Back in 2011, Ryan Reynolds made the cover of Vanity Fair’s “Hollywood Issue.” There he was, decked out in a smart tuxedo, posing with other acting heavyweights, including Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, James Franco and Robert Duvall.

Coming off the massive hit “The Proposal” and on the cusp of appearing in “Green Lantern,” Reynolds seemed on the verge of really blowing up.

And then he didn’t.

So what happened, exactly? How could someone on his way to becoming one of the movie industry’s more bankable stars just sort of fade away?

Reynolds has the modestly budgeted sci-fi drama “Self/Less” out Friday, but it will likely get a bit lost among “Minions” and the other box office-devouring summer blockbusters.

Here are three reasons Reynolds’ career went off track:

Who is he on-camera?

Compared to other leading men, Reynolds’ name doesn’t leave much of an impression. Like it or not, movie stars are brands, and the strongest brands are those that are clearly defined.

Think of Denzel Washington: You can immediately picture the kinds of roles he might play. Same goes for Julia Roberts, Will Smith or Seth Rogen.

So what exactly is Reynolds’ brand? “Er, he’s the generically handsome guy who . . . made those movies. Or, wait. Was that Ryan Gosling?”

Reynolds put himself on the map with the 2002 raunchy frat comedy “Van Wilder.” From there, it seemed like a career as a comedic actor lay ahead of him. But then he mostly abandoned that track for oddball choices such as 2005’s “The Amityville Horror” and 2006’s “Smokin’ Aces.”

“The Proposal” opposite Sandra Bullock in 2009 seemed to establish him as the go-to guy for rom-coms. But then he abandoned that track, too.

He wanted to be a superhero in 2011 with “Green Lantern” — and we all know how that unfortunately turned out.

Wanting to stretch and vary the kinds of roles you play is admirable, but establishing a brand requires consistency. With all his jumping around genres, Reynolds seems to have watered down his value and moved himself down casting wish lists. Better to be the top choice for one kind of movie than the 15th choice for lots of different kinds.

Star-crossed

Not that everything is his fault. The guy definitely had some bad luck. He’s taken the lion’s share of the blame for “Green Lantern,” but the screenwriters, producers and director should get just as much, if not more. That movie would have stunk with the ghost of Laurence Olivier in the lead.

Going into it, “Green Lantern” must have seemed like a reasonably sure thing. Superheroes were hot, and this was Reynolds’ chance to helm a potential franchise. What actor would turn that down?

Then again, Reynolds also chose to do the 2013 bomb “R.I.P.D.” — so maybe his selection process needs refinement.

Those two big-budget flops have tagged Reynolds as box office poison. Fair or not, that’s just the way Hollywood rolls.

Who is he off-camera?

Maybe he’s a private guy and doesn’t like to reveal much to the press, but you could probably count on one hand the number of things the average person knows about Reynolds.

And unfortunately, two of those things are probably tragic: namely, his splits from former flames Alanis Morissette and Scarlett Johansson.

Audiences want to know their stars (or at least know the image of their stars that’s been carefully crafted by a crack team of publicists and managers). These people are characters in the play that is real life, and we want simple, type-driven narratives. Jennifer Aniston is unlucky in love. Leo DiCaprio is a modelizing playboy. Johnny Depp is the eccentric bad boy.

Reynolds is . . . just kind of there.

He’s now married to Blake Lively, and the pair live with their baby daughter in the sleepy Westchester County town of Bedford, NY — in other words, they’re a boring married couple who decided to move to the ’burbs. Maybe that’s the way they want it, but if you want to help your career, make your personal life a little more interesting.

One thing Reynolds does have going for him is his sense of humor. He’s reliable on Twitter for solid jokes, and his promotion of next year’s tongue-in-cheek superhero flick “Deadpool” has been a thing of beauty.

One of the first images released from the film was Reynolds, wearing the red leather costume and lying faux-seductively in front of a fireplace.

Maybe this is his niche, as Hollywood’s handsome wiseguy? Could this be the way he gets back on top?

Then again, if someone announces “R.I.P.D. 2,” all bets are off.