“That’s the kind of villain I love”: Ryan Reynolds Promises Deadpool & Wolverine Villain is More Like Thanos That Just Might Save the MCU After a Streak of Bad Antagonists

Everyone’s favorite Merc With a Mouth will be teaming up with Wolverine for the upcoming film Deadpool & Wolverine. The film not only brings Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool into the MCU fold but also marks Hugh Jackman’s return to his most iconic role. Therefore, Reynolds, who also serves as a producer on the film understands that the threat faced by the titular heroes has to be worthy of a team-up.

During a recent interview, Reynolds shed some light on the film’s mysterious villain, promising that fans will witness the heroes fighting a Thanos-level threat. As a result, Reynolds promises will hopefully fix an upsetting streak in the MCU, which has consistently featured poor villains in recent times. Here is what Reynolds had to say about Deadpool & Wolverine‘s villain.

Ryan Reynolds Promises Deadpool & Wolverine Villain Will Be a Thanos-Level Threat

The Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team-up film, Deadpool & Wolverine, is right around the corner, with anticipation for it being higher than ever. However, despite its release date being only a couple of months away, little is known about the film’s plot or primary villain other than that Emma Corrin has been cast in the role.

In a recent interview with Empire, Reynolds spoke about the film’s main villain and compared them to Thanos, who was the ultimate big-bad for the MCU’s Infinity Saga. Reynolds made the following statement (via @MCUFilmNews) regarding Deadpool & Wolverine‘s villain.

Ryan Reynolds discusses Emma Corrin's role as Cassandra Nova in 'DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE':

"They don’t play the character like a villain, and that’s the kind of villain I love, … A villain who has real grounded and nuanced convictions."

(Source: @empiremagazine) pic.twitter.com/gmjMqj24w7

— MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) May 9, 2024

Reynolds’ statement confirms that Corrin, who is expected to play Cassandra Nova, the evil twin of Charles Xavier / Professor X, will be the primary antagonist of the film. The Deadpool actor’s words also set up a comparison between Cassandra Nova and Thanos.

Given Reynolds’ comment about Corrin’s approach to the character, Thanos is arguably the best reference point for the type of villain they will play. It also sets up the film’s stakes and implies that it will take more than just Deadpool and Wolverine to defeat the villain. Thus, the film could feature a treasure trove of cameos from other MCU and non-MCU heroes of the past.

Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool & Wolverine Promise Means MCU Could Break Its Streak of Bad Antagonists

Since Thanos brought the Avengers to their knees during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, no other MCU villain has even come close to posing a menacing threat to the heroes. In the recent past, the MCU has seen a bit of a slump in quality, and part of the reason is the poor depiction of antagonists in their movies.

For instance, Kang the Conqueror was expected to serve as the primary villain for the Multiversal Saga. However, he faced defeat twice, first in Loki and then in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. As a result, the MCU failed to establish Kang as a major threat requiring all the Avengers to band together.

Similarly, other films such as The Marvels featured Dar-Benn a villain, who felt like a gender-swapped rehash of Ronan the Accuser. Meanwhile, Thor: Love and Thunder failed to do justice to a villain like Gorr the God Butcher. Therefore, the MCU is in desperate need of a worthy antagonist for its heroes, and Reynolds’ promise for Deadpool & Wolverine suggests that we will finally see a competent villain in the MCU.

Deadpool & Wolverine will be released on July 26, 2024, while previous Deadpool films can be streamed on Disney+.