There aren't many actors who brought a comic book hero to life better than Ryan Reynolds did with Deadpool. Reynolds' personality and comedic skills have been a perfect match for Deadpool and his performance has driven the uber-popular franchise to unexpected heights. It's hard to imagine anyone else ever playing the part because he's nailed Wade Wilson on the big screen. Funny enough, Ryan Reynolds became Deadpool in the comics much sooner than he did in the movies.

Back in 2016, Reynolds did an interview with Talks At Google, where he revealed back in 2004 a rival executive from another major studio saw his performance as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity, and it reminded him of Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. "Trust me, if they ever make a movie about Deadpool, you're the only guy who can play Deadpool," Reynolds recalled the executive telling him. The same exec sent Reynolds a number of Deadpool comics and when the Canadian actor read his first issue, he found himself referenced inside. Reynolds recalled falling in love with the character immediately while talking about seeing his name in the very first Deadpool comic he ever read.

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So he sent me over all these comics, and I'm not a big comic book guy, but I really gravitated toward Deadpool. I fell in love with Deadpool. The first issue I opened up, I'm not making this up, I was on the panel. Like in the comic, it said Deadpool was saying "I look like a cross between Ryan Reynolds and a shar-pei." And I was thinking, Jesus, this is f***ing destiny.

Deadpool Shar-pei

That comic book was Cable and Deadpool #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Brooks from 2004, a full 10 years before Reynolds leaked test footage online, and 12 years before the first Deadpool film would be made. As Reynolds stated, the book actually makes a reference that Wade Wilson looked like a cross between "Ryan Renolds" and a Shar-Pei. Now, spelling aside, it's a clear reference to the actor and it's pretty incredible it was Reynold's first experience with the character.

Is it possible the studio executive intentionally gave Reynolds a comic that featured the actor being referenced inside? Sure. However, that executive saw the connection between Reynolds and Deadpool and smartly introduced him to the character. While Reynolds wouldn't truly play the Merc with a Mouth for another decade (forgetting he played an infamously butchered version of Deadpool in the critically-panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009), it's a fantastic story that set the stage for Reynolds falling in love with Deadpool. The whole thing might be one big coincidence, but as Reynolds said, it might have been destiny.

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