Ryan Reynolds has shared a comic video reacting to having the role of Deadpool “stolen” a forthcoming video game about the character.
Marvel’s Deadpool VR, a new game for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S platforms, was announced at Summer Game Fest 2025 this week – and will see Broadway star Neil Patrick Harris voice the comic book character that Reynolds has played on screen since 2009.
Just hours after the trailer for Marvel’s Deadpool VR was released online, Reynolds shared a video in which he can be seen “over-reacting” to the news.
In the video, Reynolds can be seen wearing a lab coat and glasses, in an apparent imitation of Harris in the latter’s star-making role, as a teenage physician in the sitcom Doogie Howser, MD.
Journaling on his personal computer, Reynolds writes: “Today, I learned a lesson about buttholes they don’t teach you in medical school.
“People who steal your signature role are the biggest buttholes of all,” he continues. “No, I don’t blame Meta Quest. Neil Patrick Harris is an amazing actor with the nurturing voice of an angel, but even though I haven’t hit puberty yet, I still know when you’re getting totally screwed.”
Reynolds is then interrupted by the appearance of Robyn Lively, who tells him that he’s being “vindictive and stupid”. Lively, the half-sister of Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively, appeared in Doogie Howser as a nursing student who dates Harris’s character.
Fans reacted positively to the video on social media, with one person writing: “Ryan is a goat for this.”
“It’s funny that most people don’t realise he’s parodying NPH’s old show as revenge for taking the Deadpool role. But, it also just reminds me how old I am because I instantly recognised the reference,” another wrote.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“It’s like they didn’t even ASK him. Because you know Ryan would’ve PAID to do the voice,” someone else claimed.
Reynolds has portrayed the character of Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, in four feature films: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
While Reynolds was not one of the many names announced to star in the forthcoming Avengers sequel, it is widely expected that Reynolds will reprise the character in a future Marvel film.
