Ryan Reynolds' return as Wade Wilson in Deadpool 3 could set up the perfect joke at the expense of Marvel Studios' Blade. After Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, Reynolds was the first actor from Fox's X-Men franchise to be confirmed for a move to the MCU. Following a controversial attempt at bringing Deadpool to the big screen in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds played a new and much more comic-accurate version of the Merc with a Mouth for 2016's Deadpool, which set him up as a fan favorite in Fox's franchise, and led to his inevitable move to Marvel Studios.
Deadpool 3 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick recently expressed their excitement at being able to mine the MCU's past projects for new comedic material, much like Deadpool had previously done with the X-Men over at Fox. This also means that projects in the MCU's Phase 5 could be at risk of being ridiculed by Wade Wilson. With the MCU's Multiverse Saga in full swing, Deadpool 3 will need to work extra hard to fit within the wider MCU and differentiate itself from the previous Fox films. Phase 5's Blade, starring Mahershala Ali in the titular role, could provide Deadpool with the perfect joke.
MCU’s Deadpool & Blade Already Have A Fun Connection
One of Deadpool's most hilarious trademarks is his self-awareness and ability to break the fourth wall, much like the MCU has already demonstrated with Jennifer Walters in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. This allows Deadpool to crack jokes about events from previous films or the real world while other characters are left none-the-wiser, which has manifested in past Deadpool films through jokes about Thanos in the MCU, jabs at Hugh Jackman, and even the current version of Deadpool murdering the X-Men: Origins iteration. This also means that, after his debut in the MCU proper, Wade Wilson can make a joke about Ryan Reynolds' appearance in one previous Marvel film.
Blade: Trinity released in 2004 as the third installment in David S. Goyer's Blade trilogy, starring Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks a.k.a. Blade. Blade: Trinity also introduced Ryan Reynolds into the Blade franchise as Hannibal King, a member of the vampire hunting group the Nightstalkers, and ally to Blade in the battle against Dracula. Marvel Studios is rebooting Blade completely for the MCU, but that doesn't mean that Deadpool still won't have something to say about Ryan Reynolds' previous exploits in the vampire hunting world.
Deadpool Made The Best Green Lantern Joke, Blade Trinity Could Be Next
This wouldn't be the first time a Deadpool movie has had fun at the expense of a previous Ryan Reynolds role. The mid-credits scenes of Deadpool 2 saw Wilson use Cable's time travel technology to travel through a variety of timelines, saving the lives of his girlfriend Vanessa and X-Force member Peter, as well as killing the X-Men Origins version of Deadpool and speaking to his future-friend Wolverine. In a surprising turn of events, Deadpool also kills Ryan Reynolds himself upon being handed the script for Green Lantern, a massive box office flop which starred Reynolds as Hal Jordan. This marked a hilarious footnote at the end of Deadpool 2, and is something that can be repeated in Deadpool 3.
Not at all unlike Green Lantern, the Blade movie that featured Reynolds is often a subject of ridicule. The Blade trilogy has been held in high regard by fans of Marvel Comics, particularly praising Snipes' performance as Blade himself. Even so, none of the three films in the franchise performed very well, and Blade: Trinity is considered the worst of the bunch. This gives Deadpool the perfect opportunity to repeat his brilliant joke, or could even bring him face-to-face with the MCU's new Blade, whom he certainly wouldn't recognize 20 years later.
Source: Den of Geek
