible (they already forked out for one Chris, they couldn’t afford two). We also can’t rule out that this wasn’t all a ruse concocted by Paradox — maybe he deliberately edited TVA footage to entice Wade further, as we know he was desperate to recruit DP to his cause.

Alternatively, who knows, perhaps we will see this play out come Secret Wars in 2027. There’s surely zero chance that Wade and Logan won’t be back for at least one of the next two Avengers movies given D&W‘s enormous success. Maybe Reynolds really does know something that Kevin Feige has sworn him to secrecy on. Or maybe he’s just messing with us. Or maybe the truth is somewhere in between.

It may not be immediately apparent by the looks of its Rotten Tomatoes scores (79 percent approval rating for critics, 96 percent for audiences), but there’s been plenty of criticism lobbed in the direction of Deadpool & Wolverine.

Indeed, it may take pride in its tongue-in-cheek fun factor, but the film’s undeniable status as a meta-blockbuster — which chiefly uses fan service and references as a substitute for honest storytelling — has drawn the rightful ire of many a critic.

Luckily for both Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds, Canadians tend to look out for one another, and they’re nothing if not determined to return a favor in the best way possible. So when the one and only Nickelback, the Canadian hard rock band who have been embracing their “worst band on Earth” label for the better part of almost three decades, rolled up to defend Deadpool & Wolverine‘s honor, even the film’s worst critics probably couldn’t help but take great delight in the ordeal (guilty as charged).

Per the above TikTok, during Reynolds’, Shawn Levy’s, and Hugh Jackman’s interview with Canadian entertainment news program Etalk, it turned out that the interviewers received a message from Chad Kroeger and the boys of Nickelback specifically for the Deadpool & Wolverine brain trust, and for anyone who dared speak ill of their new movie. Namely, a $1.5 billion box office haul, two Critics’ Choice Awards, four MTV Movie Awards, one GLAAD Award, one People’s Choice Award, two Teen Choice Awards, and two Golden Globe nominations across the first two Deadpool movies. And just look at how handsome Ryan Reynolds is!

This, of course, was in reference to a scene in Once Upon a Deadpool, the PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2, which was centered around Deadpool reading a story to an adult Fred Savage as a parody of Princess Bride. In one of these scenes, Savage decides to roast Nickelback in the presence of Deadpool, inadvertently activating the Nickelback apologist sleeper agent who apparently resided in the mercenary this whole time. Fifty million albums sold worldwide, 11th-best-selling musical act of all time, six Grammy nominations, 12 Juno Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, and one People’s Choice Award later, and Deadpool rested his case.

Of course, Nickelback’s defense of Deadpool & Wolverine had nothing to do with the movie itself, and none of their points meaningfully run counter to the criticism that the film is receiving. Nevertheless, it’s a hilarious and endearing case of Canadians looking out for Canadians, and if we ever get Deadpool 4: Genosha Drift, we may just have to expect a soundtrack full of similar-sounding post-grunge anthems about getting blackout drunk.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.

Deadpool & Wolverine has annihilated the box office since its release, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wasn’t blown away by Hugh Jackman‘s performance.

Ryan Reynolds obviously brought his signature wit to the role of Deadpool, but Jackman, in his tenth appearance as Wolverine, effectively stole the show. He was dramatic and scary and charismatic in equal measure, and he was, unsurprisingly, well-paid for his efforts.

Salaries for superhero films have ballooned since Jackman first donned the Adamantium claws, and the difference between his paycheck for X-Men in 2000 and Deadpool 3 is night and day. We get why he decided to come back.

What was Hugh Jackman’s salary on Deadpool & Wolverine?

Hugh Jackman has proven to be one of the most consistent box office draws of the 21st century. He’s led multiple blockbusters, and his tenure as Wolverine has been especially successful. He’s the most beloved actor in franchise history, so it makes sense that he demands a higher payday than nearly anybody else involved in the X-Men. This practice was upended, somewhat, with Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Things reported that both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman were paid an estimated $20 million for their roles in Deadpool & Wolverine. This lines up with the salaries that both have been given to play their iconic characters in the past. Reynolds was technically paid $22 million for Deadpool 2, but the widely held belief among Hollywood insiders is that the actor will be receiving part of the profits from the latest installment.

Jackman, meanwhile has been paid $20 million on two separate occasions to play Wolverine. He took a signifiant pay cut to star in Logan in 2017, but that was due to the film’s R rating and limited budget. A blockbuster like Deadpool & Wolverine, with a staggering budget of $200 million, would have had no problem matching the actor’s quote.

