No More Mutants: On FOX’s Workaround For “Deadpool” & “Logan”
FOX created a “Jordan Rules”-esque shortcut to make their non X-Men films palatable to fanboys and fangirls as well as casual fans. Here’s why that won’t change the fact all of their X-Men films still (and will continue to) suck
Any of you who have either read my writing over the past decade or have followed me on Twitter since I joined back in January 2009 know one thing about me: I am a huge comic book fan. In particular, I’m a Marvel head, but the title that really spoke to me was “The Uncanny X-Men” (1963). Like any other X-Men fan, the things that made me emotionally invested in this property were the characters, their individual arcs and the multiple group dynamics that developed over time. Whether it be the contentious relationship between Cyclops and Wolverine, Storm being team leader while serving as surrogate mom to multitudes or any of the countless individual, group dynamics or love triangles/squares/pentagons, these things all comprise the foundation of what made readers fall in love with the X-Men universe.
Here’s the problem, the X-Men universe has a long and complicated backstory full of a disgusting amount of minor but key individuals and countless story arcs that can be viewed as anything from detailed and layered to downright convoluted. My X-Men fandom began back in 1979 and has stuck with me until the present day; keep in mind that’s approximately the same span of time I’ve been a Rap fan/contributor to Hip Hop culture. When you make an X-Men film, you have to deal with trying to replicate these group dynamics and interpersonal relationships onscreen to satiate both a quite sizable fanbase of fanboys and fangirls who grew up with these characters and casual film fans who look for a certain amount of character development in order to suspend belief. That’s a tall task.
Any diehard X-Men fan who saw the hollow onscreen versions of the X-Men beginning with their first Marvel film back in 2000 is well aware of how FOX has mismanaged the property at every turn. They’re so incompetent that they’ve even botched the reboots and rebrands of the X-Universe as well. FOX has the shooting percentage of John Starks in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals, but those two shots that went down were “Deadpool” and “Logan”. The success and the overall quality and execution of these two films has only further incensed the fanbase. After watching “Deadpool”, then going to the theater to watch “Logan”, I began to decompose both films in order to get to the core of how these two films managed to succeed where other X-Men films have failed miserably. I believe I’ve found the answer. Put simply? They cheated.
The huge drawback of dealing with beloved characters that fans have waited in excess of 25 years or more to see represented onscreen is that the writers have additional pressures in translating them. This has been consistent critique of all the previous X-Men films. What “Deadpool” did with its reboot was a threefold process: 1) Make the film R rated. Go all out with foul language, adult content & graphic violence 2) Focus on one central character while eliminating as many “legacy” X-Men characters as possible from the landscape 3) Put strict limits on the amount of characters that have interpersonal interactions onscreen. It was done so flawlessly in “Deadpool” that film fans didn’t even notice that it had happened. Let’s break it down even further, shall we?
The fortunate thing about Deadpool as a character is he breaks the 4th wall constantly, speaks to himself AND the audience simultaneously, and is a total bastard with few redeeming qualities. In other words? He’s a hilarious, charming anti-hero that you can focus the entire film around, and you don’t need many other characters around to quantify his importance. Audiences are free to suspend belief and just watch him. In order to prevent breaking that spell? Have as few other recognizable or beloved characters on screen with him so as to not steal his thunder.
There are minor characters who are friends and associates of either Wade Wilson or Deadpool (such as Blind Al), but as I outlined earlier, those interactions are usually confined to two way conversations. When Wade/Deadpool engages the film’s antagonists Ajax/Francis and Angel Dust, he’s usually speaking to only one of them at a time, even when they are together. This is the same dynamic at play when Deadpool encounters Colossus and Teenage Negasonic Warhead. Deadpool is usually speaking to Colossus, and TNWH is merely observing or is present. And if Deadpool speaks to her? It’s directly to her. Then he goes right back to talking to Colossus or himself or even the audience. Now let’s further deconstruct what I just… deconstructed.
