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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Deadpool and its sequels are Ryan Reynolds’s most fully realized superhero roles, but his comic-book-film history also includes an early, supporting turn as Wade Wilson and a very different DC lead. Here are the six films ranked, with R.I.P.D. included as a superhero-adjacent case rather than an unequivocal superhero movie.
How this ranking works
This is an editorial ranking, not an objective consensus. Each film is judged by the fit between Reynolds and his character, his performance, the writing and direction, the balance of action and comedy, and how central the superhero role is to the story. Those priorities matter: someone drawn mainly to source-character fidelity or emotional range may rank the films differently from a viewer looking for comic timing and rewatchability.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Deadpool & Wolverine - Blu-ray + Digital | $18.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Deadpool & Wolverine - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital | $30.46 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Deadpool & Wolverine [Blu-ray] (2024)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HEpmbJsWL._SL160_.jpg)
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Deadpool & Wolverine [Blu-ray] (2024) | $27.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![Deadpool & Wolverine by Marvel [Blu-ray] [Region Free]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511-VUGPYXL._SL160_.jpg)
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Deadpool & Wolverine by Marvel [Blu-ray] [Region Free] | $26.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Deadpool & Wolverine - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital | $42.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The list includes the three films built around Deadpool, Reynolds’s Green Lantern film, his supporting Deadpool appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and R.I.P.D. The last is a supernatural action-comedy about an afterlife police force, so it is a broad, superhero-adjacent inclusion—not a clear-cut comic-book superhero movie. The official studio pages classify Deadpool and Deadpool 2 as superhero films: 20th Century Studios’ Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
The Ryan Reynolds superhero movies, ranked
1. Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool is the strongest match of actor, character, and material on this list. Reynolds’s irreverent delivery gives Wade Wilson’s self-aware humor a natural center, while the film’s action-comedy approach makes the character’s comic voice part of the storytelling rather than a pause between fights. It is also the film that makes Reynolds’s role unmistakably central: the story is built around his Wade Wilson becoming Deadpool.
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#1 Best Overall
- Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake yet. His days as Deadpool behind him, a listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. But when his homeworld is threatened, he reluctantly suits up as he tries to convince Wolverine? oh hell, just watch. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers.
Its place at the top rests on that overall fit, not on a claim that it is the most emotionally expansive or conventionally heroic entry. For viewers who want Reynolds at his most closely identified with a superhero role, this is the essential starting point.
2. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
The team-up ranks just behind the original because Reynolds’s Deadpool works best when his comic rhythm has room to drive the film, and a two-hero story necessarily shares the spotlight. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine gives the film a compelling foil, while Reynolds remains the connective force between the irreverent humor and the action.
Rank #2
- Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake yet. His days as Deadpool behind him, a listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. But when his homeworld is threatened, he reluctantly suits up as he tries to convince Wolverine? oh hell, just watch. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers.
It is the most direct choice for viewers who want to see Deadpool interact with another major screen superhero. Disney’s official page identifies Reynolds and Jackman among the stars and Shawn Levy as director: Deadpool & Wolverine.
3. Deadpool 2 (2018)
The sequel keeps Reynolds’s character fit and comic timing at the center, while expanding the cast and giving Wade more relationships to play against. That wider ensemble is also its trade-off: the film’s attention is less concentrated than in the first Deadpool. It remains a strong pick for viewers who want the same action-comedy mode with a broader team dynamic.
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- Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprise their roles as Deadpool and Wolverine in this superhero action adventure sequel directed by Shawn Levy.
Like the first film, Deadpool 2 is officially categorized by 20th Century Studios as an action, adventure, comedy, and superhero film.
4. Green Lantern (2011)
Green Lantern gives Reynolds the lead as Hal Jordan, a test pilot chosen to join an intergalactic corps. His easygoing screen presence suits the character’s confidence, but the film’s larger superhero spectacle does not make as distinctive use of Reynolds’s comic instincts as the Deadpool films do. It is a more conventional superhero vehicle, with Reynolds playing the hero straight more often than he gets to reshape the genre around his voice.
Rank #4
- Blu-ray
- Region Free
In a 2015 TIME interview, Reynolds said, “I never would have gone back to the superhero world, ever!” He was discussing his earlier experience with Green Lantern and the long effort to make Deadpool: TIME’s 2015 interview with Ryan Reynolds.
5. R.I.P.D. (2013)
R.I.P.D. belongs here only under a broad definition of superhero movies. Reynolds plays Nick Walker, a police officer recruited into a supernatural force that tracks the dead. The premise has comic-book-like action and a heightened genre world, but the film is not as directly tied to a costumed superhero identity as the other entries. Reynolds contributes his familiar humor, yet the role does not offer the same character-specific showcase as Wade Wilson or Hal Jordan.
Best Value
- Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake yet. His days as Deadpool behind him, a listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. But when his homeworld is threatened, he reluctantly suits up as he tries to convince Wolverine? oh hell, just watch. Warning: Some flashing-lights scenes in this film may affect photosensitive viewers.
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
This film is last for a straightforward reason: Reynolds’s Wade Wilson is a supporting character, not the fully developed Deadpool who later anchors his own films. The appearance is significant as an early version of the role, but it gives him much less space to define the character through humor, performance, or story. It is worth watching for context, not as a substitute for a Deadpool movie.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to start
For a first watch, begin with Deadpool, then continue with Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine if you want the later team-up. Watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine separately as an early supporting portrayal, rather than treating it as an installment in the later Deadpool-led run. If you collect physical media, Disney UK’s official Deadpool & Wolverine page advertises DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download formats; availability depends on territory and edition.
Quick Recap
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