Before Deadpool, he was Hannibal King: Ryan Reynolds’ first Marvel role, explained

This article includes spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine, in theaters now.

With much anticipation and speculation behind it, Deadpool & Wolverine has finally made it to the movies. The third Deadpool feature has absolutely blown away audiences and critics alike, putting up strong numbers on Rotten Tomatoes and making a nice chunk of change at the global box office to kick off its run.

A lot of components have come together to make this possible, from the litany of huge surprise appearances and the triumphant return of Hugh Jackman to the role of Wolverine. However, let’s not forget the person who serves as the film’s crown jewel.

Ryan Reynolds is excellent as Wade “Deadpool” Wilson, bringing comedy, action, and a bit of heart to the Marvel Comics favorite. He clearly has fun with the material, especially that which takes aim at 20th Century Fox, Disney, and the Marvel Studios machine, and provides a performance worthy of the Merc with a Mouth’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. All of that is to say that he has further solidified himself as the Deadpool actor, making it even more difficult to remember that it’s not his first Marvel movie role.

No, we’re not talking about that awful Deadpool from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Instead, we’re shining a spotlight on Reynolds’ real first Marvel character: Hannibal King from 2004’s Blade: Trinity. Here’s the rundown on this oft-forgotten Marvel comic and film supporting player.

Who is King in Marvel Comics lore?

Though he makes his big screen debut in the aforementioned Blade: Trinity, King’s existence in Marvel Comics dates back decades before. The character, created by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman, is introduced in Tomb of Dracula #25 in 1974, going on to appear as a supporting character in numerous stories in the following years. Turned into a vampire by Deacon Frost at a young age, he vows to never feed on the living nor use his vampiric abilities in battle, relying on his learned abilities and arsenal of weapons instead.

All in all, King is far from a main Marvel character, but he boasts and impressive resume all the same. He has worked extensively with Blade, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange, featured on teams such as the Nightstalkers, the Defenders, and the Midnight Suns, and battled such foes as the Darkholders, Dracula, and Lilith. With all of that in mind, he sounds like a pretty awesome character. Unfortunately, there are a few big reasons why his film equivalent isn’t looked upon with such reverence.

Reynolds’ King doesn’t much resemble his print counterpart

All of that cool information about King can go right out the window when it comes to Blade: Trinity. While Reynolds’ King did become a vampire, he was ultimately cured by the Nightstalkers before joining the team. He grows especially close with Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), the daughter of Blade’s (Wesley Snipes) mentor, Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), who joins him in breaking Blade out of custody and recruiting him to their cause. From here, King pretty much becomes a generic quippy action guy.

While Blade is cool and Abigail is efficient, King provides a bit of comic relief while blasting away at vampires. His past as a member of the House of Talos, led by the film’s main villain and the vampire who turned him, Danica Talos (Parker Posey), is touched on here and there, but it doesn’t get much room to breathe. Like most Marvel Comics adaptations of the era, Blade: Trinity misses the mark in the comic-accuracy department and fails to justify its source material changes, with its version of King exemplifying that perfectly.

Could Hannibal King join the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

In one of the most stunning moments of Deadpool & Wolverine, the titular mutants encounter a ragtag band of Multiverse heroes while in the Void. Among them is none other than Snipes’ Blade, making his return to the silver screen as the Daywalker after 20 years. Not only was it shocking to see him because of that fact, but also because of the supposed previous animosity between Snipes and Reynolds, which stemmed from their time on the Blade: Trinity set. The latter made it known that the Blade actor didn’t care for him in an interview with IGN and even made a meta joke about their tension in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Thankfully, it appears Snipes and Reynolds buried the hatchet a long time ago. Snipes went as far as to tell Entertainment Weekly that the two have actually been friends all along. So, with that said, and assuming the character isn’t dead or was swallowed up by Alioth, could Reynolds return as King in the MCU down the line? Could fans see him and Blade team up one more time, potentially even with Biel back as Abigail alongside them? If the Multiverse Saga has proven anything, it’s that whatever you think is impossible could very well not be. We’ll just have to see if Reynolds’ King is due for a comeback or if he’ll forever be confined to an obscure side character in Blade: Trinity.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing exclusively in theaters.