Ryan Reynolds Puts Wrexham Striker on Mint's Family Plan

For Ryan Reynolds, there’s family … and then there’s Paul Mullin, striker for Welsh soccer squad Wrexham, which the Deadpool star and master marketer co-owns.

In a :30, Reynolds could designate his wife, actress Blake Lively, for Mint Mobile’s new calling plan. Or, he could tap Mullin, because, for the carrier’s purposes, as few as two people count as “family.” And they don’t have to be related.

Which one does he choose to add for as little as $15 a month? It’s not even close.

Mullin’s become Reynold’s “ride or die” chum, we’re told. “My wife is just going to have to try again next season,” he deadpans. (T-Mobile retained RR, a former Mint owner, as spokesman following its March acquisition of the brand’s parent company.)

At this point, people, we’re living in the Ryan Reynolds Marketing Universe. It’s similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe—but Ryan’s the lone superhero.

In this elevated realm, ads from Maximum Effort, the agency Reynolds co-founded, never fail. They’re driven by the man’s inestimable persona. He’s a huge star, yet relatable. Snarky, but charming. Sarcastic in the best way. Self-aware, but never self-indulgent. Best of all: he always lets viewers in on the joke.

This Mint outing features a Ryan Universe staple, the cross-promotion, which often involves talking up, goofing on or simply name-dropping Wrexham.

The basic creative approach—tweaked depending on requirements across different brands—even works for Maximum Effort spots in which RR himself doesn’t appear. They simply become Ryan-esque, stylistically beholden to Mr. Lively.

Ultimately, Reynolds’ superpower is just being himself—or at least, the pitchman version thereof. Blake, off somewhere paying for her own mobile service, must be proud.