The Big Picture

Deadpool & Wolverine
‘s opening scene features an epic dance number with Deadpool.
The opening sequence serves as a nostalgic musical tribute to 20th Century Fox’s Marvel films from the early 2000s.
The NSYNC dance number is hilariously interjected in between Deadpool taking down the TVA with Logan’s corpse.

If you’ve seen Deadpool & Wolverine, or logged onto social media in the past two weeks, you’ve undoubtedly seen countless attempts at recreating the film’s opening sequence. That sequence has Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) fighting the Time Variance Authority’s agents in a rather creative way…by digging up Wolverine’s Adamantium skeleton and using it to kill them in hilariously graphic ways. But what really captured the internet’s attention is the fact that the fight scene is spliced with Deadpool dancing to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.” Thus, the question is raised: did Reynolds actually perform the dance sequence? Reynolds recently discussed what went into making this scene, and the answer may surprise some fans.

Deadpool & Wolverine Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.Release Date July 26, 2024 Runtime 128 minutes Writers Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza , Paul Wernick , Wendy Molyneux , Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin Studio Marvel Studios Expand

Ryan Reynolds, Unfortunately, Doesn’t Dance in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Speaking with Ashley & Company, Reynolds was quick to clarify that he wasn’t behind the epic dance sequence:

Confession for you… a lot of people don’t know I can sing and move well, but that is actually the first lie I’ll tell today. A guy named
Nick Pauley
is the guy that choreographed, and I mean he’s doing a lot of the moves that have been established previously by NSYNC. If it looks like the person who’s dancing doesn’t have arthritis, that’s him.

Pauley served as a professional dancer in various projects, including music videos by Katy Perry and Doja Cat, and his skills are on full display when Deadpool recreates NSYNC’s iconic choreography. It even earned him the nickname of “Dancepool” in the credits! Pauley was more than happy to thank Reynolds and director Shawn Levy for the opportunity on Instagram, while also showcasing the work that went into the dance sequence. Apparently, Pauley learned the choreography for the opening sequence in 30 minutes after his agent called him.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s Opening Sequence Kicks Off a Nostalgic Movie

Using “Bye Bye Bye” for its opening sequence doesn’t just give Deadpool & Wolverine a viral moment; it also doubles as a musical tribute of sorts to 20th Century Fox’s Marvel films. The X-Men film franchise, Tim Story’s Fantastic Four, and Ben Affleck’s Daredevil (as well as its spinoff, Elektra) were all released in the early 2000s when the superhero genre was just starting to take off. (The NSYNC song was released in 2000.) This plays into a major reveal, when, later in the movie, Deadpool and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) encounter Elektra and Blade, who were played by their original stars: Jennifer Garner and Wesley Snipes.

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Most of Deadpool & Wolverine’s soundtrack is composed of music from the late ’90s and early 2000s, particularly two songs: “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. The former plays not once, but twice in the film; first when Deadpool swipes at the TVA temp pad that Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfayden) is using, and when he and Wolverine survive a universe-ending chain reaction. The latter plays over the credits, while footage from 20th Century Fox’s Marvel films plays, effectively serving as a fond farewell to that era of comic book films.

If you enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine’s opening, Levy has good news: footage exists of Pauley doing the entire “Bye Bye Bye” dance. “I’m going to tell you the truth. Currently, that footage exists. Yes, we have Nick…doing the entirety of the song. And I have to say in our wildest dreams we didn’t dare to hope for this scale of mad love for the opening credit sequence including that dance,” he told Collider. Director’s cuts seem to be all the rage nowadays, so maybe there’s hope for Levy to release a version with the full dance. Until then, I’m sure Deadpool cosplayers will be recreating the moment at conventions for years to come.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.

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