Should We Be Worried About Deadpool & Wolverine?
Marvel Studios recently released the first trailer for the third Deadpool film: Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s one of the most anticipated films of 2024, and fans have eagerly waited for their first glimpse of footage. Ryan Reynolds is back as the ‘merc with the mouth’, Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine thanks to multiverse shenanigans, and the TVA are returning to police the chaos. Suffice to say, there’s a lot happening. The film has largely managed to unite fans through shared excitement, with many assuming it’s a guaranteed hit. However, I have mixed feelings.
The MCU has been on a rough trajectory since 2021. We’ve seen a higher number of films and TV series released each year, but quality is a roll of the dice, sparking heated debates and creating a fractured fandom. It seems Marvel can’t catch a break. 2023 saw actors and writers go on strike, and rightfully so, which caused problems on the production line for 2023 and beyond. There’s also uncertainty about who the current saga’s big villain is following complications with Kang The Conqueror, and the upcoming Avengers film reportedly doesn’t have a director, screenwriter or title. Things are chaotic and the consensus among many fans is that the MCU desperately needs a win. This puts an insane amount of pressure on the next film to release. Enter Deadpool & Wolverine.
Is Deadpool & Wolverine going to be a win for Marvel? While many people think so, I’m not totally convinced. I’m balancing an equal measure of concern and excitement. So, now the first trailer has dropped, I want to break down both sides of the argument and unpack my feelings.
Reasons to be concerned
1. Too many leaks
While the first trailer was disciplined and thankfully didn’t show too much, there’s already a hole in the ship’s hull. Recent Marvel projects have been subject to intense leaks, and Deadpool & Wolverine is no exception. Photos have appeared online throughout shooting*, spoiling plot points, action sequences and character appearances. If we keep seeing big leaks, there won’t be many fun surprises left.
*I actively avoid spoilers, but it’s becoming harder to do that. Meta’s algorithm across Facebook, Instagram and Threads places content I might be interested in on my feed without me searching for it. It’s incredibly frustrating, because I’m a fairly passive social media user, and the film has already been spoiled for me.
2. The MCU’s only film for 2024
The phrase “putting all of your eggs in one basket” springs to mind. Making Deadpool & Wolverine the only Marvel cinematic release in 2024 shows confidence in the film. However, it also indicates over-confidence. A Deadpool and Wolverine team up is enticing to audiences, but Marvel don’t always deliver. I can’t say for sure if there’s a “too big to fail” mentality at Marvel Studios, but some of their projects which were supposedly guaranteed to be a hit have been subpar. Given their recent track record, betting all of their chips on one film is a huge gamble.
3. Multiverse fatigue
Perhaps an awkward topic, but Marvel’s multiverse saga has gone cold. They dipped their toes into the multiverse, immediately had their ass handed to them by Everything Everywhere All At Once, and ever since we’ve all smiled politely while new projects underwhelm.
If we’re taking trailer footage at face value, this film will see Deadpool encounter characters from other universes, as the 20th Century Fox universe is in danger. Cameos, both confirmed and potential, seem to be a big selling point, which risks relying on low hanging fruit. If previous Marvel projects have shown us anything, the multiverse has to be used for something more than just nostalgic cameos which pander to a section of the audience. I’m hopeful this film is story driven and has a couple of cameos sprinkled in for good measure, but considering the first trailer already featured Aaron Stanford as Pyro (from X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand), it suggests we’ve got more cameos to come.
4. The return of Wolverine
I understand this is the multiverse. You could argue we’re not seeing the same Wolverine who reached their conclusion in Logan and it’s a variant of Wolverine. However, it’s difficult to separate them. Fans who grew up watching Wolverine have a strong connection to Hugh Jackman’s performance, so bringing him back at any capacity is always going to be tied to what we’ve seen before. If this were about showing Wolverine variants, then they could’ve cast anyone, but they’ve specifically cast Hugh Jackman. They know what they’re doing.
Logan is an incredibly important film for me, and a landmark achievement in cinema. It isn’t just a top tier comic book film, but a fantastic film in isolation and an incredibly satisfying end to Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine. It’s rare to see a third act for a comic book character, let alone one which is so sincere and emotional. Regardless of whether we’re dabbling in the multiverse or not, bringing Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine undercuts the value of their conclusion in Logan.
5. House rules
This is probably my biggest concern. Part of why Deadpool and Deadpool 2 worked so well is because they were on the outside. They revelled in a sense of anarchy, where they didn’t have to play by the MCU rulebook. There was a rebellious attitude and they could make cutting jokes at Marvel’s expense. This new film might make similar jokes, but they won’t land in the same way due to writers playing by the house rules.
