Deadpool and Wolverine star Matthew Macfadyen doesn’t think Paradox is a villain – but wishes he was

Matthew Macfadyen is trading Waystar Royco for the Time Variance Authority in Deadpool and Wolverine, where he plays a mysterious agent called Paradox. 

Based loosely on a comic-book character from She-Hulk, we first meet this version when he brings in Wade Wilson to help save the Marvel timeline. And although it pretty quickly becomes clear his intentions aren’t all that honorable, Macfadyen tells 12DOVE he wouldn’t label his "untrustworthy" character as an outright baddie. 

"I wouldn't call him a villain," the actor tells us over Zoom. "I think he's just a sort of I think he's a terrible sort of apparatchik, who's frustrated and disgruntled and probably is looking to improve his lot – and he has issues."

Laughing, Macfadyen adds, "He probably wishes he was a supervillain or he wishes he was a superhero, and actually, he's doing a mundane thing of monitoring the timelines in the multiverse. He probably wishes he was Cassandra Nova." Nova is Charles Xavier’s sister, and from what has been revealed so far, it looks like she’ll be the threequel’s big bad.

With roles in everything from period dramas like Pride and Prejudice to long-running shows like Succession, Macfadyen has had a lot of varied parts to his career. Even so, a superhero movie isn’t a natural choice for the Emmy-award-winning actor, which it seems was precisely the draw.

"I love the Deadpool movies," Macfadyen tells us about taking on the part. "I thought they're really irreverent, fun, funny and just a hoot. The idea of working with Ryan [Reynolds] was very attractive and appealing. And Shawn Levy is great, and I thought that the script was great fun and just sounded like fun."

Deadpool 3 isn’t just any superhero movie either, as the actor is keen to add. "I think they're just sort of, they're not conventional superhero movies. They sort of subvert the genre in a really funny, charming, silly way. It was a new thing for me."

Deadpool and Wolverine arrives in UK cinemas on July 25 and US theaters on July 26. For more, check out all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way and everything you need to know about watching the Marvel movies in order.