Ryan Reynolds Says He Was ‘Mortified’ to Cut Rob McElhenney Out of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ but It Just ‘Wasn’t Working’

Ryan Reynolds revealed why he cut his friend and co-owner of Wrexham AFC, Rob McElhenney, out of his record-breaking Marvel blockbuster, “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

The co-writer and star said in an Instagram post Friday that sometimes you “have to kill your darlings” in the editing room, and McElhenney was one of those “darlings.”

Reynolds credited the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star for his strong cameo, saying he was the only reason it stuck around as long as it did.

“The sequence wasn’t working the way we’d originally constructed it. Rob was the only reason it stayed in the cut for as long as it did, because even under a TVA mask and helmet, you can feel him smoldering with a raw and almost infinite reservoir of talent, writerly wit and ‘I create hit TV shows’ swagger,” Reynolds wrote, hinting that the cameo may be available on the digital extras version of the film.

“I loved making this movie, but it wasn’t without stress. There was a lot of expectation — and I’m pretty sure the most well written villain in cinema history is ‘Expectation,’ Reynolds continued. “And when you do stressful stuff, it feels good when friends are nearby. And even though I’m mortified he flew all the way to London for a cameo that wasn’t meant to be, I’m grateful my friend was there with me on that set. When I see Rob, my heart-rate slows and my nervous system stops yelling at me. He shows up for people. And he showed up for me.”

McElhenney joked back with the raunchy superhero, “??How am I supposed to go back to writing dick jokes today?” The writer and producer was credited to be a TVA Soldier, a member of the time-travel police force introduced in the Disney+ series “Loki,” in the new film.

The “Mythic Quest” creator tweeted July 26 on the release date of the film, calling out Reynolds for “mistakenly” cutting him out of the movie. Reynolds responded, joking that it was “definitely just that theater.”

“Deadpool & Wolverine” became the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time. It surpassed “Joker,” earning $1.086 billion worldwide in just 23 days. The movie is the MCU’s first R-rated film and, in true Deadpool fashion, contains lots of swearing and fourth wall-breaking throughout.

Though McElhenney’s cameo did not make the cut, several other stars did. Jennifer Garner reprised her role as Elektra. Blake Lively appeared as Lady Deadpool. And Wesley Snipes, Chris Evans and Channing Tatum showed up, too, in a stacked homage to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

McElhenney has since suggested that he may ask Marvel for permission to show the deleted sequence on “Welcome to Wrexham,” he and Reynolds’ sports documentary series that follows their journey to rebuild a struggling Welsh football team.

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