Actor Ryan Reynolds might have consoled himself following his Golden Globes 'Best Actor' defeat to Ryan Gosling by snogging Andrew Garfield earlier this year, but it appears the star is now taking the time to praise his latest competitor in the most Deadpool-inspired way yet.

Today, it was announced that Patty Jenkins' film Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot just surpassed Deadpool with a record-breaking box office gross.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively | ELLE UKpinterest
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As a result, the father-of-two took to Instagram to congratulate the female-led superhero film, with a picture of his character Deadpool making a heart sign around a Wonder Woman necklace.

Be still our beating hearts.

He captioned the post: 'The Merc May Be Filthier, but Her B.O. is Stronger. Congrats #WonderWoman #BoxOfficeBoss'

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Okay, so we had to do a bit of digging to understand the message behind this caption.

According to search engine Quora, the term 'merc' refers to his Deadpool superhero character being know as a ruthless 'mercenary', or what he calls in the film 'merc with a mouth' (Deadpool is peppered with shed loads of filthy/brilliant profanities and insults, if you didn't know).

And then, in terms of Wonder Woman's B.O being stronger, we guess Reynolds is either making a joke about the superhero having strong body odour, or better box office stats.

Either way, we like it.

According to News.com.au, Gadot's film overtook Deadpool in the US over the weekend, after it grossed more than £282 million (US$363 million).

Gal Gadot | ELLE UKpinterest
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And while Deadpool still holds the worldwide record with takings of £609 million, Wonder Woman isn't far behind with £580 million to date.

Of course, it didn't take long before Ryan's Instagram post about Wonder Woman's win was praised by his fans.

One fan wrote: 'This is one of those moments where you show your fans how great of a person you are. Your humbleness and praise for others achievements show how great a character you have. You rock Mr. Reynolds.'

Another posted: 'Well said your hotness.'

I mean, sure.

The post comes days after Reynolds 'attended' a high school student's prom after she broke up with her ex-boyfriend.

Ryan Reynolds – a hero in all senses of the word.

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Katie O'Malley
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.