Colossus is a beloved X-Men character, but he’s nowhere near popular enough within the X-Men universe to illicit a huge response if he was depicted in a way that deviated from his comic book persona. TNWH is such a minor character in the X-Men Universe that the writers had carte blanche and could do whatever they wanted with her. Quite literally no one would care. As far as the villians are concerned? Ajax/Francis Fanny is a character that only Deadpool fanboys were familiar with, and Angel Dust was yet another minor yet memorable character within the X-Universe. This allowed for fans to just follow the action without distraction. This allowed the film to flow and the audience to go along with whatever happened. It was a page straight out of “Guardians Of The Galaxy”…
Why did I bring up “Guardians Of The Galaxy”? It provided the modern MCU blueprint for how to make a fun yet engrossing film full of Marvel characters, sans legions of diehard fans. Names like Star-Lord, Groot, Drax The Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon & Gamora are only familiar to Marvel diehards into the Power Cosmic. Conversely? The interpersonal dynamic was way better because everyone spoke to each other. Why did they have so much dialogue playing off each other? Simple. In lieu of a fully fleshed out back story for the rest of the cast (the booking scene before they got sent to The Kyln filled that role) the group interactions served to build character development and define their overall dynamic. Typically, conversations were had amongst a full group as opposed to one on one exchanges. The subsequent responses and group reactions further engaged the audience.
This formula can’t be replicated by FOX X-Men films due to overwhelming fan familiarity with the characters and the dearth of banter/familiar interactions between X-Men in these films, which the fanbase had become accustomed to reading. This lack of interplay/communication between X-Men is a sticking point that needs to be addressed for FOX to finally make a successful X-Men related film. DC’s “Suicide Squad” tried its damnedest to crib from Marvel’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy” formula and failed miserably. FOX built off the momentum of the runaway success of “Deadpool” by continuing to implement their film version of “The Jordan Rules”, this time with an amalgam of the characters Wolverine x Old Man Logan.
The writers used their old “Deadpool” formula for “Logan” but with the following tweaks: 1) Make the film R rated. Go all out with foul language, adult content & graphic violence 2) Focus on one central character while eliminating as many “legacy” X-Men characters as possible from the landscape (accomplished by killing off 99% of mutantkind in the storyline) 3) Put strict limits on the amount of characters that have interpersonal interactions onscreen (accomplished by making Laura/X-23 a non-speaking role for 85% of the film. Laura/X-23 didn’t begin speaking until after the other two characters Logan could interact with instead had been killed off…or didn’t you guys notice that?).
When Logan was in close proximity to Professor Charles Xavier and Caliban, he usually spoke either directly to Caliban or to Xavier. They never had a three way conversation. Making declarations or giving commands to multiple people is NOT legitimate communication as conversations require listening then a response to be valid. When Logan, Xavier and Laura/X-23 travel together he’s either having two way conversations with Xavier or Xavier is having a one way conversation with Laura/X-23. The writers gave off the illusion that they had a rapport with each other, since Xavier told Logan he was communicating with her via telepathy. Since they didn’t speak onscreen? Doesn’t really count.
Even when Logan and X-23 reach their destination, with multiple mutants around, the writers make it a point to NOT identify more than one other mutant that the audiences would readily recognize (Rictor). Rictor was the only mutant onscreen allowed to speak regularly ,and he usually either talked directly to either Laura/X-23 or Logan. Other than that? He was making declarations or giving orders. Logan asked a question to the group and one child responded to him. That didn’t lead to a conversation. The only young mutant Logan had a protracted conversation with was Laura/X-23.
This kept the film moving and never gave the audience an opportunity to think “Rictor’d never do that!” or “Laura wouldn’t say that!”. Why not? Because that wasn’t Laura Kinney onscreen nor was it the Julio Esteban Richter they’d first read about back in 1987 in the pages of “X-Factor” (1986). The audience had to suspend belief, because The Reavers that were trying to apprehend Laura/X-23 sure weren’t the same Reavers they first encountered in the pages of “The Uncanny X-Men” (1963) back in 1988, either. That allowed the audience to relax and not have to think too hard. It was the comic adaption version of denying the ball or forcing the other team’s biggest scoring threat into foul trouble so they’re not even on the court.
There was no character bigger than Logan/Wolverine onscreen. The entire back story was wiped, because it was an alternate reality scenario created for this film, thus negating the universe X-Men fanboys and fangirls were all familiar with. Character interaction was kept to a minimum, and tight reins were put on everything else story related to best control the arc and character development. Logan starts out the film singleminded, determined and selfish, but ends it selflessly sacrificing everything for someone he loved. Laura/X-23 begins the film as a total mut(i)e badass but ends it as a fully formed character herself.
After “Logan” ended, many in the audience left the theater wondering why this film and “Deadpool” worked where other FOX X-Men related films failed. I went home, watched “Deadpool” and then it hit me immediately. I’m just curious how they’ll further tweak this formula for “Deadpool 2” which will be released in 2018. All I know for sure is the next FOX X-Men film is guaranteed to suck. Big time…
