A New Kind of
Superhero Movie Emerges

I really have to give Ryan Reynolds kudos for turning the superhero movie genre around with Deadpool. The film premiered as comic book adaptations peaked, but were becoming stale. By then, everyone knew what to expect from superhero movies, and as fun as the spectacle was, audiences started wanting more.

Then came Deadpool, with all its ridiculousness and outrageous humor. Suddenly, there was this R-rated Marvel film, not connected to the MCU at the time, and it was a whole lot of fun. The movie was irreverent, offensive, and wild—everything the MCU and DCEU weren't.

I saw it the first night it hit my local theater, and I loved it instantly. I had never laughed that hard at a superhero movie before, especially not to the point of tears. To this day, it remains one of my favorite films of any genre.

Regrettably, I don't think they staged a red-carpet premiere event in the US. The world premiere was in Paris, at Le Grand Rex on February 8, 2016, and I think only Ryan Reynolds showed up from the cast. If they'd set up a proper US premiere here with the rest of the cast, you can bet I'd have been there hounding for autographs.

Fortunately, they did stage one for Deadpool 2 on May 14, 2018, at the famous AMC Loews Lincoln Square in New York City. Even better, more cast members attended, including most who returned from the first film. Apart from Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand, Karan Soni, and Leslie Uggams also appeared.

That's when I finally met them and got their autographs on my original Deadpool movie poster. I waited two years for this, and it was everything I expected. The cast members I met were all nice, which made up for missing many others.

Of the original cast members who returned for Deadpool 2, I only got autographs from Reynolds, Baccarin, and Hildebrand. I called out to Soni and Uggams, but they didn't see or hear me.

I was also bummed out that Stefan Kapičić wasn't there, though he mostly lends his voice to the film, so that made sense. Ed Skrein was another of my faves from the first film, but since his character died, he didn't return for the sequel and didn't attend the premiere.

I wasn't sad for long, though, because I eventually met both of them. I saw Ed Skrein at the LA premiere of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in September 2019, and Stefan Kapičić at Cape Con in Missouri in September 2023. They were both delightful when I asked them for their autographs.

People often find it weird that I say Deadpool is my favorite superhero movie, but can you blame me? It's the most unique, and dare I say, funniest superhero film I've ever seen. I like the MCU and DCEU, but neither comes close to how crazy Deadpool is.