Ryan Reynolds' birthday is today: here's 10 times he owned social media

Ryan Reyolds is not just the acerbic wit hiding beneath Deadpool's skin-tight suit (steady on). He's also a master of social media manipulation, regularly engaging in jokes at his own expense (and, very often, at the expense of those closest to him).

To celebrate his 44th birthday (yep, he doesn't look a day over 43), we've compiled a blog list of the moments where he brought the online community to its knees.

 

1. That time he trolled his own daughter

Channelling the spirit of Deadpool, that rascal Reynolds put out a hilariously mean Twitter joke at the expense of his child.

 

 

2. His escalating 'feud' with Hugh Jackman

They're both the stars of their own Marvel properties, yet Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have yet to share screentime. (OK, so they did in X-Men: Origins Wolverine, but even Reynolds wants to forget that.) To that end, there's been an ongoing Twitter gag for several years now in which the two friends trade hilarious jabs and barbs. Even an ostensible truce called in January 2019 failed to do the job. Keep it up, chaps.

 

3. Trolling his wife Blake Lively

No-one is safe in the Reynolds household. When Ryan's spouse Blake Lively was doing the publicity rounds for killer shark movie The Shallows, her husband couldn't resist taking an amusing dig.

 

4. When Blake Lively got her own back on Twitter

This was savage. Blake Lively called out the love of her life on social media. But in the process, she cropped out most of her husband's image and instead centred another Ryan, with the surname of Gosling. It takes a lot to knock Deadpool off his perch as far as burns go, but Lively nailed this one.

 

5. Meeting kids while dressed as Deadpool

It isn't all snark and gags as far as Reynolds is concerned. Clearly aware of his celebrity profile and standing as Deadpool, he's regularly met young fans while in costume as the raucous anti-hero. They're clearly too young to have seen the film, but when a superhero is walking amongst you, who cares?

 

6. Refusing to let anything crash his conversation

Here's a brilliant Instagram conversation in which Reynolds and Deadpool 2 co-star Josh Brolin talk over the sound of a crashing vehicle.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In fairness, Waze always finds the shortest route to work. #Dopinder

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on

 

7. Proving himself a one-man marketing machine during Deadpool's release

With its R-rating and Valentine's Day 2016 release date, no-one expected Deadpool to reach the heights that it did. This was, in large part, down to Reynolds' social media savvy, drumming up interest with offhand viral videos and jokes that brilliantly sold us on the appeal of the character. This included a pre-release Halloween 2015 outing with a bunch of children, which was the ideal way of cueing us into Mr. Pool's cheeky sense of humour.


8. Refusing to take part in online physical activity

Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal challenged each other to a physical challenge, whereby they had to do a shirtless handstand against a wall. But their attempts to get Reynolds involved met with a hilarious, deadpan response.


9. When he answered difficult questions from kids

Several big-name stars have undertaken this Radio 1 challenge, including the likes of Tom Hardy. But just watch Reynolds squirm as youngsters call out Deadpool on his potty mouth.

 

10. When he was interviewed by his twin brother

Never underestimate Reynolds' ability to take a surreal joke to the limit. Some handy video trickery meant that he was 'interviewed' by his alleged twin brother Gordon in this rib-tickling segment for GQ Magazine. Watch out for the comment on wives and beards – it's a killer.

What's your favourite Ryan Reynolds moment on social media? Let us know @Cineworld.