Warning: Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine are ahead.
Lady Deadpool wooed Marvel fans as soon as she and her long, blonde ponytail sashayed their way into the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer. The character introduction immediately sparked rumors as to who would be taking on the mantle, with many speculating that Blake Lively—beloved star of Gossip Girl and the wife of Deadpool lead Ryan Reynolds—would be behind the mask. Though the identity of Lady Deadpool was never technically unmasked in the film, the rumors were at least partially true—Lively did voice the character in the movie.
The anticipated cameo occurred during an action-packed scene, when Lady Deadpool battled Reynolds's Deadpool alongside Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, as well as a slew of other Deadpool variants emerging from the multiverse.
Best of all, Lively was far from the only surprise celebrity taking on a role; Matthew McConaughey fittingly took on the role of Cowboypool while Nathan Fillion embodied Headpool (AKA a severed Deadpool head, naturally). Chris Evans put down Captain America's shield to reprise his Fantastic Four (2005) role as the Human Torch, and Jennifer Garner did the same by reviving her own early aughts superhero movie via Elektra. Even Lively and Reynolds's seven-year-old daughter, Inez, got the chance to recite some profanity-littered lines as Kidpool.
Lively, who attended the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere in a custom red-hot bodysuit designed by Versace, later confirmed her surprise appearance on Instagram. In a lengthy note, the actor described listening to Reynolds's passion about bring Deadpool to life over a decade ago, years before the first Deadpool movie would ever be made. She also acknowledged Rob Liefield, the creator of Deadpool, basing the appearance of Lady Deadpool in the comics on Serena Van Der Woodsen, her famed character in Gossip Girl. Talk about full circle.
“The universe has such a magical sense of humor sometimes,” Lively wrote.
Reynolds—who not only starred in Deadpool & Wolverine, but also co-wrote and produced the movie—talked about recruiting his wife for the third installment of the Marvel franchise.
“It was kind of one of those things where you're like, 'Well, why not?' I mean, go for it, of course. I mean, we're all there together anyway. Let's go nuts,” he told Amanda Hirch during a recent appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, per Digital Spy. “She did love it. And she's one of the funniest people I know.”
