How Ryan Reynolds Sharpened His Deadpool Chops as 'King' of 'Blade: Trinity'
Jessica Biel, Wesley Snipes, and Ryan Reynolds in ‘Blade: Trinity’
By Karen Kemmerle
Ryan Reynolds has said that he has “no desire to play any other superhero” after the massive hit that is Deadpool. And who could blame him? From X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where he first played a radically different Wade Wilson, to Green Lantern to R.I.P.D., Reynolds endured a long apprenticeship in comic-book movies — all artistic and/or commercial disappointments — before achieving bona fide superhero superstar status this year.
But it was on the set and on the screen of one of those earlier bumps in the road where the seeds of his eventual breakthrough were planted. In Empire’s oral history of Deadpool, Reynolds revealed that he was initially exposed to the Merc With a Mouth when a studio executive pointed out that he would be “essentially playing Deadpool” in his first R-rated comic-book movie, the often derided Blade: Trinity.
Related: Yahoo Movies’ Complete ‘Deadpool’ Coverage
Don’t roll your eyes. Whatever you think of the Blade franchise, especially the 2004 threequel, you can now see a little bit of Deadpool in Reynolds’ performance alongside co-stars Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel. Reynolds’ Hannibal King is a quick-witted vampire hunter with a dark past and a resilient sense of humor. The role not only allowed Reynolds to refine his delivery of snappy dialogue, but also required him to get in top-notch physical shape. And did he ever. Reynolds is more than ready to take down random blood-sucking baddies, engage in a full-on brawl with WWE superstar Triple H’s Jarko Grimwood, and lie shirtless and bloody in a weird vampire holding cell. You could cut glass on his chiseled abs.
Ryan Reynolds in 'Blade: Trinity’ (Photo: New Line)
Physical attributes aside, Reynolds in Blade: Trinity also showed that he could make a comic-book hero relatable. Hannibal King, like Hollywood’s new best pal Wade Wilson, has suffered deeply. After getting on the wrong side of vampire bad girl Danica Talos (Parker Posey), King was imprisoned as her “little vampire cabana boy” for five years, until he is freed, cured, and turned into a vampire hunter. That’s a lot of baggage, which Reynolds conveys subtly through quick quips that mask his pain. King’s tribulations provide a template for Reynolds’s later portrayal in Deadpool of Wade Wilson’s torture at the hands of sadistic scientists attempting to trigger a mutation to cure his cancer.
Related: Deadpool 101: Everything You Need to Know About the Merc With a Mouth
Whether playing off of Snipes’s stoic Blade or oozing charisma in scenes with Biel’s Abigail Whistler, Reynolds showcased skills in Blade: Trinity that demonstrated he could dominate an action movie. While audiences may have come for Snipes’ Blade, they stayed for Reynolds’ King. Straddling that difficult line between endearing and grating — a skill that’s served him well over the years — Reynolds’ most appealing moments come opposite Posey’s hilarious and menacing vampire villainess. There aren’t many actors who could call Parker Posey a “c—k-juggling thunderc—t” and totally stick the landing.
So if you enjoy Reynolds’ current star turn and want to see more of him in full superhero mode, don’t be afraid to take another look at Blade: Trinity, and hail the King who foreshadows the eventual triumph of Deadpool.
Revisit a ‘Blade: Trinity’ scene featuring Ryan Reynolds: ‘This is awkward’:
