Ryan Reynolds Explains Deadpool & Wolverine Tribute to Rob Delaney’s Late Son, Henry

In an Instagram post shared Monday, the Deadpool actor, writer and producer revealed that the third installment of the superhero saga is dedicated to his co-star Rob Delaney‘s late son, Henry, who died in 2018 at the age of two from a brain tumor.

“If you stayed through the credits of Deadpool & Wolverine, you might notice a credit saying, ‘For Henry Delaney,'” Reynolds wrote. “Henry was Rob’s son. And Rob lost his little boy to a brain tumor in 2018. Right as we finished Deadpool 2.”

Delaney starred as Peter, the best friend to Reynold’s Wade Wilson in the second Deadpool movie, and reprised the role in the new film. Reynolds admitted that he’s “always kicked my own a–” because he didn’t put a tribute to Henry at the end of the 2018 film.

“If there’s a bright side, even more people are seeing Henry’s name in the credits of Deadpool & Wolverine,” Reynolds explained, referencing Deadpool & Wolverine’s continued popularity amongst moviegoers after becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. “And now, at long last, father and son are sharing the same screen.”

Reynolds also took a moment to highlight Delaney’s 2022 memoir A Heart That Works, which he described as an “incredible piece of writing which explores the kaleidoscopic colours of emotion Henry’s passing revealed.”

In addition to the heartfelt caption, Reynolds shared a series of photos of himself and Delaney both on and off multiple Deadpool sets, adding, “I’m lucky to know Rob. And I’m lucky to have friends willing to put themselves on the line to make others feel less alone.”

Henry was first diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after turning one in 2016. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor in 2017, but the cancer later returned and he died on Delaney’s birthday in January 2018.

Delaney opened up about the traumatic loss and why he chose to write about it in his memoir while visiting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2022, telling the late night host that he wanted to “bridge that gap between something that many people would, rightfully, consider unimaginable and Regular Joes just walking down the street, whistling, not knowing what that stuff is like.”

While Delaney admitted that he was “very angry” when he first started writing the book, his perspective slowly shifted over time.

“I was like, ‘I want to hurt people, you know? I want to pummel people. Somebody went to the bookstore for entertainment? Well, they deserve to be punished by my book about my sadness and my anger,'” he recalled. “And then, over time, it just became more and more about love. So it was very educational for me.”