Channing Tatum thanks Ryan Reynolds for including fan-favorite character in ‘masterpiece’ “Deadpool & Wolverine”

“Almost no one that has had my back in this industry more,” the “Magic Mike” actor said of his “Free Guy” costar.

This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine has found a massive audience around the world, but it seems nobody is more passionate about the Marvel movie than Channing Tatum.

The Magic Mike star, who makes a surprise appearance in the movie as the fan-favorite X-Men character Gambit, sang the praises of Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy in an appreciative social media post Monday. Tatum posted two photos of himself (wearing the same Gambit T-shirt) alongside Reynolds at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015 and in 2024.

“I sat in the audience when Ryan Reynolds showed his first peek of Deadpool 1 to the world,” the 21 Jump Street star recalled of 20th Century Fox’s 2015 SDCC panel, where Tatum made a surprise appearance to promote his then-forthcoming Gambit movie.

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Tatum said that he immediately understood Reynolds’ vision for the Deadpool movies. “I think I ran back stage right after and found him and I think I just hugged him and was like holy shit you did it man. It’s perfect,” the Step Up actor remembered. “I didn’t know him really at all back then. But since then I can say that there is almost no one that has had my back in this industry more than @VancityReynolds.”

After numerous production delays and Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox, Tatum’s Gambit never saw the light of day — until he secretly joined Deadpool & Wolverine in a supporting role. In a predictably Deadpool-y burst of self-awareness, Tatum’s Gambit frequently alludes to being forgotten in the pantheon of Fox superheroes, and repeatedly mentions never having a proper chance to prove himself — clearly a not-so-subtle reference to the actor’s lack of opportunity to play the character on the big screen.

Related: All the big Deadpool & Wolverine cameos

In his social media post, Tatum reflected on Reynolds’ support in reviving his version of Gambit. “I thought I had lost Gambit forever,” the Logan Lucky actor said. “But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy.”

Tatum also praised the film’s director, Shawn Levy, with whom he previously worked on 2021’s Free Guy (also starring Reynolds). “Truly such a brilliant creator on every single level,” he said of the filmmaker. “All things happen for a reason. I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure bad ass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!!

Related: Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, and more surprise Comic-Con fans during Deadpool & Wolverine panel

Tatum was first announced to play Remy LeBeau, the Louisianan mutant with the ability to charge objects full of kinetic energy, in early 2014, and joined the casts of Fant4stic, X-Men: Apocalypse, and the original Deadpool on stage at SDCC the next year to promote 20th Century Fox’s upcoming slate of Marvel projects. Fox originally planned to introduce Tatum’s version of the character in Apocalypse before releasing his solo movie in Oct. 2016. (Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch played a different iteration of the character in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.)

Related: How the cameo-stacked Deadpool & Wolverine carves out a new future for Marvel's mutants

The film went through several directors, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Rupert Wyatt and The Bourne Identity’s Doug Liman, and eventually lost that 2016 date, with producer Simon Kinberg saying it took longer than expected to land on the correct tone for the project. Tatum later said that  after Deadpool and Logan found massive success despite being rated R, Gambit’s creative team went back to the drawing board to consider including more mature material in the screenplay. After numerous delays, Gambit was ultimately pulled from Fox’s theatrical schedule altogether after Disney acquired the studio in 2019.

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