Ryan Reynolds Landed Deadpool & Wolverine's Biggest Marvel Star With One Text Message

Although many have already seen Shawn Levy's new superhero flick "Deadpool & Wolverine," there are still many who haven't, so be warned that this article will make direct reference to certain spoilers. You have been warned. 

There are many, many superhero cameos in "Deadpool & Wolverine." Indeed, the cameos seem to be the single reason the film exists at all. Part of "Deadpool & Wolverine" takes place in a pocket dimension called the Void where dejected superheroes are imprisoned after the Time Variance Authority deems their continued existence to be too messy for the multiverse. This realm is populated mostly by characters culled from X-Men movies — and other superhero features — previously owned by Fox. Most of the humor in "Deadpool & Wolverine" is derived from insider-baseball knowledge of inter-studio character-rights wrangling, so seeing the Fox characters invade the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe will no doubt satisfy entertainment news obsessives.

One of the bigger surprises comes right when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives in the Void, depicted as a vast desert wasteland populated by supervillains. Deadpool is surrounded and is unsure how to flee. It's then that a recognizable face appears. Chris Evans plays a blue-suited superhero who he steps forward to defend Deadpool against the encroaching attackers. Deadpool can't wait for Evans to say "Avengers assemble." Evans, instead, surprises Deadpool — and the audience — by saying "Flame On!" Evans appears in a few more scenes in "Deadpool & Wolverine," but his fate is ... well, I'll leave it there for now.

Regardless, it was a coup that Evans should appear here. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, in the car heading to the San Diego Comic-Con, Evans revealed that he was approached in the most direct fashion possible about appearing in "Deadpool." It seems Reynolds just sent him a text message, asking.

Evans knows Ryan Reynolds personally. Reynolds co-wrote and produced "Deadpool & Wolverine," and a lot of the wilder ideas, including the cameos, were his idea. Evans recalled getting a buzz from Reynolds directly and being stoked to have been offered to reprise his role as Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch, a part he played in Fox and director Tim Story's 2005 "Fantastic Four" and its 2007 sequel, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Evans explained:

"I was so excited. [...] Ryan's a buddy. [...] He just shot me a text saying, 'Listen, might be a long shot, but would you have any interest in reprising something from 20 years ago?' I said, 'Oh my God! Of course.' Honestly, Ryan might be the only guy that I would've done it for because he's just got the Midas touch. [...] His self-awareness makes him almost invincible. He makes the joke before the audience gets a chance to make the joke. So if you're going to revisit a character, and you have to find a way to make it work, Ryan's humor makes just about everything work." 

Evans continued by saying that Reynolds' notoriously sarcastic sense of humor lends everything a certain sense of irreverence, allowing other actors to riff critically on their careers without fear of repercussions. Reynolds is pointed, but rarely cruel, allowing everyone to enjoy the gags he makes at Disney's expense ... including Disney. 

Reynolds certainly puts Evans' character through the wringer; he gets mashed in the testicles and otherwise abused. Evans was fine with mistreating the Human Torch and was relieved that the job only involved a few days of filming. Evans isn't a huge part of "Deadpool & Wolverine," but he is certainly memorable, adding to the flick's vast litany of "Hey! It's that guy" moments.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is currently playing in theaters.