Ryan Reynolds Crashes Avengers: Doomsday Panel as Deadpool, Pitches for Dec. 18 Film Role

Q: Was Ryan Reynolds' surprise Comic-Con stunt a secret confirmation of Deadpool joining the Avengers, or just a masterful marketing distraction?

It was far more likely a calculated tease than a secret confirmation. Nothing in the panel amounted to an official announcement that Deadpool is in *Avengers: Doomsday*. Reynolds appeared from the crowd, stayed in character, and framed the whole moment as a joke about trying to get into the movie. Robert Downey Jr.’s line that the film was already “in the can” pointed the other way, and Marvel did not follow the stunt with a cast reveal, title card, or footage showing Deadpool. That said, the appearance was not random. Marvel and Reynolds know Deadpool speculation is intense after *Deadpool & Wolverine* grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, and Reynolds has already said another Deadpool project will happen eventually. Showing up in an unrevealed gray X-Force-style suit kept that conversation alive while giving fans a memorable Hall H moment without committing Marvel to anything. The strongest reading is that the stunt was designed to do two things at once: entertain the room and deliberately fuel rumors. It signaled that Deadpool remains very much in Marvel’s plans, but not necessarily that he is in *Doomsday*. In Marvel’s playbook, that kind of ambiguity is useful marketing. So, based on the available facts, Reynolds’ Comic-Con bit was a masterful distraction and a strategic reminder that Deadpool is still in the MCU orbit—not proof of an *Avengers: Doomsday* role.

Q: Will the mystery of why Thor was crying finally be answered in Avengers: Doomsday alongside Doctor Doom?

Probably not in *Avengers: Doomsday*—at least not based on anything Marvel has officially confirmed. Reynolds’ Comic-Con appearance kept the gag alive by again asking “Where is Thor, and why was he crying?” But the panel exchange was played entirely as a Deadpool-style joke, not as a story reveal. Marvel has still not announced Reynolds for *Doomsday*, even though his surprise Hall H cameo has intensified speculation that Deadpool could appear. The strongest evidence points elsewhere. The only additional reporting tied to this mystery is an unconfirmed insider claim that the payoff may come in *Avengers: Secret Wars*, not *Doomsday*. That would fit the way *Deadpool & Wolverine* treated the crying-Thor moment: as a dangling multiverse tease rather than a setup with an immediate answer. There is also a practical reason to be cautious. While Robert Downey Jr. told Hall H that *Doomsday* was already “in the can,” Marvel often guards major cameos and plot turns until much later. So a Deadpool appearance cannot be ruled out, but there is no verified sign that *Doomsday* will specifically explain Thor’s tears or tie that moment directly to Doctor Doom. For now, the safest reading is that Reynolds was stoking fan speculation, not confirming a plot point. Unless Marvel says otherwise, the mystery remains unresolved—and if it is answered, current rumor points more toward *Secret Wars* than *Doomsday*.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 26

Ryan Reynolds popped up in San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H wearing Deadpool’s unreleased gray suit and interrupted Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday panel to lobby for a last-minute role.
Paul Rudd and Robert Downey Jr. played along, with Downey joking the movie was already “in the can” when Reynolds pressed about extra photography, overages and possible additions.
The bit leaned on Deadpool & Wolverine lore, including Reynolds asking why Thor was crying — a callback to the 2024 film’s future-set scene with Chris Hemsworth.
Marvel still has not confirmed Deadpool for Doomsday, even as rumors persist after Deadpool & Wolverine topped $1.3 billion worldwide and Reynolds recently said another Deadpool movie will happen.