Who is Dancepool, who opens Deadpool & Wolverine on “Bye Bye Bye”?

Justin Timberlake's boy band *NSYNC's song gets a makeover in the credits of Shawn Levy's film.

We don't need to tell anyone, the saga Dead Pool is full of pop culture references, and Deadpool & Wolverine is no exception to the rule. Ryan Reynolds – who has been carrying the franchise since 2016 – and his writing acolytes are even known for not taking any precautions, breaking the Fourth Wall at will and worshiping the most chaotic irreverence.

You never have to look far for these cultural nuggets. The proof is in this third part, currently in theaters, which opens with a musical sequence in which we see Deadpool reproducing the choreography of *NSYNC on the y2k anthem that is their hit “Bye Bye Bye”. A happening which one might have suspected, four of the members of the group having gone to the premiere of the film, posing alongside Blake LivelyRyan Reynolds and Shawn Levy.

First single from the group formed by Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass And JC Chasez, “Bye Bye Bye” hits the airwaves and stores at the same time as the new millennium. A few weeks after the song's release, the boy band released a music video that went down in history, especially for its choreography evoking a puppet show, a satire on idol status, but also a metaphor for a romantic breakup where the five members of the group escape the influence of a young woman ready to do anything to keep them under her control.

Winner of MTV Awards for Best Pop Video, Best Choreography, a Teen Choice Award and two Grammy nominations in 2001, “Bye Bye Bye” has become a cult classic for an entire generation, even making a few appearances on the big and small screen: in an episode of season 4 of Gleemixed with the “I Want It That Way”of the Backstreet Boys, in an episode of season 2 of Ted Lassoor even in the Red Rocket of Sean Bakerin 2021.

The most assiduous fans of the X-Men saga will also remember that we hear a few notes of the song in X-Men 2 (2003), while confined in the “awkward silence” from a car, Wolverine and his cronies start the vehicle's CD player, which had obviously stopped on this song. Grinding teeth from the whole team in an excerpt to (re)discover here.

Deadpool & Wolverine accomplish their mission [critique]

Twenty years later, it is therefore to the rhythm of this same song that Ryan Reynolds chose to introduce his first steps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ryan Reynolds? The Canadian has many talents, but for this opening credits which alternates between dance sequences and bloody fight scenes, he calls on the dancer and tiktoker Nick Pauley.

The man who embodies Dancepool (as fans quickly nicknamed him), and who has gained an incredible number of subscribers in recent days, drops the mask and puts it back on in a video posted on his favorite network. We see him reproducing the choreography inspired by *NSYNC, in civilian clothes this time.

Before that, “the one who made Deadpool dance” (another affectionate nickname), shared a message on Instagram, responding to the most speculative of the spectators, accompanied by a photo of himself in the scarlet costume of the mercenary mutant.

“It’s true! I’m Dancepool in the new Deadpool and Wolverine,” he wrote in the caption. “This has been such a hard secret to keep! I can’t believe I have the honor of being @vancityreynolds’ dance stunt double.” [Ryan Reynolds, ndlr] for the opening scene of the whole movie!!!! Like what?!? What is life?”

If his face rings a bell, it's because Nick Pauley is no stranger to the star system. A dancer on the US version of Masked Singerhe has also made a few appearances in music videos, notably in those of “Chained to the Rhythm” of Katy Perry And “Get Into It (Yuh)” of Doja Cat.

To see Dancepool sway to one of the icons of 2000s pop culture, head to the movie theaters.