Exclusive: Ryan Reynolds Wants Ben Affleck In Deadpool 3 To Make Fun Of DC
Ryan Reynolds is attempting to get Ben Affleck's Batman in Deadpool 3.
Update July 2024: While Ryan Reynolds might have wanted Ben Affleck in the movie, the latter did not appear in Deadpool & Wolverine. Other cameos in the movie included Wesley Snipes, Henry Cavill, and Chris Evans, to name a few.
Ryan Reynolds is trying to persuade Ben Affleck to join Deadpool 3 as his version of Batman in order to mock the now-defunct DC Extended Universe. According to our trusted and proven sources, the Deadpool actor wants the two-time Academy Award winner to appear in the third installment of the series essentially as a gag about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s primary competition. While it could be a pretty funny bit (depending on one’s sense of humor), Ryan Reynolds and Ben Affleck meeting up in Deadpool 3 could actually have some pretty huge ramifications for both comic book universes.
To date, Ryan Reynolds and Ben Affleck have appeared in only one movie together, 2006’s ensemble action comedy Smokin’ Aces (which also starred a pre-Star Trek Chris Pine, Jason Bateman, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, and Alicia Keyes). Deadpool 3 would be an interesting reunion for the duo of Ryan Reynolds and Ben Affleck, both of whom have had their share of poorly regarded superhero roles at this point. However, the idea that Affleck’s version of Bruce Wayne might show up in Deadpool 3 to poke fun at Zack Snyder’s version of DC would basically create the first major Marvel/DC crossover in film.
For decades, the comic book industry has been dominated by a rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics. There have been multiple crossover events between the two universes (notably the fan vote-driven 1996 DC vs. Marvel miniseries) of varying quality and canonicity, but thus far, there has not been any crossover between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe/DC Universe.
It would be very interesting if this momentous collaboration between gigantic shared cinematic universes happened because Ryan Reynolds basically wanted to pull off a gag with Ben Affleck, but stranger things have happened. While Ryan Reynolds is being positioned as a prominent element of the MCU, Ben Affleck’s role in James Gunn’s new DC Universe is much less certain. He might be showing up for an appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but then again, might not.
One possibility is that Ryan Reynolds might be able to get Ben Affleck to show up in Deadpool 3 in a role that is not explicitly that of Batman/Bruce Wayne, but just sort of implied to be. If Reynolds and his co-writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin were careful about it, they could get mileage out of Affleck’s burnt-out, hard-drinking Batman without worrying about it being a multiverse-crossing affair.
It is also worth noting that Ryan Reynolds trying to get Ben Affleck in Deadpool 3 is not the only unlikely casting that he has pursued. To the shocked joy of fans, Reynolds actually managed to get Hugh Jackman to reprise the role of Wolverine for the movie, after years of pestering the Australian actor (and even after Jackman famously announced he had retired from the character). While it might not feel all that likely that Ryan Reynolds could lock down a Batman for the movie, it appears that not all that much is outside his powers.
