It’s hard to know what level of irony on which to interpret this new Green Lantern-themed birthday greeting to Ryan Reynolds, but if Warner Bros. are legitimately trolling the star with a reminder of the role he played in the critically panned box office flop, then hats off to the studio.
Earlier today, Reynolds’ old friend Hugh Jackman sent the Deadpool lead an irreverent birthday greeting, along with a photo of the pair exchanging a hug. Warner, however, might have topped that message with their tweet, which includes a screenshot of Reynolds in his green CGI costume, along with the following message:
“In brightest day, in blackest night, you won’t want to ignore our party invite. Happy Birthday, [Ryan Reynolds]!”
So, is Warner trying to provoke Reynolds here? Did they watch the mid-credits scene of Deadpool 2, in which the Merc with a Mouth travels back in time to kill his real-world alter ego before he can accept his role in Green Lantern? Either way, we’re intrigued to see how the actor responds.
In the years since his sole appearance as Hal Jordan, Reynolds has found much greater success with his next superhero incarnation, though X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn’t get Wade Wilson off to the most promising of starts. Earlier this year, the star was asked which out of Origins and Green Lantern he hated more, and while he seemed unable to pick just one, Reynolds did say that he’d grown to kind of love them both for the jokes they’ve spawned.
Nonetheless, the actor is probably glad to find himself in a sustainable comic book series these days, and though it’s a little unclear what’s going on right now with the planned X-Force movie, the signs are mostly looking good that Wade still has more screen outings to come.
