Ryan Reynolds Shares a Video of Hugh Jackman’s Hilarious Plea to Join ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ at D23
Marvel Studios has turned stunt-casting theater into an art form over the past few years, but even by that standard, D23 2026 delivered one of its most chaotic moments yet. The night had already delivered a new Doctor Doom trailer and a freshly unveiled ‘X-Men’ cast, leaving fans wondering what else could possibly top it before the ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ portion of the presentation even began, especially with a lineup that already includes returning stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.
That segment opened not with new footage, but with a recorded video message from Hugh Jackman, who used the moment to make a direct pitch for a spot in the film. Jackman’s plea quickly turned chaotic once Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool started interrupting from off-screen, turning what could have been a simple ask into a full-blown comedic bit playing out in front of the entire D23 crowd.
In the clip, Jackman told the audience he “just wanted to check in totally unprompted,” before asking whether Marvel needed help rounding out the Doomsday cast and adding, “I’d love to join, and I might be able to convince Ryan to appear.” Reynolds, heard but not seen, immediately pushed back on the idea from off-camera, joking that Marvel already has roughly twenty people in the movie, so why would they need the two of them.
Reports from inside the room described Deadpool going even further, at one point barking at Jackman to “follow the f***ing script” as the bit spiraled into deliberate on-stage chaos. Kevin Feige didn’t take the bait on stage, moving the panel forward without extending any invitation, instead bringing out Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Hayley Atwell to unveil new Doctor Doom footage.
This wasn’t Reynolds and Jackman’s first attempt at wedging themselves into ‘Doomsday’ through public stunts. Weeks earlier, Reynolds crashed Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in person, appearing in a gray X-Force suit under the alias “Ricky” while making a similar pitch, only for Downey Jr. to insist on stage that the movie was already locked and finished.
Running the same joke at two of Marvel’s biggest events within a month hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans or industry watchers, many of whom see the pattern as a deliberate rollout rather than a coincidence. Marvel has technically never confirmed either actor’s involvement on stage, but the calculated ambiguity has left plenty of viewers convinced something bigger is being teased.
Following the panel, both actors posted the video to their own social media accounts, leaning further into the joke’s framing.
Jackman captioned his version, “If this looks like I’m recording this video against my will. It’s because I AM.”
while Reynolds wrote, “If this feels like a hostage video, it’s because it’s a hostage video.”
Marvel’s own official recap of the D23 event covered the video and quoted Jackman’s pitch directly, but notably ran through the full ‘Doomsday’ cast list without including either actor’s name. Whether that omission is a deliberate misdirect or simply reflects where negotiations currently stand remains unclear heading into the film’s December 18 release.
Given how thoroughly ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ resonated with audiences, earning $1.3 billion as Marvel’s only R-rated release, the appetite for a Doomsday reunion is clearly there even if Marvel isn’t ready to confirm it. With several of Jackman’s old ‘X-Men’ castmates already locked into the film’s growing roster, the door for one more surprise cameo certainly doesn’t appear closed.
Do you think Deadpool and Wolverine will actually appear in Avengers: Doomsday?
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