Red Notice's Meta Jokes Are A Problem For Deadpool 3

Does Red Notice's meta humor stray too far into Deadpool 3's territory? After his hard-to-watch treatment in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds pushed hard for Fox to deliver a proper adaptation of Marvel's smartest mouth. Eventually seeing the light of day in 2016, Deadpool was widely praised, and the 2018 sequel didn't fare too badly either. Much of that success can be attributed to Reynolds himself, who perfectly captures Deadpool's affable charm, crass jokes, and fourth-wall breaking acknowledgement that he's a movie character. Lines such as, "It’s almost like the studio couldn’t afford another X-Man" and "You may be wondering whose balls I had to fondle to get my own movie" could've backfired spectacularly, but Reynolds finds just the right level of cynical ridicule.

While Disney takes its sweet time with Deadpool 3, Ryan Reynolds gets to join Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot in Netflix's big-budget back-slapper, Red Notice. As master criminal Nolan Booth, Reynolds doesn't stray far from his standard formula, but that's enough to ensure he's one of the more enjoyable parts of a movie that hasn't received good reviews. Booth's Reynolds-isms are largely inoffensive, but Wade Wilson might be sending a disgruntled e-mail to his actor regarding Red Notice's meta moments.

Throughout Red Notice, Reynolds drops a bunch of "we know this is a movie" jokes. Nolan Booth calls Cleopatra's egg a "MacGuffin," refers to security guards as "featured extras," and even calls out Red Notice's twist ending. These are all lines you'd usually expect to come from behind a red and black mask. It almost feels like Red Notice noticed red guy's meta comedy going over well in Deadpool, and gave a watered-down version of the same gimmick to Nolan Booth, capitalizing on Wade Wilson's trademark trait. The effect isn't quite as successful. Deadpool's madcap superhero world is perfect for fourth wall abuse, whereas Red Notice is just a regular heist caper where meta humor has no place.

Nolan Booth holding a cocktail and looking confused in Red Notice

Getting back to Wade's disgruntled e-mail, Red Notice creates a problem for Deadpool 3. In Marvel comics and on the big screen, breaking the fourth wall has become a vital ingredient in Deadpool's spicy soup. It's what separates him from the millions of other live-action superheroes Marvel and DC are peddling, and was a major reason 2016's Deadpool was hailed as a refreshing tonic for superhero fatigue. Having Ryan Reynolds repeat the same trick in his other post-Pool output diminishes Deadpool's defining trait. When the "Merc with a Mouth" makes his MCU bow in Deadpool 3, the meta gags now risk feeling tired and played out - not just because of Deadpool and Deadpool 2 (unavoidable, really), but also thanks to Red Notice.

Deadpool 3 needs to freshen up Wade's fiction-smashing wit - fortunately, his return coincides with a jump from Fox to Disney... and the entire MCU along with it. As Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool switches sandboxes, he suddenly has a whole new world to poke fun at. Deadpool 3 can draw on all the MCU tropes audiences have been calling out the past 10 years, and even joke about the studio politics that led to his new home. That's something a standalone (for now...) Netflix release like Red Notice can't imitate.

More: Red Notice's Rock & Reynolds Product Placement Highlights Why It Failed