That Time Deadpool & Wolverine Met Heinz Ketchup & Mustard

"Whoa, whoa. I'm normally all in on the legal and moral opaqueness of subliminal advertising. But not when it messes with my trailer."

Ryan Reynolds skewers marketing tropes in a spot that features footage from his upcoming flick Deadpool & Wolverine to tout Heinz ketchup and mustard.

In classic Reynolds' style, the clip takes self-aware cobranding to the max. You'll marvel—or not—as RR's Deadpool—plus Hugh Jackman's Wolverine—share screen time with condiment bottles:

"Summer is a key window for our blockbuster products—Ketchup and Mustard—so when we saw the conversation on social media comparing them to the characters in this summer's highly anticipated film, we knew we needed to jump on it," says Lizzy Goodman, Heinz communications manager. "This felt like an authentic and ripe opportunity."

Rethink, Marvel Studios and Maximum Effort collaborated on the campaign, with an assist from Carat (media) The Kitchen (social outreach) and Zeno Group (PR).

"I don't spend much time on the internet," Reynolds says in press materials. "When my assistant faxed me a photocopy of a memo (he spelled it 'meme'—ugh, assistants amirite?) wherein Deadpool and Wolverine were identified as a Heinz Ketchup and Mustard bottle, respectively, I thought nothing of it and went back to my book and tea. But the faxes kept on coming! So, the idea was hatched to actually partner with Heinz to bring this memo to life. Huzzah!"

Faxes ... heh.

Does Heinz offer movie-themed merch related to its dispensers? Natch!

Such limited-edition accessories arrive soon, with miniature masks, suits, katanas, claws, slash marks and more designed to help fans dress up their Heinz bottles. (Or most any bottles, probably.)

The film hits theaters on July 26.