How much has Hugh Jackman made from X-Men films?

Hugh Jackman was only paid $500K for his performance in X-Men. Granted, the budget was significantly lower than most modern superhero films, as the genre had yet to prove itself as a viable commercial bet for Hollywood. Times have obviously changed. Jackman’s salary hiked up significantly each time he played the character in a sequel. He was paid $1 million for X2: X-Men United in 2003, and $5 million for X3: The Last Stand in 2006. By the time Jackman starred in the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, his salary had skyrocketed to his now customary quote of $20 million.

According to The Things, Jackman also took home $20 million for The Wolverine in 2013. He made less in the fan-favorite blockbuster X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, but that was theorized to be the result of having significantly less screen time than films prior. Still, Jackman was paid a cool $7 million for his time. All films considered, Jackman has earned over $45 million during his two and half decade run as Wolverine. This makes him one of the highest-paid actors in any franchise in Hollywood history.

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine is filled with many sly MCU references, Easter Eggs, and cameos. Making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the self-proclaimed “Marvel Jesus” continues to be as meta as before, and nothing was off limits.

Starring Ryan Reynolds again as Wade Wilson/ Deadpool, the film brings Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, and the two are surrounded by MCU and X-Men lore, all thanks to Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox. The film comes from Shawn Levy, who co-wrote the script with Reynolds and original Deadpool writers Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells. So, without further ado, let’s get into all the many Easter eggs.

Wolverine Variants

The superhero film takes place in the multiverse, thanks to its debut in the middle of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. On his quest to save his universe, Deadpool travels through the multiverse to find a Wolverine to help him save his timeline as an “Anchor Being.”

In the opening sequence, Deadpool digs up the original Logan’s corpse, hoping he regenerated. Instead, he finds Logan’s skeleton, which he uses to kill the TVA officers. In the multiverse, he stumbles across many Wolverine variants, and many are references to the wider universe. Whether we’re talking about the short Wolverine — a nod to the criticism that Wolverine is canonically 5’3″, compared to Hugh Jackman, who is 6’2″ — the Weapon Omega from X-Men: Alpha #1, Patch, Old Man Logan, or the Crucified Wolverine (Uncanny X-Men #251), Deadpool & Wolverine pays homage to many fan-favorite Wolverine moments. One goes right back to the character’s beginnings, as it hints at Hulk vs. Wolverine, as the X-Men lead mutant was introduced in an issue of The Incredible Hulk.

Deadpool & Wolverine also introduces a new actor playing Wolverine — Henry Cavill. The DC alum makes his debut in the MCU as The Cavillrine, and it includes another Easter egg/jab at his previous role as Superman. “We’ll treat you so much better than those a**holes down the street,” Deadpool tells Cavillrine, referencing Cavill’s abrupt DCEU ending as Superman.

Deadpool Variants

Wolverine isn’t the only one with many variants — the titular Merc with a Mouth does, too. The Deadpool Corps pop up at one of the highest moments of the movie, and they include different references.

The most hyped one was Lady Deadpool, which created a pool of speculation around it. People theorized who might be hiding behind the mask — was it Ryan Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, or Reynolds himself in a wig? The end credits sort out the debate, revealing that it’s Blake Lively, although the character never takes her mask off.

Speaking of Lively, she gets several nods in the film. In the opening sequence, there’s a reference to Gossip Girl, where Lively played one of the main characters, Serena van der Woodsen. She is also name-dropped when Deadpool warns Jackman that he’s “telling Blake” if he comes onto him, also when Nicepool notes how quickly she got her rocking body back after her pregnancy.

Other Deadpool variants included Dogpool, played by Peggy, a character introduced in Deadpool Corps #3. The floating Headpool, one of the other variants, is voiced by Nathan Fillion, and the Cowboy Deadpool is voiced by none other than Matthew McConaughey, and Peterpool (Rob Delaney).

Ryan Reynolds’ family

Ryan Reynolds’ family is also credited as some of the characters. His four-year-old daughter, Betty, is credited as “Hugh Jackman Wrangler.” Reynolds and Lively’s three other children are also in the film, with son James credited as “Screaming Mutant.” Inez and Olin are credited as Kidpool and Babypool, respectively. Reynolds also holds a different credit name for his version of Nicepool: Gordon Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds invented the “twin brother” for his 2016 interview celebrating his Men of the Year honor for GQ, and asked himself questions.

Kevin Feige

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige got several references in the film, some more subtle than others. Deadpool outright name-drops Feige when Blind Al offers him cocaine, and references what Feige publicly admitted as off-limits for Disney: drugs, which Deadpool had to address. He is also referenced on a pizza box, as they order food from “Feige’s Famous Pizza.”

