“Deadpool & Wolverine” brings roughly 100 different variants of the Merc with a Mouth to the big screen. Referred to as the Deadpool Corps., an army of multiverse Deadpool variants enter Earth-10005, prepared to attack Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) and Logan (Hugh Jackman). While you might expect many of them to be played by Reynolds himself, there’s actually only one version played by the star of “Green Lantern.”
Yes, even though Reynolds originally lent his voice to the western Deadpool variant known as Cowboypool (a role that eventually went to Matthew McConaughey), and his wife Blake Lively and their children played the likes of Ladypool, Kidpool, and Babypool, Reynolds’ only additional role was the unmasked mercenary referred to as Nicepool. However, the end credits name another actor in that role instead, one that should be familiar to Ryan Reynolds fans.
The role of Nicepool — a Deadpool variant with an unburnt face, long hair, and a kindly Canadian disposition — is credited to Gordon Reynolds. This is merely the resurgence of a publicity gag that Ryan Reynolds executed back in 2016, when he was named GQ Man of the Year. For the magazine, Gordon Reynolds (played by Ryan Reynolds), interviewed the star of “The Proposal,” posing as the actor’s twin brother. This is an interview that opens with Gordon saying, “First question: Why such a c**t?”
Yeah, this guy sounds perfect for Deadpool.
Meet Gordon Reynolds, the twin brother of Ryan Reynolds
As you can see, Gordon Reynolds is just Ryan Reynolds in a different outfit. Reynolds didn’t even shave his beard to create any more clear delineation between the two, so he must have been really enjoying his facial hair at that point. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was that beard that helped him get GQ Man of the Year. You can’t underestimate the power of a good beard. Even Jake Gyllenhaal has one in a brief cameo appearance in this video (watch below). Anyway…
Gordon Reynolds is downright mean to his twin brother, asking him why he can’t be like other actors, and by that he means good at acting. Then he moves on to imagining if Ryan Reynolds had a gun to his head, without any other specific details mentioned, which only brings a menacing smile to Gordon’s face. For Marvel fans, he also asks whether “Deadpool” is the “Green Lantern” of good movies. Harsh!
While this might not seem like the Nicepool that we all know and love, that actually makes the “Deadpool & Wolverine” credit even funnier. That means that Gordon Reynolds as Nicepool is quite far removed from how Gordo (that’s the nickname we’re giving him) acts in real life, so Gordy (another nickname we’ve chosen) is actually putting in a proper performance as Nicepool.
That makes us wonder … could Gordon Reynolds be an even better actor than Ryan Reynolds? History and time will be the judge. There’s nothing that says the Gord-meister couldn’t put in a Daniel Day-Lewis level performance at some point in his career, perhaps portraying President William Henry Harrison in some kind of historical biopic. Although maybe playing someone like Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is more likely, if only to honor his home country.
Either way, it’s time for Gordon Reynolds to shine!