Ryan Reynolds has seen overwhelming popularity over the last several years, as he brings to life several iconic characters that audiences have absolutely adored with each passing film. On the heels of successful endeavors like Deadpool, Free Guy, and The Adam Project, Reynolds is truly becoming a fixture of the Hollywood scene.

Like many actors, Reynolds has a distinctive quality to his acting that has led to a typecast of sorts that has followed him throughout his career: his signature sarcasm. Over the years, he has become known for playing different versions of the same sarcastic character, though some of his characters follow this trend more closely than others.

Updated on September 30th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci: Ryan Reynolds continues to impress audiences, maintaining his position as one of the most in-demand stars in modern Hollywood. With the recent announcement that Deadpool 3 will finally be released in September 2024 with a surprise appearance from Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Reynolds has once again catapulted himself into the spotlight. As fans grow more excited to witness more of Deadpool's sarcastic charm, certain other sarcastic characters from Reynolds's filmography deserve exploration.

Turbo

Turbo (2013)

Turbo movie 2013 voice cast

Turbo is a 2013 animated sports comedy following a young snail who wishes above anything to be a racer in the Indiana 500. Reynolds portrays the titular snail, who follows his dream against all odds, enduring humiliation and ridicule from everyone around him.

Though he is not without the occasional smarmy joke or retort, Turbo is a far sweeter character than many of Reynolds's other roles. The audience is meant to sympathize with the outcast snail, making Turbo one of Reynolds's most heartfelt performances.

Andrew Paxton

The Proposal (2009)

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal

In 2009's romantic comedy The Proposal, Ryan Reynolds stars opposite Sandra Bullock as Andrew Paxton. Paxton is the assistant to Bullock's character who happens to be roped into a green card marriage to keep her from being deported back to Canada, despite the two not being in an actual relationship beforehand.

Ryan Reynolds's presence in the zeitgeist of popular film was very different in 2009 than it is today. While he was recognizable as a star, he certainly wasn't known for the very specific brand of character he has become known for playing today. Therefore, his role as Andrew Paxton in The Proposal proves to be quite different from the sarcastic and quippy characters Reynolds would play later in his career, instead acting as a more down-to-earth, humble man.

Bill Pope

Criminal (2016)

CIA Agent Bill Pope on the phone in Criminal.

Criminal is a 2016 action espionage film featuring a talented cast, which includes Kevin Costner, Gal Gadot, Antje Traue, and many more. In the film, Ryan Reynolds portrays Bill Pope, a CIA agent whose memories are implanted in the mind of a serial killer.

Reynolds plays the role of Bill Pope far straighter than many of his other roles, leaving the jokes and sarcasm at the door. In fact, there is very little for his character to joke about in the film, enduring torture and even death in order to serve the greater good.

Rory Adams

Life (2017)

Ryan Reynolds as Rory Adams in Life

Life was a 2017 movie that largely flew under the radar upon its release. Joined by Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Hiroyuki Sanada, Reynolds portrays International Space Station engineer Rory Adams, whose crew is slowly picked off by a mysterious alien creature that they bring aboard the ship.

Despite releasing well after he had established the very specific tone of his career, Life features one of Reynolds's more serious roles, as his character is put into a life-or-death situation that doesn't call for the same brand of humor audiences had come to expect from the actor. Though the occasional quip slips in, the character of Rory Adams is far from the lovably sarcastic character Reynolds more typically plays.

Guy

Free Guy (2021)

Ryan Reynolds smiling in Free Guy

Free Guy surprised critics and audiences, featuring a heartfelt contemplation of life and consciousness as seen through the eyes of a non-playable character in a video game. Reynolds plays the titular Guy, whose charm contributes to the film's success as one of two big hit movies for Ryan Reynolds in 2021.

Guy is a somewhat unique addition to Reynolds's gallery of characters, who is so genuine and so sweet that even his comments that appear somewhat sarcastic are completely unintentionally so. The character merely wants to be recognized by the girl he likes, motivated entirely by love, leaving no room for the signature sarcasm that Reynolds is otherwise known for.

Guy

The Croods (2013), The Croods: A New Age (2020)

The characters of Dreamworks The Croods

The Croods is an animated family film that explores the reaction of one family of cavemen at the arrival of a new and unknown man known as Guy. Reynolds portrays this mysterious stranger, who introduces the Croods to all kinds of new inventions, all while falling in love with the daughter, Eep.

As a romantic lead opposite Emma Stone's Eep, Reynolds's character manages to be sweet and caring at certain moments in the film, covering other more comedic beats involving Eep's disapproving father, with whom Guy is far more sarcastic and condescending as they continue to explore their shaky relationship.

One

6 Underground (2019)

Ryan Reynolds in 6 Underground

From director Michael Bay, 6 Underground is a Netflix original action film wherein Reynolds stars as One, the leader of the eponymous team of secret agents. In the movie, One and his team of vigilante agents are tasked with taking down a nefarious dictator.

Though 6 Underground attempts to keep Reynolds as its stoic leading man, the actor's fame outside the film clearly influenced his character, who occasionally drops the odd one-liner or pithy comment. Though the sarcasm is not as thick as in other roles, Reynolds still allows his true personality to shine through in One.

Pikachu

Detective Pikachu (2019)

Detective Pikachu with a magnifying glass in the movie

Detective Pikachu broke the stereotype of video game films in 2019, and the movie saw Reynolds voice the adorably furry Pikachu as he attempts to unravel the mystery of his own lost memories, aided by a prospective Pokemon trainer (Justice Smith).

