Ryan Reynolds has opened up about his previous concerns regarding Deadpool & Wolverine and the movie being an MCU crossover. While Deadpool & Wolverine‘s $1B+ box office and critical reputation makes it a clear success story, it wasn’t always set in stone things would go this way. Not only did it take some time for a third Deadpool movie to get greenlit, but the film bringing back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine after his emotional finale in Logan created fears this return would undermine the prior release. As it turns out, Ryan Reynolds also had his concerns about the movie.

In a new Instagram post, Reynolds expressed that he and director Shawn Levy, “were feeling a TON of pressure; worrying about how we walk these characters into the MCU, worrying about all of our secret characters STAYING secret — along with so many moving parts.” However, the actor stated that seeing Hugh Jackman on set – specifically in Wolverine’s iconic comic-accurate suit – reassured him that everything would be okay. Ryan Reynolds goes on to praise his fellow movie star for both his performances as Wolverine, and also who he is as a person, reiterating that Jackman “is THE X-Man.“

How Deadpool & Wolverine Makes The MCU Crossover Work

Deadpool & Wolverine manages to make two of Fox’s biggest movie heroes being incorporated into the MCU multiverse feel more natural than previously might have been thought possible. This is in no small part because the film doesn’t go all-in by just dropping the duo into their new franchise, but integrates them in a manner fitting Deadpool‘s playful tone, via scenes like Wade riffing on the MCU as he asks Happy Hogan if he can join the Avengers, or having Chris Evans cameo in the story, but as the Human Torch instead of Captain America.

Having the Time Variance Authority – a group only really explored in Loki – as a key plot element also works to help the crossover work. While the TVA are a core part of the MCU now, they’re also one that hasn’t been fully explored, especially in the world of movies. Deadpool & Wolverine using the TVA and their questionable agent Mr. Paradox to flesh out how Deadpool is now part of the MCU multiverse thus benefits the film itself, but also the larger franchise at the same time, making the crossover feel more like a natural expansion of the overall lore.

While it’s unclear how and if the two titular heroes in Deadpool & Wolverine will return in the MCU timeline, the way in which this initial crossover is handled certainly assists the prospect of future appearances also. This makes Ryan Reynolds’ prior concerns about the matter all the more poignant, as it’s clear the effort he and the rest of the team put into the movie ensured a complicated matter was pulled off with style.