Deadpool & Wolverine's Dancepool Actor Addresses Ryan Reynolds' Involvement In His Oscars Appearance And Posts Photo With Robert Downey Jr. & Kieran Culkin
Dancepool actor shares a behind-the-scenes picture with Kieran Culkin and the MCU's very own Robert Downey Jr. at the Oscars, and he thanks Deadpool & Wolverinestar Ryan Reynolds for giving him a place in the ceremony. Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. presented the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 97th Academy Awards, where Kieran Culkin won the category for his role as Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain. Before that, host Conan O'Brien opened the ceremony with an eighteen-minute monologue and a dance number, accompanied by a Dune sandworm and a dancing Deadpool.
The dancing Deadpool seen at the 97th Academy Awards is none other than Nick Pauley a.k.a. "Dancepool" — the same actor who played the dancing Wade Wilson in Deadpool & Wolverine's musical opening sequence, to the beat of NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye". On his Instagram profile, Nick Pauley celebrates his Oscars appearance with behind-the-scenes pictures of the Oscars, including a photo of him posing with Robert Downey Jr. and Oscar winner Kieran Culkin. Pauley thanks "the REAL DEADPOOL" Ryan Reynolds for making "Dancepool at the Oscars" happen and advocating for the original dance double. Check out Nick Pauley's Instagram post below:
What Deadpool & Wolverine's Dancepool Actor's Oscars Comments Mean
Ryan Reynolds Was Involved In Deadpool's 2025 Oscars Appearance
Neither Ryan Reynolds nor Hugh Jackman attended the 97th Academy Awards. However, Nick Pauley's Instagram post seems to confirm that Reynolds himself made sure not only that Deadpool would make a small appearance in the ceremony's opening number, but also that the original Deadpool & Wolverine dance double would be the one under the mask. Apart from being Deadpool & Wolverine's main star, Ryan Reynolds played a big role in Deadpool & Wolverine's development and production, as he was an executive producer and one of the writers as well.

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Nick Pauley seems quite proud of his work on Deadpool & Wolverine's opening sequence, which was one of the most popular parts of the movie. After Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds might devise a new dance number for Deadpool's next MCU appearance, wherever it takes place. Deadpool's complaints about supporting characters, Blind Al's censorship-testing language, and friendly jabs at Kevin Feige have all become running gags in the Deadpool movie franchise. An introductory dance choreography could become another running gag in Deadpool's next movies.
Deadpool's Oscars Appearance Helps Underline His MCU Potential
While Deadpool & Wolverine was left out of the Oscars race at this year's event, the appearance of a dancing Deadpool certainly reinforces the idea that the movie has made a cultural impact, particularly with its opening dance sequence, which quickly proved to be a hit with audiences. Given the film's over a billion dollar box office results, it makes sense that the film will have a lasting impact, and has helped cement Deadpool as a figure who the general public are more aware of now than arguably ever before.
With the MCU having some more mixed results both critically and in terms of its box office in recent history, the fact the third Deadpool movie appears to have resonated so considerably with viewers is all the more important. This is especially true since both Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's new Wolverine could easily reprise their roles in upcoming multiverse movies like Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, allowing the franchise to potentially utilize the success of Deadpool & Wolverine in the next two Avengers movies to follow up from Avengers: Endgame.
Though it's not clear how the MCU will utilize Deadpool's enhanced reputation quite yet, the fact that even the Oscars have included a nod to the character certainly bodes well in terms of ensuring Marvel makes sure to do right by the antihero going forward in the franchise. While the MCU could choose to avoid bringing Deadpool into its wider world, seeing Dancepool perform in the Oscars - and get a fist bump from Robert Downey Jr, as Nick Pauley showed on Instagram - highlights just how much Deadpool & Wolverine made possible for the character and franchise.
Our Take On Deadpool & Wolverine's Dancepool Actor's Oscars Comments
Ryan Reynolds Always Goes One Step Beyond With Deadpool
The MCU's Deadpool has Ryan Reynolds to thank for his existence, as Reynolds championed Wade Wilson's live-action adaptation after falling in love with the character following his debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Deadpool & Wolverinewas a project more than fifteen years in the making, and its $1.33 billion worldwide gross proves it was worth the wait. After successfully incorporating Deadpool into the MCU, Ryan Reynolds certainly has enough influence on the character to ensure that Deadpool's dance double reprises his role.
Source: Nick Pauley / Instagram

Deadpool & Wolverine
- Release Date
- July 26, 2024
- Runtime
- 127 Minutes
- Director
- Shawn Levy
- Writers
- Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Zeb Wells, Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza
- Prequel(s)
- Deadpool, Deadpool 2
Cast
- Deadpool
- Wolverine
- Franchise(s)
- Deadpool, Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Studio(s)
- Marvel, Maximum Effort
- Distributor(s)
- Disney
Upcoming MCU Movies
Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
- May 2, 2025
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
- July 25, 2025
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
- July 31, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
- December 17, 2027
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