The Role Ryan Reynolds Regrets Taking

In the futuristic modern era of 2021, it's easy to think of Canadian heartthrob Ryan Reynolds primarily as Deadpool, the mucho-mature merc-with-a-mouth who makes us all marvel at some of Marvel's more minor characters when compared to the monumental cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the Deadpool we know today wasn't Reynolds' first foray between the pages and panels of a colossal comic book character. After portraying the much-reviled version of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds took a trip to the other side of the comic book fence as Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern.

Unfortunately, 2011's Green Lantern ended up being a critical failure. To this day it sits at a regrettable 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was so famously bad that Deadpool 2 even concluded with a post-credits parody scene where Reynolds' Deadpool goes back in time to stop himself from ever taking the role via a bullet to the head. It's solidified as one of the few roles in Reynolds' career that he has actually expressed any regret for taking.

If you couldn't tell from Deadpool 2's ending, Reynolds isn't shy about the fact that the Green Lantern movie sucked. Recently, he sat down with Entertainment Weekly and explained exactly why it was such a failure in his eyes. At the same time, he's quick to explain why Deadpool did the opposite.

"Well it's simple: Deadpool always knew what it was," Reynolds said. "With Green Lantern, I don't think anyone ever figured out exactly what it was... It also fell victim to the process in Hollywood which is like poster first, release date second, script last. At the time, it was a huge opportunity for me so I was excited to try and take part in it."

This explanation makes a lot of sense. At the time in 2011, the idea of a comic book movie franchise was still a relatively new thing. Marvel had only started their MCU just three years prior, and while DC Comics was quick to respond with their own movies, they couldn't quite nail the formula. For all intents and purposes, Marvel had struck gold by accident, and nobody knew exactly what made the MCU click so well with audiences. And while Reynolds is adamantly aware of this fact, he's also quick to give credit to the Green Lantern film where credit is due.

In March of 2021, Reynolds took to Twitter and explained that he had never actually seen Green Lantern in its entirety, only his scenes. So, he sat down with a healthy amount of liquor and live-tweeted his first impression of the wild ride that is Green Lantern.

"Maybe it's the Aviation Gin talking, but #GreenLantern was nothing to fear!" Reynolds wrote. "Hundreds of incredible crew and cast members did amazing work — and while it's not perfect, it ain't a tragedy. Next time I won't wait a decade to watch."

Among Reynolds' highlights for the movie were his scenes with Blake Lively, whom he married shortly after Green Lantern released. So, perhaps Reynolds isn't brimming with animosity toward the movie. After all, it introduced him to his current spouse. And while he is quick to point out its faults, he's also willing to give it a fair shot despite its poor reputation.