WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 2’s success prompted Warner Bros. to harken back to the failures of Green Lantern in hilarious fashion. As moviegoers may recall, Ryan Reynolds’ DC movie career got off to a less-than-stellar start in Warner Bros.’ first adaptation of Green Lantern in 2011, a critically panned, commercial dud. Reynolds still endured as a bankable star despite Green Lantern’s brutal $219 million gross on a $200 million budget, and has reached uproariously thrilling heights with 2016’s Deadpool.

While the first movie was an obvious success, Deadpool 2 has received stronger reviews and is off to a great start at the box office. It already broke the Thursday record for an R-rated movie with $15-plus million. So, with Deadpool 2 clearly on its way to smashing Green Lantern’s numbers as part of another successful run, Warner Bros. felt that the opening weekend would be a good time to poke fun at their own Reynolds vehicle, which drowned in theaters all those years ago.

The official WB Home Entertainment Twitter account tweeted at Reynolds on Friday, with a photo of the actor from Green Lantern, referring to the movie as if it were a marriage that didn’t work out. Reynolds’ character Hal Jordan is holding out the hero’s power ring in the image. The tweet mentions Reynolds, who is typically active on Twitter, but the star hasn’t responded as of the time of this writing. Reynolds is in full-on Deadpool mode and doesn’t usually refer to Green Lantern, anyway, unless it’s a joke in one of his movies. In fact, he recently revealed that he’s never even seen Green Lantern’s final cut. But that wasn’t going to stop WB from trying to draw a reaction:

In the wake of Deadpool 2’s release, perhaps Warner Bros. is feeling a little extra-jilted. That’s because Deadpool 2’s game-changing end-credits sequence includes the Merc with a Mouth using Cable’s time-travel device to go back in time and prevent Green Lantern from being made. The similarly disastrous X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in which Reynolds also played Wade Wilson, didn’t get spared during his time-travel rampage, either.

The Warner Bros. Twitter account certainly has a sense of humor about the flop that was Green Lantern. Reynolds has joked about the movie in the past, but understandably, he wouldn’t want to focus on it now, especially after Deadpool has spawned such a successful franchise. The stark difference in the reception of the two superheroes is proof of how simply delivering a well-written and well-directed movie can make such a big difference - just look at how many actors have gotten second chances at comic book movie roles.

While both Reynolds and Warner Bros. have moved on from the 2011 Green Lantern movie, it’s nice to see them at least poke fun at their pasts. And considering Reynolds’ performance in Deadpool 2, and the continued box office wins for the character, audiences shouldn’t expect a reunion anytime soon. But for WB, the sequel is the latest reminder of what could’ve been for them.

More: Deadpool 2’s Ending Explained: What Really Happened & What’s Next

Source: Warner Bros.

  • Deadpool 2 Release Date: 2018-05-18