Rob McElhenney

One of Ryan Reynolds’ close friends, It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia‘s Rob McElhenney also makes a brief, blink-and-you-missed-it cameo. He appears near the end of the film as a TVA soldier. McElhenney co-owns the Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C. with Reynolds.

X-Men references

There are many references to the X-Men throughout Deadpool & Wolverine. One references Omega-level mutants, as B-15 identifies Cassandra Nova as an Omega-level mutant, a comic term for the most powerful mutants. Deadpool also notes that he’s “waited a long time for this team-up with Wolverine,” since 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where Reynolds made his Deadpool debut.

X-23, Elektra, and Gambit make appearances, and Laura even dons the same sunglasses she did in Logan. Blade pulls out a bazooka that once belonged to the Punisher, and Deadpool asks which version, as many took on the role. Deadpool & Wolverine pokes fun at Ben Affleck, noting that Daredevil is dead. Garner, Affleck’s ex-wife, who plays Elektra, says “It’s fine.”

There are several references to Deadpool 2‘s Cable, including “Scoutmaster Kevin,” which is a callback to when Deadpool first fought Cable, as well as the Juggernaut.

Pop culture references

Deadpool & Wolverine is filled with pop culture references, something Blake Lively takes credit for. With Avril Lavigne, Madonna, and *NSYNC songs, the film is a millennial’s dream, paired with the Vulcan salute ahead of Deadpool’s sacrifice with the Time Ripper.

Addressing Wolverine’s mask, Deadpool also makes an out-of-universe joke about Batman, noting that his blue-and-yellow mask makes him look “like Batman if he could move his neck,” as well as Furiosa and Mad Max mentions.

Deadpool also references The Proposal, Minions, Frozen, has a snippet of The Greatest Showman, a joke about Hugh Jackman’s Broadway show Music Man, the Los Angeles Rams, who sport the same color scheme as Wolverine’s yellow and blue suit, and a note that “Paul Rudd finally aged,” a classic internet joke about Paul Rudd’s ever-youthful appearance.

MCU references

As Cassandra tries to destroy the multiverse, reality starts unraveling around her like in Loki season 2. Stan Lee appears on the side of a bus, and the video during the credits. There’s a reference to Deadpool‘s co-creator, Rob Liefeld, with a running gag about how he can’t draw feet by naming a store behind them “Liefeld’s Just Feet.”

Deadpool refers to himself as Marvel Jesus, acknowledging several times that the MCU had some Multiverse misses, noting that he and Wolverine are “entering at a low point for the MCU.”

Blade himself gets meta with the “There can only be one Blade” comment, a nod to the MCU’s delayed Blade movie. He also says his iconic, improvised line from the first Blade movie, “Some motherf***ers are always trying to ice skate uphill.” Snipes also addresses the rumored feud with Ryan Reynolds, as Blade tells him he doesn’t like him, and Wade replies, “You never did.”

The Avengers

The Avengers are mentioned throughout the film, as Deadpool initially tries to join the group of superheroes and has a meeting with Happy Hogan. We also see Marvel’s Sparkle Circle aka the sorcerer portals from Doctor Strange, and a reference to a sling ring Cassandra took from a Doctor Strange variant. Cassandra Nova uses Thanos’ throne and her kingdom in the Void is made up inside the skull of Scott Lang’s Giant Ant-Man mask, and features a glimpse at a version of Asgard. During a car ride, Deadpool does Spider-Man’s iconic web-shooting moves.

In the end, Wade suggests getting shawarma, as the Avengers did in the post-credits scene in 2012’s The Avengers. “The Avengers discovered shawarma,” Deadpool adds.

Chris Evans

Chris Evans is one of the most surprising cameos. Instead of appearing as Captain America, as Deadpool initially assumed, he reprised his Fantastic Four character, Human Torch. When he is killed off, Deadpool jokes that he is “not my favorite Chris,” a running gag about the famous Chrises (Evans, Hemsworth, Pine, and Pratt). The post-credits scene reminds everyone of Captain America‘s clean “language” remarks, as his role as Johnny Storm wasn’t so restricting, freely swearing when speaking about Cassandra.

A farewell tribute to 20th Century Fox

Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox came with a series of opportunities to bring the X-Men together with the rest of the MCU characters, but the credits also feature a tribute to the glory days of the X-Men films. With behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, Fox gets a tribute starting with 2000’s X-Men, when Hugh Jackman debuted as Wolverine.