Ryan Reynolds pays tribute to Blade star Wesley Snipes with behind-the-scenes Deadpool and Wolverine pic: "He's Marvel Daddy"

Wesley Snipes as Blade in Deadpool and Wolverine
(Image credit: Ryan Reynolds on Twitter @VancityReynolds)

Deadpool and Wolverine contains a whole bunch of exciting MCU and Marvel Easter eggs and cameos, but one of the best has to be Wesley Snipes’ Blade. And no one knows that better than lead Ryan Reynolds who has paid tribute to the star in the most Wade Wilson way possible. 

"There is no Fox Marvel Universe or MCU without Blade first creating a market. He’s Marvel Daddy," said Reynolds on Twitter via four behind-the-scenes images of the two on set of the new flick. See the full tweet below. 

In Deadpool and Wolverine, Snipes unexpectedly shows up in the Void alongside Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Channing Tatum’s Gambit, and Logan’s Daphne Keen as X-23. The group of outcast superheroes later join forces with The Merc with a Mouth and his clawed buddy and help defeat Cassandra Nova’s tribe of Marvel villains.

But the half-human half-vampire’s appearance goes way deeper than just being simply iconic. The 1998 movie Blade practically put Marvel on the map, hence Reynolds’ tweet. The vampy hero flick first ignited interest in Marvel movies which had a ripple effect that created the X-Men movies and practically the whole Fox-Marvel universe and MCU as we know it today.

Not only this, but per Guinness World Records, as of his appearance in the new Deadpool sequel, Snipes now holds the world record for the longest career as a live-action Marvel character. Now that is what we call "Marvel Daddy," thanks for that, Reynolds.

However, the funniest moment from Snipes in the sequel had to be when he stated, "There’s only ever gonna be one Blade," which caused Deadpool to break the fourth wall and give the audience a sly look, as we know, there is actually a new Blade movie on the way. Marvel's upcoming Blade remake starring Mahershala Ali has been trying to get off the ground for quite some time, but when it does finally hit screens, Ali will become the Blade of Earth-616, leaving Snipes merely a variant. Which explains how he ended up in the Void.

But we really hope this isn't the last time we see Snipes' portrayal of Blade, as Reynolds urged his Twitter followers to "retweet for a Logan-like send-off". This is no doubt referring to the Earth-616 version of Wolverine’s heroic and dramatic death in the 2017 movie Logan which waved goodbye to the X-Man we as an audience had fallen in love with over the whole X-Men movie franchise. It would be great to wave off Snipes in this respect too, so we guess we better get retweeting fast.

Deadpool and Wolverine is out now! For more, check out our guide on how to watch all the Marvel movies in order, or read our Deadpool and Wolverine review for our take on Deadpool’s MCU debut.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

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