10 Years Ago, This Superhero Film Changed the Game: ‘I Never Thought It Would Succeed’

Exactly ten years ago to the day, a superhero like no other exploded onto the scene in French cinemas and revolutionized the genre. Can you guess who it is? Here’s a hint: this unconventional anti-hero from the Marvel universe stood out for his crude humor and irreverence.

Let’s not keep you in suspense any longer (and you’ve probably guessed by now): we’re talking about the brilliant Deadpool. This iconic character was brought to life on screen by Ryan Reynolds, and his first cinematic adventure now dates back a decade.

Released in 2016, the zany “Deadpool” tells the story of Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary. After undergoing a rogue experiment that enhances his healing powers, he transforms into Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a wicked sense of dark humor, he sets out to track down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Filled with irony and self-mockery, and rich in action scenes with perfect pacing, “Deadpool” was a massive box office hit, grossing over 780 million dollars worldwide and drawing more than 3.7 million viewers in France alone. It’s a truly irresistible superhero adventure from its brilliant opening credits. This film holds a special place in Ryan Reynolds’s heart, who even pushed the studio hard to make sure the project came to fruition.

Highly praised by AlloCiné users with an average rating of 4 out of 5, “Deadpool” was a project that few believed in except for Ryan Reynolds, who poured everything into bringing it to the screen. In 2024, during an interview with The New York Times (shared by Variety), the actor mentioned that he did not hesitate to cut his own salary so that the script could be perfected up to the shooting, without much hope that his efforts would ultimately be rewarded.

“There wasn’t a part of me that thought it could be a success”

“When the Deadpool project was finally greenlit, there wasn’t a part of me that thought it could be a success,” he explained. “I even gave up the idea of getting paid for the film, just to get it into theaters. They didn’t want to allow my co-writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, to come to the set, so I took the small salary that was left and paid them to have them with me on set, ensuring we were a true writing team.”

Still speaking to The New York Times, Ryan Reynolds shared how he leveraged these constraints to boost his creativity. “It was a lesson in many ways,” he stated. “In my opinion, one of the great enemies of creativity is having too much time and too much money, and this film had neither. It really encouraged us to focus on the character rather than the spectacle, which is quite hard to do in a superhero film.”

“Deadpool,” a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment, was followed by two sequels, “Deadpool 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which were released in theaters in 2018 and 2024, respectively. Why not take the anniversary of the first installment as an opportunity to (re)discover this character who has significantly left his mark on the superhero genre?

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“Deadpool” Trailer: