If you’ve been to the movie theater lately, you might have seen a cardboard cutout of a man in a red suit positioned so you can sit on his lap. No, not Santa Claus. In this case, it’s Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Deadpool, who will lead his own movie early next year. To celebrate the holiday season, Ryan Reynolds decided to substitute the Merc with a Mouth for good ol’ Saint Nick and take some Christmas-themed photos.
Striking several poses (and getting a little too grabby), Reynolds had some fun with the Santa Deadpool cutout during a PEOPLE photo shoot. The pictures are part of the 12 Days of Deadpool promotional campaign, where each day a site is debuting a "tasty treat" connected to the 2016 blockbuster. All of this is leading up to the new Deadpool trailer being released on Christmas Day. If Reynolds’ lap shenanigans aren’t enough for you, the Deadpool Facebook page also has a video of Reynolds as Deadpool announcing the campaign in a cozy and festive room while trying to sip egg nog wearing that mask. While the Christmas tie-ins are funny, one should be wary of Reynolds possibly putting on the Deadpool suit on Christmas Eve to steal presents Grinch-style and snack on cookies and milk left out for Santa.
Normally Santa Claus is the man dressed in red people visit this time of year, but Reynolds explained that he treats Deadpool like he would any other mall Santa. The actor said:
I'm just like everyone else at this time of year: I go to malls, find a crazy man screaming in a red costume, sit on his lap, and tell him to give me free stuff.
This isn’t the first time Reynolds has had some fun with Deadpool during a holiday. This past Halloween, he donned the suit and "drunkenly" tried to recruit a group trick-or-treaters dressed like the X-Men to join his own super team, and on Thanksgiving, he struck a provocative pose atop a table set with the days feast. One can only imagine what kind of antics he’ll get into for Valentine’s Day, only two days after the move’s release.
While Deadpool obviously enjoys Christmas time, his movie will be anything but filled with yuletide cheer. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Wade Wilson, a special forces operative, will join a secret experimental program to cure his ailment. He is subsequently given a healing factor, but is also horribly scarred. With his combat skills, new abilities and dark sense of humor, Wade will hunt down the man who nearly destroyed his life, and along the way will cross paths with Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Colossus, Weasel, Blind Al, Ajax and Angel Dust.
Deadpool hits theaters on February 12, 2016.
