Deadpool actor’s contribution to X-Men Origins: Wolverine more than onscreen appearance

Ryan Reynolds proved that Deadpool can be a household name, thanks to the 2016 R-Rated hit. Yet in the character's first outing on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he had to do a lot more than just act the part on screen.

Aside from introducing moviegoers to Wade Wilson in this Hugh Jackman spinoff movie, he also did the script for the Merc with the Mouth. As Reynolds recalled in his recent interview with GQ, the 2007-2008 Writer's Strike affected the production of the film. And with set directions limited to "Deadpool shows up, talks really fast, and makes a lot of jokes," he needed to make the dialogue for the fourth-wall breaking mercenary. Wanting to be as faithful to the character as possible, he made Wade Wilson a wisecracker, which annoys the other members of William Stryker's mutant strike team.

In final act of the film, Wilson returns as Weapon XI, the final enemy for Wolverine and Sabertooth. Dubbed by fans (and even Reynolds himself) as "Barakapool", he comes back with a mouth sewn shut, blades sprouting from his arms, lines in his body and several additional mutant powers. Reynolds states that at that point in the production, he had no control of the character anymore, noting that a stunt performer (Scott Adkins) is doing the scenes for the part.

This portrayal of the character was really panned by critics and fans, and Reynolds saw it coming. Cinema Blend notes that he realized that the version they are making of the character is a departure to who Deadpool really is. Citing a conversation that happened during production though, he states that if he wanted to play as Deadpool, he has to do it in the way the production wants it, or they'll find another actor to play as Wade Wilson.

Reynolds also playfully added that even as he was about to play another comic superhero (in this case, Green Lantern), he was still asking 20^th Century Fox to green-light a solo Deadpool movie. Unfortunately, the production still said no at that time, adding that it may not happen at all.

Thankfully, after several years of persistence (and a leaked test footage that went viral), Deadpool finally got his own movie, and it was met with rave reviews and outstanding ticket sales. The impact was so great, in fact, that a sequel was green-lit almost immediately, and the third movie is already being planned.