Ryan Reynolds has finally confirmed what fans suspected for years: he was the one who leaked the infamous Deadpool test footage back in 2014. Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, the actor openly admitted that the ‘wrong thing’ he did at the time turned out to be the single most important move in bringing Marvel’s most irreverent anti-hero to the big screen. 
Looking back more than a decade later, Reynolds described the leak as a ‘cheat,’ but one he remains deeply grateful for, since it ultimately changed the trajectory of his career and the fate of the Deadpool franchise.
The leaked footage, which had been shot in 2012 by filmmaker Tim Miller, showcased Deadpool in all his unfiltered, fourth-wall-breaking glory. Packed with over-the-top violence and razor-sharp humor, it was the perfect demonstration of how an R-rated comic book film could stand out in a crowded superhero market dominated by PG-13 blockbusters. When the clip hit the internet in July 2014, fans instantly rallied around it. Online buzz exploded, forcing 20th Century Fox to give the long-delayed green light. Within 24 hours, a project that had languished in studio purgatory suddenly had real momentum.
“Yes, I cheated a little, but I think I was onto something,” Reynolds said. “I knew people would respond to it, even if the studio didn’t. I loved the character too much to just let him die in development hell. So, I did the wrong thing – and it turned out to be the right thing.”
For context, Reynolds had already suffered through a string of superhero misfires. He played Wade Wilson (in an infamously censored form) in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and then starred in 2011’s Green Lantern, which bombed both critically and financially. At the time, executives weren’t convinced audiences wanted a quirky, violent, self-aware anti-hero. But the test footage proved otherwise. It showed fans exactly what an authentic Deadpool film could be – bloody, meta, and unapologetically adult – and fans refused to let Fox ignore it.
By 2016, the gamble had paid off spectacularly. Deadpool smashed expectations with nearly $800 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. The sequel, Deadpool 2, matched its success in 2018, solidifying Reynolds’ place not just as the definitive Deadpool but also as one of Hollywood’s smartest self-marketers. Most recently, Deadpool & Wolverine crossed $1.3 billion at the global box office, setting a new record for R-rated films and firmly integrating Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Reynolds explained that his obsession with the character stemmed from Deadpool’s uniqueness. “He’s a fringe character who knows he’s in a comic book. That meta awareness was new, it was different, and it was worth fighting for,” he said. Yet he also admitted he feared leaking the footage might end his career. “I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, ‘What have you done? This could kill everything.’ But the fans made sure it didn’t. They turned it into something the studio couldn’t ignore.”
The risk could easily have backfired. At the time, Reynolds was still often cast as a handsome rom-com lead, and Hollywood has a long memory when it comes to stepping out of line. But his instincts proved sharper than anyone expected. By choosing to break the rules, he aligned himself with the rebellious energy of the character he loved, essentially becoming Deadpool both on screen and off.
Today, speculation swirls about what comes next. Rumors suggest Deadpool may appear in Avengers: Doomsday, though not as an official Avenger. Marvel Studios has yet to confirm a fourth standalone Deadpool film, focusing instead on developing new X-Men projects and sequels like Black Panther 3. Still, Reynolds has hinted that he’s in early talks to push for a Deadpool/X-Men crossover, where the spotlight shifts to other characters while Deadpool continues to play the unpredictable wildcard. For Reynolds, keeping Deadpool outside of established teams like the Avengers or X-Men is essential: “Once he joins a group, that’s the end of him. He’s supposed to be the outsider.”
In hindsight, the leaked footage was more than just a marketing stunt – it was a turning point for Hollywood. It proved that superhero films could thrive outside the family-friendly mold if studios trusted audiences to embrace something edgier. It also showed how the internet, through sheer fan enthusiasm, could reshape studio decisions. Reynolds’ bold move not only saved Deadpool but opened the door for other R-rated hits like Logan, proving audiences were hungry for more mature, unrestrained takes on comic book icons.
What started as a risky gamble by one actor has since become a case study in how fan power, digital virality, and a little bit of rule-breaking can alter the course of pop culture. As one fan put it: fortune favors the bold. And in this case, it favored Deadpool – and Ryan Reynolds most of all.
1 comment
nah that wasnt the wrong thing, it was the only way we ever got deadpool. bold pays off