Ryan Reynolds has one of his best movies now on Netflix, and the box office hit is an absolute must-watch for subscribers. Reynolds is one of the most popular actors in the world. Some of Reynolds’ best movies include Just Friends, Buried, The Adam Project, Definitely, Maybe, and more. That said, there is no denying that his career has since been defined by a franchise.
Reynolds has starred in a trilogy of Deadpool movies, giving life to one of the most hilarious characters in comic book history. After two successful movies at Fox, Reynolds finally got to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. The film not only turned out to be one of the MCU’s best releases, but it also accomplished a major feat.
With $1.3 billion, Deadpool & Wolverine stands as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Reynolds is reportedly coming back in future MCU releases as the Merc With a Mouth. That said, Wade Wilson is not the only exciting character in the actor’s career, nor are the Deadpool movies the only films starring the actor to succeed at the box office.
S.H.I.E.L.D. · Clearance Assessment How Well Do You Know The Avengers?
🌏OriginsAssembled
☠VillainsInevitable
⚡BattlesEndgame
🛡TeamInitiative
💫LegacyForever
01
The Avengers first assembled in Marvel Comics in 1963. In the original comic, the team formed to battle a villain who had been manipulated by his adopted brother. Which villain brought the original Avengers together?
✓ Correct! In Avengers #1 (September 1963), Loki manipulated the Hulk into going on a rampage, which led Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp to band together. They defeated Loki and decided to form a permanent team — the Avengers were born.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Loki. In the original 1963 comic, Loki tricked the Hulk into a rampage, which brought together Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Ultron came later, Thanos is a cosmic threat, and Kang is a time-traveling villain.
02
In the MCU, Tony Stark famously declared “I am Iron Man” at a press conference, breaking the superhero tradition of secret identities. In which year’s MCU film did Tony Stark first appear as Iron Man?
✓ Correct! Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The film’s post-credits scene with Nick Fury teased the Avengers Initiative, kicking off the most successful film franchise in history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is 2008. Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr. It was the first film in the MCU and set the stage for everything that followed.
03
Thanos, the Mad Titan, sought to collect all six Infinity Stones to achieve his genocidal goal. In Avengers: Infinity War, he succeeded in his plan. What did Thanos do with the completed Infinity Gauntlet?
✓ Correct! With a single snap of his fingers, Thanos wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Known as “The Blip,” this devastating act erased trillions of lives and set the stage for the Avengers’ desperate time heist in Endgame to undo the damage.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is that Thanos snapped away half of all life in the universe. His twisted philosophy of “balance” drove him to commit universal genocide with a single snap, making it one of the most shocking moments in cinema history.
04
In Avengers: Endgame, Captain America proved worthy of wielding Thor’s enchanted hammer during the final battle against Thanos. What is the name of Thor’s hammer?
✓ Correct! Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, bears the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Captain America wielding it in Endgame was one of the most celebrated moments in MCU history.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Mjolnir. Stormbreaker is the axe Thor forged in Infinity War, Gungnir is Odin’s spear, and Jarnbjorn is an axe Thor used in the comics before Mjolnir. Mjolnir is the iconic enchanted hammer.
05
Black Widow, born Natasha Romanoff, is one of the founding MCU Avengers. Before joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she was trained as an assassin in a secret Soviet program. What is the name of this program?
✓ Correct! The Red Room was a covert Soviet training facility that turned young girls into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. Natasha was subjected to brutal conditioning and sterilization. Her escape and defection to S.H.I.E.L.D. was explored in the 2021 Black Widow film.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is The Red Room. HYDRA is a separate evil organization, the Winter Soldier Program created Bucky Barnes, and Department X is from the comics. The Red Room is the infamous Soviet program that forged Natasha into Black Widow.
06
The Hulk was created when Dr. Bruce Banner was exposed to massive amounts of radiation during a weapons test. What type of radiation transformed Banner into the Hulk?
✓ Correct! Dr. Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he designed, absorbing a massive dose of gamma radiation. This transformed him into the Hulk — a being of near-limitless strength whose power increases with his rage. Gamma radiation remains central to the Hulk’s mythology.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Gamma Radiation. Cosmic Rays gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Pym Particles are Ant-Man’s shrinking technology, and Terrigen Mist activates Inhuman abilities. Gamma radiation is what created the Incredible Hulk.
07
In the MCU, after Steve Rogers retired as Captain America, he passed his shield to a new hero to carry on the legacy. Who became the new Captain America?
✓ Correct! At the end of Avengers: Endgame, an elderly Steve Rogers chose Sam Wilson — the Falcon — to carry on the Captain America legacy. Sam’s journey to embrace the shield was explored in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, and he fully took up the mantle as Captain America.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Sam Wilson. While Bucky Barnes was Captain America in the comics, Steve chose Sam in the MCU. John Walker was temporarily given the shield by the government, and Isaiah Bradley was a forgotten super soldier from the past.
08
Ultron is an artificial intelligence who becomes one of the Avengers’ deadliest enemies. In the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which Avenger inadvertently created Ultron?
✓ Correct! Tony Stark created the Ultron program as a global peacekeeping AI, using technology from Loki’s scepter (which contained the Mind Stone). The AI became sentient and immediately decided humanity needed to be eradicated. In the comics, Hank Pym created Ultron, but the MCU shifted this to Stark.
✗ Even the Hulk couldn’t smash that answer! The correct answer is Tony Stark. While Hank Pym created Ultron in the comics, the MCU changed this to Tony Stark. Bruce Banner assisted but it was Tony’s initiative. Vision was actually created from Ultron’s technology, not the other way around.
Mission Debriefing Your Avengers Clearance Level
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Are you worthy of lifting Mjolnir — or still a S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee?
In fact, one of Reynolds’ biggest releases could not be further from the superhero genre, which is the rom-com The Proposal. The film puts Reynolds opposite genre mastermind Sandra Bullock, and their sizzling chemistry as two polar opposite characters made The Proposal an enormous hit. Now, a whole new audience can enjoy the film on streaming.
The Proposal Is Now Available On Netflix & It’s Doing Well
The Proposal is one of the many exciting movies that came to Netflix in the United States on May 1. Other releases on that list of arrivals include notable films like 13 Going on 30, The Breakfast Club, Eat Pray Love, Green Book, Jennifer’s Body, Pretty Woman, and many more. As can be seen from some of the releases on that list, Netflix has charged up its roster of movies with several beloved romances.
Only a few days after it was released on the streaming service, The Proposal is already enjoying the status of a streaming hit. At the time of writing, The Proposal is the 3rd most-watched movie on Netflix in the United States. 17 years after it was originally released in theaters, the rom-com still got it. The Proposal only loses to the action thriller Apex and the animated adventure Swapped, two recent Netflix Original movies, which is not a bad look at all for the beloved film. It could also come to surpass them in the coming weeks.
Ryan Reynolds’ The Proposal Became A True Box Office Hit
Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in The Proposal
The Proposal had a reported budget of $40 million. Based on that sum, the rom-com starring Reynolds and Bullock needed to finish its theatrical run in the $80 million to $100 million range to break even. That was not a hard task for the solid duo, as The Proposal brought in 317.4 million worldwide, or around 8x its budget. As such, it was a massive box office hit for the studio.
The 2009 rom-com managed to achieve that level of success due to its heartwarming story and both the chemistry and charisma of its leads. In The Proposal, Bullock plays book publisher boss Margaret Tate, who is facing deportation due to visa troubles. To keep her job and life in place, the Canadian forces her assistant, Reynolds’ Andrew Paxton, to marry her in order to get a green card. However, as they spend time with Andrew’s family in his hometown, feelings start to bloom.
The Proposal is a cozy, feel-good movie exploring two opposite characters finding true love in the unlikeliest of places. Reynolds and Bullock play the film’s comedic and dramatic moments perfectly, ensuring that it is a well-rounded story. For anyone who has never watched the film, who wants to see a new side of Reynolds, or who wants to see Bullock in her element, The Proposal is a must-watch on Netflix.