Though many fans of the actor were hoping for a version of Pikachu more akin to Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds turns in a snarky but overall lovable performance as the beloved video game/anime character. His humor throughout the film airs on the family-friendly spectrum given its target audience, therefore softening the edges of the actor's typical repartee.

Hal Jordan

Green Lantern (2011)

Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern Movie

In one of his most infamous roles, Ryan Reynolds becomes the iconic comic book character Hal Jordan in 2011's Green Lantern. Jordan is a cocky flight test pilot who is given remarkable power from a mysterious ring from outer space, which can conjure anything his mind can imagine.

While Green Lantern attempts to maximize its use of Reynolds's dry humor, there is a disconnect between the actor and his character in this particular film, causing the target humor to manifest itself as mere unlikability. This fumbling of Reynolds's trademark proves to be just one of the many aspects that caused this film to become known as one of the worst superhero films of all time.

Victor Locke

Hobbs And Shaw (2019)

Victor Locke looking sideways in Hobbs and Shaw

In the Fast and Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw, Ryan Reynolds makes a surprise cameo as CIA agent Victor Locke, who claims to be one of Hobbs's best friends, much to his chagrin. Locke memorable crashes a lunch between Hobbs and his daughter, graphically detailing the imminent end of the world.

In his brief screentime in the film, Reynolds is sure to leave the audience wanting more from his wisecracking government agent. Dropping pop culture references left and right, including some major spoilers for Game of Thrones, Locke proves to have one of the highest joke-to-screentime ratios of any of Reynolds's other roles.

Hannibal King

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Hannibal King looking to the left in Blade: Trinity.

The first of many botched comic book roles, Ryan Reynolds stars as the leader of the Nightstalkers Hannibal King in the critically-panned Blade: Trinity, which served as the final installment of the otherwise beloved Blade trilogy. King is a former vampire who seeks to extinguish the breed of monsters from the planet, eventually turning to the Daywalker Blade himself for help.

King falls in the very beginning of Reynolds's renaissance when it comes to delightfully quick-witted onscreen personalities, with his wisecracks filling up large chunks of his screen time. Unfortunately for him, his brand of humor fits quite poorly into the universe constructed by the prior Blade films, seeming out of place in the mess that was Blade: Trinity.

Adam Reed

The Adam Project (2022)

The Adam Project Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell as Adam Reed

In Reynolds's most recent film, The Adam Project, he portrays a time-traveling fugitive who has a run-in with his younger self. As the future version of Adam Reed, Reynolds learns several lessons from his younger self, which cause him to reassess how he looked at his past. It's possible to compare Free Guy and The Adam Project, and both movies see Ryan Reynolds as the star and Shawn Levy as the director. This makes for a surprisingly heartfelt duology from the two creators.

The Adam Project proves to be one of the best films in recent years for fans of Reynolds's witty characters, though it is unique in the fact that the A-list actor actually plays second fiddle when it comes to dry sarcasm, as Walker Scobell, who plays the younger version of Adam Reed, gets the lion's share of the quippy one-liners within the film, each delightfully delivered to perfection.

Michael Bryce

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017), The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021)

A bruised Michael Bryce looks in shock at Sonia

The Hitman's Bodyguard proved to be a surprising hit in the summer of 2017, starring Ryan Reynolds as the eponymous bodyguard to Samuel L. Jackson's Darius Kincaid, a cunning hitman. The movie was a smashing success, mostly due to the revelation of Reynolds's and Jackson's surprisingly good chemistry throughout the film.

The Hitman's Bodyguard would set off a string of buddy comedies starring Reynolds, each of which tested his chemistry with different actors, though few could compare to the relationship between himself and Jackson. The blend of their loud and crass dialogue was a delight to many viewers, causing the duo to return in a sequel four years later.

Nolan Booth

Red Notice (2021)

Ryan Reynolds in Red Notice

Red Notice quickly became one of Netflix's most successful original projects shortly after its release in late 2021. In a star-studded cast that included Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Gal Gadot, Reynolds played the world's (second) most wanted art thief Nolan Booth, who teams up with Johnson's Interpol agent to track down an ancient prize that is about to be uncovered by unsavory characters.

If ever there was a movie that made the best use of its cast's most distinguishable traits, it was Red Notice. The Netflix original knows exactly what the strengths of each of its actors are, utilizing them to such an extent that the characters themselves become somewhat of an afterthought. To this point, Nolan Booth proves to be perfectly in the vein fans have come to expect from Ryan Reynolds, the embodiment of many of his most sarcastic characters.

Wade Wilson

Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018)

Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool

In a role that was seemingly made specifically for him, Ryan Reynolds has had incredible success as the mutant Deadpool. Appearing in two films as the "Merc with a Mouth," Reynolds has truly made the character his own, becoming a fan-favorite antihero and one of only two characters from Fox's X-Men franchise to be confirmed to return when the MCU brings the mutants into its fold over the next several years.

Though Reynolds has appeared as many a foul-mouthed wisecracker, there is perhaps none so perfectly executed as Deadpool himself. The role perfectly utilizes Reynolds's greatest talents, providing some of the best one-liners and quippy comebacks in his career, especially aided by the character's uncanny ability to break the fourth wall. While many witty roles may come and go for Reynolds, none will ever be so prolific as that of Wade Wilson.

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