There’s something unsettling about knowing the jokes have been approved by Kevin Feige. When the finale of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law aired in 2022, it had a cold atmosphere. People mistakenly thought the episode was rebellious because it mocked Kevin Feige, which isn’t true. The episode acted like the writers had stuck it to Marvel and Feige, and the higher ups were furious that these jokes made it to air. In reality, the script would’ve passed through multiple layers of approval and only told jokes they were allowed to tell.
This might not be a problem Deadpool & Wolverine encounters, but it depends on how much freedom the creators were given. I can’t imagine there was ever a version of this film where Deadpool doesn’t reference the fact he’s changed universes and Disney don’t usually make R-rated content. It’s a funny premise, but the writers need full freedom. We could lose the spark if we see a sanitised Deadpool who is obeying Disney’s rules whilst masquerading as rebellious.
Reasons to be excited
1. Ryan Reynolds
I don’t usually like this expression, but there’s no denying Ryan Reynolds was “born to play” Deadpool. His version of Deadpool has the perfect blend of humour and heart, he understands the character better than anyone else, and he clearly cares about Deadpool. People can debate the quality of individual films, but we all agree Ryan Reynolds will continue to deliver fantastic performances as Deadpool.
2. Hugh Jackman
Again, it’s a terrific casting choice. We’ve seen Hugh Jackman play Wolverine for over twenty years, and he’s excellent. Regardless of the quality of the film he’s in (looking at examples like The Wolverine), Jackman’s performance is consistently brilliant. Even if (like me) you don’t agree with him coming back, we know he’ll deliver a good performance. Also, I have hope that Hugh Jackman cares about the character and wouldn’t pick up the claws again after Logan without a damn good reason.
3. R-rating
This is a dealbreaker. I can’t imagine a version of this film with a PG-13 rating, so I’m really glad they’re making this the first R-rated MCU film. Deadpool has had two massively successful R-rated films, we’ve already seen how great an R-rated Wolverine can be in Logan, so bringing both characters together in an R-rated project is a total slam dunk.
4. Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy is a good choice as director. His previous films show a fantastic relationship with Ryan Reynolds, and he’s very talented at executing fluid, energetic action sequences. While films like Free Guy and The Adam Project didn’t wow me, I can’t deny the action felt vibrant and unlike any other film. Applying that style to Deadpool and Wolverine is a winning formula.
5. Multiverse potential
I know I’ve mentioned Marvel’s multiverse going stale, but Deadpool & Wolverine might be the film to get the multiverse right. In the grand scheme, a Deadpool film doesn’t have to be big and important. It isn’t essential viewing before the next Avengers film, or the next appearance of Kang the Conqueror; it can just be fun! If the aim of the film is to move Deadpool from the Fox universe to the main MCU continuity, then using the TVA is a clever and creative way to make it happen. They can still use cameos, but there has to be a balance which tips in favour of the story being more important. This could be a fun film, a fond farewell to the Fox universe, and a celebration of the films we watched over twenty years.
In summary, I’m cautiously optimistic. Keep in mind, I don’t write this as someone who wants Deadpool & Wolverine to be bad. On the contrary, my hesitancy comes from wanting to like the film. I’m sure many of us know what it’s like to be excited about a Marvel film and then be bitterly disappointed. This time last year I couldn’t contain my excitement for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, then my optimism was crushed into tiny pieces. We should all reserve judgement and keep our expectations level, instead of placing pressure on every new film and setting standards which are impossible to meet.
Considering the MCU’s volatile position, what fans need is unity. Will this film “save” the MCU? I have no idea. The fandom is so divided, it’ll take a miracle to unite everyone, then multiple consecutive miracles to maintain that unity. Fans thought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 would “save” the MCU in 2023, and though it was a hit, it only briefly brought harmony to the fandom. So my hopes for Deadpool & Wolverine aren’t that it waves a magic wand and fixes everything, but that it pleases more people than it annoys.
Ultimately, the main thing I want from Deadpool & Wolverine, as with any film, is to enjoy myself. I don’t want or need a masterpiece. I want to have a good time, I want the characters to be engaging, and I want the story to give me two hours of escapism. The best way to do that is to put minimal pressure on the film, approach it with an open mind, and give it a fair shot. Or, as Nick Fury says in Age of Ultron:
“You hope for the best, then make do with what you get.”
If you’ve enjoyed this article, please check out my other recent articles:
