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Ryan Reynolds is no stranger to a well-timed punchline. The actor, who has embodied Deadpool for nearly a decade, responded this week with characteristic sarcasm to a surprising bit of Marvel casting news.
Reynolds’s Deadpool debuted in 2016 with a bang—both commercially and critically—revitalizing the Marvel character after a widely mocked appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Since then, he has become synonymous with Wade Wilson’s irreverent humor and fourth-wall-breaking antics.
Credit: Disney
The recent release of Deadpool & Wolverine only deepened Reynolds’s association with the role, bringing the antihero face-to-face with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in a long-awaited Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover. Reynolds’s future as Deadpool has been teased but not formally locked down—until now, fans had no reason to suspect someone else would take the mantle, even temporarily.
Neil Patrick Harris Enters the Multiverse
That changed this week with the announcement of Deadpool VR, a virtual reality game developed by Twisted Pixel and Oculus Studios in collaboration with Marvel Games. While Reynolds won’t be involved, How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris will voice the “Merc with a Mouth” in this interactive spin on the franchise.
Reactions were swift, but none more anticipated than that of Reynolds himself. In a clip posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the actor leaned into the chaos with a comedic skit nodding to Harris’s past roles. Dressed like a young doctor—clearly referencing Doogie Howser, M.D.—Reynolds opened with a now-viral line:
“Today I learned a lesson about buttholes they don’t teach you in medical school. People who steal your signature role are the biggest buttholes of all.”
He followed up the jab with a backhanded compliment:
“No. I don’t blame Meta Quest. Neil Patrick Harris is an amazing actor with the nurturing voice of an angel. But even though I haven’t hit puberty yet. I still know when you’re getting totally screwed.”
The post was titled How I Met a real m’fer, an unmistakable wink to Harris’s role as Barney Stinson, the womanizing, catchphrase-spouting character he played across nine seasons on CBS.
What This Means for Deadpool’s Future
Though Reynolds’s response was clearly tongue-in-cheek, the casting of Harris opens the door to broader questions about the future of the character. Is this a one-off departure, limited to the world of VR gaming? Or could it signal a multiversal expansion of the franchise, where multiple versions of Wade Wilson coexist?
Credit: Marvel Studios
For now, Marvel fans will have to wait and see. Harris’s take on Deadpool hasn’t yet been heard publicly, but the project itself promises a high-octane mix of humor, parkour, and swordplay. Set in the chaotic Mojoworld, Deadpool VR drops players into the action as Wade is pulled through a portal and signs a sketchy contract, launching a multi-location Marvel adventure.
Reynolds may not be donning the red suit this time, but if his reaction is any indication, he’s not entirely out of the game either. Whether as critic, comedian, or cameo, Deadpool—as Reynolds sees him—is far from finished.
