On the surface, Deadpool and Indiana Jones don’t exactly have a lot in common other than the fact that both characters are now the property of Disney and have new movies in the works. Fans might be clamoring to see Ryan Reynolds suit up again and join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the enthusiasm levels aren’t quite so high for Indy’s impending return to our screens.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull remains one of the most divisive blockbusters ever made, and while James Mangold is a solid director in his own right, an Indy movie being helmed by someone other than Steven Spielberg just feels wrong. Not to mention the fact that even if the fifth installment makes the intended July 2022 release date, star Harrison Ford will be 80 years old by then, and based on how many setbacks Crystal Skull faced, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the latest adventure hit with at least a couple more delays.
As a genuine cinematic icon and one of the most famous names in popular culture though, the influence of Indiana Jones stretches far and wide, and now Ryan Reynolds has revealed that Deadpool 2 featured a hidden homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark, which you can check out below.
An R-rated, foul-mouthed and self-aware superhero movie doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of place where you’d find Indiana Jones references, but given Deadpool’s nature, he can pay tribute to pretty much whoever he wants and get away with it. And now that the Merc with a Mouth is operating under the Disney banner, if Reynolds and the creative team are given the same kind of leeway they enjoyed on the first two outings, there’s no doubt going to be a lot more digs in the Mouse House’s direction whenever Deadpool 3 eventually parachutes Wade Wilson into the MCU.
