Fox Forced Ryan Reynolds To Cut A Disney Joke From Deadpool 2

Be it in the pages of Marvel Comics or when Ryan Reynolds is playing the anti-hero on screen, Deadpool is known for his quips and breaking the fourth wall. It's a signature of the character, and keeping that intact in the "Deadpool" films helped make the movies feel truly authentic, not to mention unique, in the superhero landscape. But while the filmmakers had a lot of leeway with the jokes, "Deadpool 2" had one joke at Disney's expense that was a bridge too far.

Directed by David Leitch, "Deadpool 2" pushed the envelope even further than the first film, with Reynolds actually co-writing the script alongside Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly around the time of the sequel's release, Reynolds explained that, despite getting a lot of creative freedom, Fox made them cut one of his favorite jokes out of the movie:

"This is a sore spot for me because there's a joke in the movie that is not in the movie now because — I'm probably not even allowed to say this — Fox made me take it out. It had more to do with Disney, and they made me take it out. As I look back at it, I think maybe that was a wise decision."

Reynolds, unfortunately, didn't reveal the specifics of the joke in question, though this was right around the time that Disney was putting together its purchase of Fox's media assets, which eventually closed in early 2019. As a result, we're finally getting "Deadpool 3," which will take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe whilst retaining the R-rated nature of it all. Also, not for nothing, Hugh Jackman is returning to play Wolverine once more.

One question that lingers now, several years removed from "Deadpool 2" and Disney's acquisition of Fox, is whether or not things will change under the umbrella of the Mouse House. Will Ryan Reynolds and "Deadpool 3" director Shawn Levy have the same wiggle room in terms of making jokes? More importantly, will they be allowed to make jokes at Disney's expense within the MCU? One imagines that might be a tough sell, depending on the joke.

Then again, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger, and pretty much everyone involved has expressed that the House of Mouse still wants Deadpool to be Deadpool. To that end, in that same 2018 interview, Reynolds postulated that Iger and Co. would have an interest in utilizing the Fox assets as they exist, rather than try to given them the Disney treatment:

"I read that [chairman and CEO] Bob Iger felt that there's plenty of room in that universe to have a rated-R character like Deadpool. This is completely conjecture on my part, but I wouldn't imagine that Disney bought Fox to dismantle it or something like that. I think that Disney bought Fox so it could have that in its arsenal."

"Deadpool 3" is set to hit theaters on November 8, 2024.