In the MCU, fans found two of the most magnetically charming personas in the form of Iron Man portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., and Ryan Reynolds‘ embodiment of Deadpool. Especially Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark, which was just as much genius as the character he played. The Dolittle actor is also lauded as a veteran of the superhero genre with ten Marvel flicks under his belt. Well, his expertise led him to identify the remarkable talents of Reynolds two years ago. 

The reason he picked out the Free Guy actor among ‘Marvel greats’ was a surprising one back in 2021.

Rober Downey Jr. wrote a tribute for the MCU novel

For The Marvel Studios Chronicles: Crafting the Marvel Cinematic Universe book that came out in 2021, Robert Downey Jr. wrote the concluding chapter himself. Through it, he acknowledged 47 individuals who he deemed responsible for propelling the MCU to unparalleled heights. Among them was Ryan Reynolds, who he included to display his inclusiveness, which was “not distributor-specific”. He was referring to how Reynolds’ Deadpool franchise was born under the Fox banner before their merger with the Walt Disney Studios. 

Despite being a Marvel creation, 20th Century Fox Studios held the rights to Deadpool flicks, alienating Reynolds from the Avengers franchise. Regardless of that, Downey Jr. felt that the 47-year-old was pivotal to MCU’s success. When it comes to acting, Reynolds was definitely among the top Marvel actors whose distinctive personality lent his character an undeniable charm. In that way, he was quite similar to Downey Jr. who pioneered this persona in Marvel flicks. 

This was something even a Marvel Director attested to once. 

James Gunn compared Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool to Iron Man

To lend their characters a uniquely layered personality, both Ryan Reynolds and Robert Downey Jr. infused a combination of wit and vulnerability into their roles. With the sharpest of tongues and hearts of gold, their characters became the faces of a new-age superhero. Earlier this year, James Gunn also drew parallels between the two actors. According to him, Reynolds was “such a funny guy” that he equated him with Downey Jr. in Iron Man. 

As a superhero aficionado, he deemed their characters as the “top three comic icons”! Although the now-creative head of DC later shelved the possibility of Reynolds’ return to DC with a Green Lantern series, he clearly thought highly of him as an actor. So, it seems like the Sherlock Holmes actor was right to list him in his list of Marvel’s greats. Even if he did it to prove his appreciation of the formerly Fox-owned superhero.

Do you agree with Robert Downey Jr.’s inclusion of Reynolds in his Marvel greats list? Share your thoughts in the comments.