By now, you’ve no doubt caught wind of the secret Marvel teaser that came with the release of James Mangold’s Logan this past weekend. Barring the fortunate few that were able to see it on the big screen, chances are you clocked eyes on the Merc’s return via the interwebs, as Ryan Reynolds slipped into his iconic costume – rather awkwardly, we might add – before rushing out to prevent a crime far, far too late.
We are, of course, referring to Deadpool 2, the David Leitch-directed sequel that has admittedly struggled to hit the ground running. After losing director Tim Miller, many feared that the Merc With a Mouth’s second coming would slip onto the back-burner over at Fox, and though the studio has maintained a radio silence ever since Leitch was appointed at the helm, the promo above serves as a pointed reminder that, yes, Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed anti-hero is still very much alive and well. And he hasn’t lost his knack for rib-tickling quips.
While eagle-eyed viewers have already combed over each and every frame of the teaser, for many, it was the inclusion of Stan Lee that really made the Deadpool 2 promo special. After fumbling with his costume in a cramped phone box, Reynolds’ titular anti-hero bursts out onto the street ready to kick ass and take names, at which point an admiring Lee shouts, “wow, nice suit!” Turns out that moment of fan service didn’t make the theatrical print, but Ryan Reynolds ensured the comic book legend was featured nonetheless. In response, Stan Lee issued the following message of thanks:
https://twitter.com/TheRealStanLee/status/838091962448125952
Deadpool 2 is, at the time of writing, without an official release date. That has in no way quelled excitement for the Merc’s return, though, with budding fans drafting up concept art that imagines David Harbour (Stranger Things) and Kerry Washington (Scandal) as Cable and Domino, respectively. Neither role has been cast just yet, but Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is confident the news will be enough to “blow people’s minds” whenever Fox decides to make things official.