In my previous piece for BSO on the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine, I talked about why Deadpool is the perfect character to get the MCU and Fox Cinematic Universe merged into a coherent single story. This column will focus on why the film is also the perfect vehicle to get people back into the Marvel swing. If done right, the film could even create a renewed interest in the MCU for the first time in a long time. So, how could Deadpool and Wolverine go about accomplishing this? Let’s explore.
Much of the MCU’s recent problems have been caused by stories nobody asked for involving heroes that most people do not care about. I don’t think anyone would question my nerd credentials and my love of minority characters or characters who represent historically unconsidered viewpoints. Ms. Marvel is so important to me, that I have her tattooed on my body as a featured character on my street-level character arm-sleeve. Other characters like Captain Marvel, Ant-Man, and Dr. Doom also feature, but I’m the type of dude who can appreciate all sorts of heroes.
With all of that said, I couldn’t find myself caring about the Echo series, the She-Hulk series, the Moon Knight series or several movies they’ve since put out. The true irony here is that I have an extensive collection of Moon Knight and She-Hulk comics, but the show just didn’t capture that same essence for me. I’ve been thinking of going back and watching Moon Knight just to give it another shot, but I hated it so much on my first viewing that doing so has been a hard sell for my brain.
Even the latest movies they’ve put out haven’t been that good and we’re talking about movies with characters that people already love. Dr. Strange the Multiverse of Madness was not very good. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was borderline atrocious. Even Wakanda Forever was not very good and struggled under the weight of its rewrites. With the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World film introducing a heavily Zionist character in Sabra has resulted in Sebastian Stan AKA Bucky Barnes, refusing to be in the film. This does not give me very high hopes for the movie or the character and I’m genuinely contemplating skipping this film entirely for obvious reasons.
My point here isn’t to start a political discussion, it’s to focus on the fact that Marvel has stopped trying to tell good stories and they’ve become focused on telling “meaningful” stories. I chose that word because I think it is the best representation of what they’re going for in their delivery of these stories. I don’t think they’re necessarily trying to influence your thinking one way or the next, I think they’re trying to do what comics have always done and that’s tackle social-societal issues at a deeper level.
The problem with doing this is that right now, you simply cannot do that and expect to please as many people as you were able to please when you were telling simple stories about superheroes as we saw in Phases 1-3. Sure, Marvel still discussed socially important issues and topics they explored in those early phases. I’m sure most people are screaming about Civil War and Black Panther as perfect examples of this, but those stories were sandwiched in between cosmic road trips and good old-fashioned ass-kicking.
Deadpool and Wolverine give Marvel a chance to get back to telling stories about comics and comic problems. Every MCU film does not need to carry the weight of the world on its shoulders. Most people are increasingly preferring films that do not carry said weight. I never thought I would end up saying this, but I think the politicization of everything has hurt the MCU to a degree that risks ending it as a mainstay in Hollywood. They don’t have to eliminate every aspect of social commentary, but maybe letting the characters become the focal point of the story rather than the message would do the MCU some good.
Deadpool has always been rather fond of breaking rules and conventions. Using a character like Deadpool to give viewers a break from the seriousness of the last five films also gives them room to remember why they enjoyed seeing comic movies in the first place. Adding a character like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine also allows Deadpool and Wolverine to focus on something we haven’t seen since Civil War, and that is the dynamic of two different types of heroes being forced to work together to solve issues in new and interesting ways.
Part of what made us fall in love with the MCU was the cast of characters and the different beliefs on display. That’s sorta fallen by the wayside with most of the characters now becoming more homogenized in their thinking. Deadpool and Wolverine is the perfect way to break up the vanilla and saccharine box the MCU has imposed upon itself following the end of the Infinity Saga. If it accomplishes nothing but that and some laughs, this film will be a tremendous success.
Marvel comics work best when the story and characters take the lead. Flawed characters doing their best to live up to an ideal that can never be met is what makes readers and viewers come back week after week. To me, there’s a reason characters like Superman are boring. They’re perfect in almost every way and I cannot relate to that. I accept that I am flawed and that’s what makes me interesting. In this way, Deadpool is an everyman.
Deadpool and Wolverine has a chance to become Marvel’s next billion-dollar hit, but accomplishing that requires them to stick to what fans want and expect from this movie. If they suddenly try to make Deadpool some paragon of virtue and give Wolverine a shell of his former self, word will spread and attendance will drop. Fortunately for fans, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have had a strong influence in this film and they’ve earned more than enough of my trust about honoring the tone and tenor of these beloved characters. For all these reasons and more, I’m fully expecting Deadpool and Wolverine to set the record straight for the MCU going forward.
