Deadpool fever is sweeping the world at the moment, and it appears that Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed superhero is so beloved that fans are clamoring to see him surface any and everywhere. That extends to the small screen, as a fan named Andrew Stege created a Change.org petition to have Deadpool host Saturday Night Live a couple of days ago. We took notice at the time and thought it was funny, but the petition has now gained serious traction with 23,119 supporters and counting.

As Stege puts it, having Deadpool host SNL is a no-brainer:

How would this not be hilarious having Deadpool in sketches, breaking the 4th wall, and inserting some of his brand of humor (obviously toned down a bit for network television)!?!?!... Not to mention, depending on the musical guest, how awesome would it be to have some Deadpool interpretive dancing while the musical guest was playing? There's unlimited possibilities!!!


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Image via 20th Century Fox

Indeed, while the idea of having Deadpool host SNL isn’t in and of itself terrible, the practicality of this notion is pretty much impossible. For one, Deadpool is already a fictional character—how do you insert him into sketches as other characters? The whole idea of having guest hosts for SNL is allowing celebrities to show different sides of their personalities, but Deadpool is already a fictional character, so there's not much room for dynamism there, resulting in a one-joke show. For another, part of Deadpool's charm is his dirty mouth and general disregard for politeness, meaning network television is probably not the best fit. Moreover, the mask is restricting, and one imagines Reynolds recorded much of his dialogue in post-production for the film, so the costume doesn’t really lend itself to live performance.

So yes, this petition is certainly gaining traction among fans, mainly because people want more Deadpool ASAP. But it’s highly unlikely that Lorne Michaels and the cast will actually spring for this. My suggestion? Have Reynolds host. His comedic skills are undeniably great, and that offers the opportunity to have a Deadpool sketch or two while also letting Reynolds—the real star of the movie—shine.

But given the insane box office numbers of the film, we likely won't have long to wait to see Deadpool back in action on the big screen. Fox is no doubt working overtime to hammer out the specifics, so I'd bet Deadpool 2 will be coming sooner rather than later. For more of our Deadpool coverage, peruse the recent links below.


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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox