Ryan Reynolds Says Wolverine ‘Could Have Just As Easily’ Been a Honey Badger

There’s a country successful the premiere of Underdogs wherever Ryan Reynolds makes a brutal tongue-in-cheek gag astatine the disbursal of his MCU workfellow Hugh Jackman. The archetypal occurrence of the Nat Geo amusement delves into the lives of the alleged “superzeroes” of the carnal world: uncelebrated oddballs who nevertheless person immoderate beauteous breakthaking abilities.

We spot a chaotic “aye-aye” lemur tapping its digit to find grubs wrong a tree, a jewel wasp mind-controlling an unsuspecting cockroach, and a fleeting glimpse of a wolverine, whose sanction Reynolds humorously claims derives from the “antiquated Canadian word” for “boring millionaire.” Speaking exclusively with IGN, Reynolds, who serves arsenic the Executive Producer and narrator of the series, won’t accidental if he’s heard from Jackman astir the bit.

A Honey badger investigates ostrich eggs successful confederate Africa from Nat Geo's Underdogs. (National Geographic/Karl Davies)

“They surely captured the weasel family, the wolverine being among the largest of the weasel family,” Reynolds jokes. “But I consciousness similar you could person conscionable arsenic easy gone with a chromatic badger arsenic 1 of the superior X-Men. Honey badgers are unkillable. These are precise pugnacious creatures. You tin conscionable truly bash a batch of harm to 1 of them and it volition support getting up. I'm not wholly successful complaint of however the beingness unfolds astatine Marvel, (but) I wouldn't caput Hugh switching things up and conscionable going with straight-up chromatic badger adjacent time.”

In fact, the archetypal occurrence of Underdogs shows however virtually indestructible the chromatic badger really is. For the archetypal clip connected camera, the amusement captures the carnal surviving an onslaught by a battalion of chaotic dogs.

When asked if helium thought a movie starring Jackman-as-honey badger would beryllium a container bureau success, Reynolds agrees. “Let's bash this," helium says. “Come on. From your lips to God’s ears. Or Kevin Feige’s.”

But wolverines and chromatic badgers aren’t the lone “superzeroes” with ties to the MCU, astatine slightest successful Reynolds’s mind. He doesn’t hesitate erstwhile naming the carnal helium himself has the astir affinity for. “Well, I deliberation I'd beryllium remiss to not accidental the axolotl,” Reynolds says of the endangered salamander featured successful the Underdogs premiere. “I mean the axolotl regenerates. It's Deadpool basically. That close determination is simply a superhero. I don't attraction if it's slow, small, cute. It doesn't matter. That is simply a superhero.”

Glass frogs mating from Nat Geo's Underdogs. (National Geographic/Alex Jones)

Each of the series’ 5 episodes (which besides includes a newly-written taxable opus by Green Day) features a unsocial ocular style. Episode 1 uses comic publication graphics and visuals to item the abilities of each “superzero” animal.

“The full occurrence was engineered successful that comic publication fashion, but they alteration each week,” Reynolds says. “But National Geographic is the past spot connected Earth that I'm going to springiness ocular notes to. Their quality to photograph moments that hap successful Mother Nature that astir would hold years aft twelvemonth to conscionable seizure successful a flimsy glancing stroke with your camera – they look to get close determination astatine the close clip successful the close way. So I person specified respect for however they framework these visuals. It's truthful beautiful.”

Underdogs premieres June 15 astatine 9/8c connected National Geographic and streams the adjacent time connected Disney+ and Hulu. The premiere volition besides simulcast connected ABC.