Warning: spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine ahead.
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Last month, Wesley Snipes threw some words of warning over to Marvel when rumors started swirling that the Blade reboot was facing numerous stalls in production. But while it seemed like he was dragging them, maybe he was teasing his return.
Out of all the impressive cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, Snipes showing up was one of the biggest surprises, especially considering his past with Ryan Reynolds. “Some of the things he did back in those days, that’s not really my humor,” Snipes told Entertainment Weekly. And he has a point! Reynolds starred alongside Snipes in 2004’s Blade: Trinity, which was right around his Van Wilder days. He was still finding his niche.
On the other hand, Snipes had already found his niche, and he didn’t care for Reynolds. “I’m not tuned in that way. So I thought, ‘Well, it’s a little over the top for me.’ But seeing him do it in this context [in Deadpool & Wolverine] made a lot of sense. And seeing him do it and do it well, Ryan does something that most people can’t do. He’s unique in that way, and he’s found a fantastic niche for himself doing what he does. Deadpool is Ryan Reynolds all day long. So it was enjoyable. It was enjoyable to work with him. It was enjoyable to revisit.”
Snipes has been keeping himself busy over the last few years, as he recently starred in Coming 2 America, and Netflix’s True Story. But he has always been open to returning to Marvel, he just didn’t think they wanted him back.
“I did not think it was possible,” Snipes continued. “I didn’t think we would be able to pull it off. I didn’t think that Marvel was into it, Disney was into it – also because they had Mahershala [Ali] cast for the next upcoming version of it … I thought it didn’t make sense to me.” Marvel cast Ali in a Blade reboot which has been in development hell for years. After that, Snipes thought his chance was done.
But things changed when he got a text from Reynolds. “But [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, ‘Okay, I got to take this call. Let’s see what this is about,'” he explained. “He told me the idea… They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.” Snipes was able to return as Blade in the film, and his cameo was largely kept a secret…unlike others.
Deadpool & Wolverine is currently playing in theaters.
