Ladypool actress Blake Lively helped change Deadpool & Wolverine‘s ending with a note, and I’m glad that she did, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie was changed for the better. Watching Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman share the big screen as fully-realized versions of Deadpool and Wolverine was a dream come true. The duo had perfect chemistry throughout the movie, with the rest of Deadpool & Wolverine‘s cast being exciting choices that ranged from newcomers to MCU veterans and more. Beating Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova was a challenging mission, and the heroes had to do their all to be victorious.
I thought Deadpool & Wolverine‘s ending was poignant. I liked that the movie made it seem like the heroes had sacrificed themselves to stop Cassandra Nova, only for it to be revealed that Deadpool and Wolverine had survived the ordeal. While there were some nice character moments after that scene, including Dafne Keen’s X-23 having dinner with Wolverine, Deadpool, and his friends, and Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm returning for Deadpool & Wolverine‘s post-credits scene for a hilarious moment, that sacrifice sequence was the film’s high point. Due to that, I’m surprised to see it didn’t initially play out like that.
Blake Lively’s Note Led To Deadpool & Wolverine’s Ending Change
One Of The MCU Movie’s Most Poignant Scenes Was Made Better
Deadpool & Wolverine‘s digital release includes some exciting bonus features. One of the biggest of them is Filmmaker Commentary, which includes audio commentary from director Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds. Levy had some interesting details to reveal about Deadpool and Wolverine nearly sacrificing themselves. Originally, there was not meant to be any suspense after the duo managed to destroy the Time Ripper and end Cassandra Nova’s plans. Reynolds’ Deadpool and Jackman’s Wolverine would have been shown to have survived almost right away. However, Blake Lively, Reynolds’ wife, and Ladypool’s actress, had a suggestion.
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Levy explains that Lively said that there should be some suspense to let the audience feel like the characters did not make it, even if for a moment. While it was always expected that Deadpool and Wolverine would turn out to live after the explosion, making the audience wait for a little while for it made the reveal that they had survived more powerful. As Levy puts it, the moment led to a “much more satisfying” payoff to what had been the movie’s biggest emotional plot point. Check out the full quote below:
Ryan Reynolds
: We did just a day-and-a-half of reshoots on the movie, which we’re very proud of. These kinds of movies typically involve weeks of reshoots. But this speech that Matthew has is one of the pieces that we reshot. And he is miraculous.Shawn Levy
: And credit where credit is due. It used to be that there was no suspense, that the power room blew up, and our heroes had survived. And it was Blake Lively who said to us, ‘You know, I’ve been with you this whole movie. I want to sit in the fear that they’re lost. Let me be in that place of suspense, so the triumph of their survival is more emotional and visceral.1That was a Blake note, and it really opened up a new way of thinking about this part of the movie, and it’s why we did this reshootโฆ and, here, the payoff is so much more satisfying.
The Deadpool & Wolverine Ending Change Gave Us One Of The Movie’s Best Moments
One Of The Film’s Villains Gained A Hilarious Scene
Not only do I agree with Lively’s note, but I am also happy that it happened because it led to another perfect Deadpool & Wolverine scene making it into the film. As Ryan Reynolds explained in the MCU movie’s commentary, Matthew Macfadyen’s Paradox dialogue after the heroes seemingly sacrifice themselves was a moment added in Deadpool & Wolverine‘s reshoots. Interestingly, Reynolds also noted that the Deadpool movie only had “a day-and-a-half of reshoots,” which makes Paradox’s scene a very important addition in the eyes of the filmmakers, something I agree with.
The sequence allows Macfadyen to really let loose in the role in the most wonderful way possible. Paradox is a slimy villain, and it is fun to watch the character try to talk his way out of a tough spot with the TVA’s Judge B-15. The moment has a hilarious payoff when Deadpool and Wolverine are revealed to have survived, and Paradox realizes his effort has been for nothing, screaming “F-ck!” I think that Paradox’s disbelief at their return and subsequent loss was very satisfying, and the moment became a viral trend on social media, all because of Lively’s note.
Why I’m So Glad Deadpool & Wolverine’s Ending Was Changed
Paradox’s Hilarious Moment Is Not The Only Reason
Paradox’s big speech and frustration make for a hilarious moment near the end of the movie. However, I think Blake Lively’s note helped Deadpool & Wolverine on a deeper level. As director Shawn Levy mentioned, I agree with Lively’s idea that there needed to be some time between Deadpool and Wolverine seemingly dying to destroy the Time Ripper and when they are revealed to be alive. If the movie had just shown that the characters were safe after a huge moment that slowly built to what appeared to be their deaths, then the excitement would have fizzled.
X-Men Movies In Release Order |
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X-Men (2000) |
X2: X-Men United (2003) |
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
X-Men: First Class (2011) |
The Wolverine (2013) |
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) |
Deadpool (2016) |
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) |
Logan (2017) |
Deadpool 2 (2018) |
Dark Phoenix (2019) |
The New Mutants (2020) |
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) |
I think that by going with the finished version of the scene in Deadpool & Wolverine, Levy and crew manage to hold on to the emotion of the sequence for a while longer, and in doing so, the movie ends up making their survival a surprise and a moment of celebration, as the characters return to see a villain lose. As such, Deadpool & Wolverine‘s ending is made better by Blake Lively putting herself in the fans’ shoes โ something those involved with the movie did a lot โ to deliver the best possible experience.