Ryan Reynolds Says He Didn’t Write ‘Batman v Superman’ Joke In ‘Deadpool 2’

05/26/2018 12:36 am EDT

Deadpool 2 star and co-writer Ryan Reynolds had nothing to do with that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gag.

"The 'Martha' gag, it's a perfectly Deadpool moment," Reynolds told the Empire Film Podcast. "I think Deadpool is willing to break a few eggs to make that omelette."

When told DC fans "don't like that joke," Reynolds said, "By the time they're listening to this, I'm probably already dead."

"I didn't write that joke, I'll say that one," Reynolds added. "That's one joke I didn't write."

The quick-witted actor received his first writing credit co-writing Deadpool 2 with returning Deadpool screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

"I was fighting a caped badass, only to discover his mom is named Martha, too," Reynolds' Wade Wilson tells lover Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) after showing up late early on in the blockbuster.

The moment comes in reference to an oft-memed moment from Batman v Superman in which a defeated and helpless Superman (Henry Cavill) tells Batman (Ben Affleck) to "save Martha," his mother — who just so happens to share a name with Bruce's long-dead mother, Martha Wayne.

Uttering "Martha" jolts Batman out of his bloodlust and forces the Dark Knight to realize Superman isn't an inhuman alien, but also a man with a mother, and the two later team to defeat a monstrous creature unleashed by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).

Deadpool 2 further references Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe when Deadpool, speaking to mutant mercenary Cable (Josh Brolin), says he's "so dark" and asks if he's sure he's not "from the DC Universe."

The R-rated comedy takes several shots at both the DCEU and Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe, including a reference to Michael Keaton's famous "I'm Batman" mantra and jabs at Jeremy Renner's bow-wielding Avenger Hawkeye.

The studio has since released a Golden Girls-style video thanking fans for their support of the box office hit, which is close to crossing $400 million worldwide after one week of release. The franchise will continue on in the form of X-Force, which Reese expects to be a "raunchier," R-rated X-Men movie.

Reynolds will produce the spinoff alongside X-Men producers Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner. Returning for the black-ops version of the mutant supergroup will be Reynolds' Deadpool, Brolin's Cable, and Zazie Beetz' Domino.

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