Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” now in theaters..
Chris Evans took to his Instagram Story to thank Ryan Reynolds for letting him play Johnny Storm/Human Torch again after a 17-year hiatus in Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The film, which grossed a record $211 million at the domestic box office and is set to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide in August, featured Evans as one of the film’s biggest surprises.
“Thank you to Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Shawn Levy for letting me be a part of this amazing film!” Evans wrote alongside a photo of the four men on the set of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” “They are three of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Special thanks to Ryan for making this all happen. Playing Johnny again was a dream come true and he will always have a special place in my heart.”
Evans is best known for his portrayal of Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he took a hiatus from the role after 2019's Avengers: Endgame. When he appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, many viewers (and Reynolds' Deadpool himself) assumed he was playing a different version of Captain America. It soon turned out that Evans was actually back as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, the superhero character he played in 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Evans' Johnny Storm is one of several characters from 20th Century Fox's Marvel era who reappear in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Jennifer Garner's Elektra and Wesley Snipes' Blade also appear in the film. Channing Tatum also stars in the film as Gambit, a superhero who tried to bring to the big screen for years under Fox but never got around to it. The four actors surprised fans at Comic-Con after the “Deadpool & Wolverine” screening.
Tatum recently thanked Reynolds in a social media post for finally giving him the chance to make his debut as Gambit.
“I thought I lost Gambit forever,” Tatum wrote, noting that Reynolds “fought for me and Gambit, and I will forever be indebted to him. Because I’m not sure how I could ever do anything that would equal what this means to me. Love you, my friend.”
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is currently showing in theaters nationwide, produced by Disney.
