When Marvel Studios ended an era with Avengers: Endgame, it began to branch out and try more experimental projects. Initially, it worked well, producing successful ideas like Wandavision, Loki, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Yet as the years went by, it felt more and more like the franchise was losing its heart. Thor: Love and Thunder tried too hard to emulate the comedy of Ragnarok but fell short. The Marvels was doomed from the start due to disinterest in its protagonists. And if I were to bring up She-Hulk or Secret Invasion, we would be here for a week. Audiences still loved the familiarity of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but reactions to most projects were less than positive.
Fans’ last bastion of hope lies in the upcoming sequel film Deadpool & Wolverine. Directed and written by Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds, it marks the official inclusion of Fox’s X-Men movies into Disney’s cinematic universe. Hugh Jackman appears for the first time since his character’s death in Logan in 2017 as an alternate universe Wolverine that begrudgingly teams up with Deadpool.
What We Know So Far
At the start of the film, Wade Wilson finally has a cozy life with his girlfriend and his friends among the X-Men. This changes when the Time Variance Authority, the hidden organization from Loki that maintains the Sacred Timeline, shows up at his doorstep with news of a multiversal threat. Wade attempts to recruit the variant Wolverine, who is reeling from the destruction of his world that he was unable to stop. What caused that destruction is unknown, but it likely involves Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), a mutant with psychic abilities rivaling Charles Xavier’s.
The trailer shows us several alternate Deadpools will join the duo as well. Lady Deadpool dons an identical suit with a blonde ponytail, and Dogpool cuddles up to Wade and charges into battle alongside him. This suggests the inclusion of Deadpool Corps., a league of Deadpool variants from a comic storyline. Featured for a moment in the final trailer is X-23 (Dafne Keen), a mutant girl with similar abilities to Wolverine. She made her Marvel entrance in Logan before Fox merged with Disney, and while her role is unknown, she appears to be talking Wolverine into working with Deadpool.
Returning characters from the Deadpool series include Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), Dopinder (Karan Soni), and Negasonic (Brianna Hildebrand). In addition, certain TVA agents introduced in Loki, such as B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) enter the scene once again.
What Makes This Film Different?
According to Entertainment Weekly, Reynolds and Levy had been formulating ideas for a third Deadpool film since 2022. Then one day, Jackman called his former coworkers, and his involvement created a “seismic shift” in the story’s development. Jackman and Reynolds’ last Marvel project together was 2008’s X-Men: Origins, which burned the image of the mouthless villain Wade into the minds of viewers for years to come. In 2017, Jackman made his official exit from X-Men with Logan, but confesses that watching Deadpool 2 made him reconsider. One call to Reynolds was all it took for him to put on the claws one more time.
Deadpool & Wolverine will partly take place in Wade’s timeline, after Wolverine’s death, and introduce the alternate version who lived while many of his friends perished. It will be rated R, matching with the main characters’ previous films. Viewers can expect a combination of witty and gritty; Deadpool’s snarky humor meeting Wolverine’s brooding standoffishness.
What Does It Mean For The MCU’s Future?
The last few years of Marvel cinema have been all about the multiverse. From the trippy sequences of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to the multiple plotlines of What If?, the new phase of the MCU focuses on alternate realities or versions of a character. While Spider-Man has executed it well, it can be a tricky concept to nail. Creators tend to sacrifice important character development in favor of teasing new storylines and ideas that the multiverse allows to become canon. But the Deadpool & Wolverine writers state that the character stakes of the film are higher than those of the greater MCU. Meaning, they will likely not be over-relying on connections to future projects.
It seems like Marvel may be finally understanding what its fans want. Straightforward storytelling, less reliance on other projects, and classic characters returning for a final fight together. The Deadpool & Wolverine trailer skillfully balances comedic bits with serious character moments and sets up a masterful dynamic between its heroes. Bring a seat belt into the theater with you, because it promises to be a wild ride!
