Remember “The Dress”? Back in 2015, one washed-out photo briefly split the internet between people who saw a blue-and-black dress and those convinced it was white and gold. Eleven years later, Marvel fans have stumbled into a sort of sequel fit for a new superhero movie. The new question is whether Ryan Reynolds’ Comic-Con Deadpool suit is blue denim or grey. Depending on the photo, either answer feels perfectly reasonable. Thankfully, the Wade Wilson performer has now stepped in with an answer that is somehow definitive and completely unhelpful.
The Deadpool star shared a close-up of the costume on his Instagram Story with a fan-made fake Pantone-style card laid over the fabric. The color was labeled “9-1963 X-MEN” and, beneath that, “Jean Grey.” Reynolds added the hashtag “#JeanPool” and wrote, “Once you see it, you can’t just unsee it. It doesn’t work that way.” In the pic below, the invented color code appears to reference September 1963, when the first issue of X-Men was published.
So there we have it. The suit is Jean Grey. That answer is so fun because the costume really does sit somewhere between the two colors people have been arguing about. It is designed to resemble denim, which naturally pushes it toward blue, but the fabric has a muted grey cast that connects it to Wade Wilson’s X-Force look. Calling it “Jean Grey” lets Reynolds claim both sides while sneaking in an X-Men pun and play on all those Sadie Sink role rumors.
Reynolds debuted the costume during Marvel’s presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, where he initially appeared as a chatty masked fan. He also wore it while wandering the convention floor without handlers or security, posing with fans who did not always realize they were meeting the real Deadpool actor.
The costume keeps Deadpool’s classic look but colorswaps his usual red-and-black colors for a blue-grey denim vibe, with brown/gold accessories and a Canadian flag patch on his chest. This “Canadian tuxedo” idea made the blue choice seem pretty obvious to a lot of folks. On the flip side, fans who know Deadpool’s comic history spotted the grey X-Force influence and made their opinions known.
I feel like the “9-1963 X-MEN” code may be carrying even more weight than just the “Jean Grey” punchline. The X-Men (1963) No. 9 featured the mutants’ first meeting with the Avengers, which feels awfully pointed ahead of Avengers: Doomsday’s release. The December 18 entry on the 2026 movie calendar will bring returning actors from Fox’s X-Men films together with MCU Avengers for the first time.
Reynolds also used his surprise Comic-Con appearance to jokingly ask when he should report for filming, even though Deadpool has not officially been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. Between the color debate, the Jean Grey pun, the comic-book code and that very public request for a role, there is a lot packed into this meme.
Some fans will inevitably read the X-Men Origins: Wolverine star’s post as a clue about Jean Grey’s future in the MCU. For now, though, the safest interpretation is that Reynolds saw everyone arguing over grey versus blue denim and decided to settle the debate with an official pun. That certainly feels appropriate for Deadpool.
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