Why Deadpool & Wolverine Is Going To Blow You Away
Plenty of films in 2024 have either blown audiences away already, like "Dune: Part Two," or are likely to do so, like "Furiosa" or "Joker: Folie à Deux." But the one film that fans are the most excited about is "Deadpool and Wolverine," with Ryan Reynolds reprising his fan-favorite superhero role, last seen in 2018's "Deadpool 2," for the first time since Disney's billion-dollar acquisition of Fox in 2019.
The original "Deadpool" was released in 2016, after more than a decade of development hell. It busted down the doors for R-rated superhero films, many of which are now among the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time. That includes 2017's "Logan," which at the time closed the book on Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart's stints as "X-Men" staples Wolverine and Professor Charles Xavier respectively. Now Jackman reprises his iconic role in "Deadpool and Wolverine," joining Reynolds as their superheroes team up to save the Marvel Cinematic Universe from forces beyond space and time.
"Deadpool and Wolverine" is arriving at a precarious time for Marvel, following years of criticism toward the studio's output, behind-the-scenes turmoil, and overexposure in the film and television industry. For a number of reasons, this movie has the opportunity to reignite audiences' interest in the MCU — and in superhero movies as a whole.
The first two Deadpool films were already box office hits
Ryan Reynolds' portrayal of Deadpool was a long time coming. Although he originally made his debut as a misconceived version of Wade Wilson in the 2009 film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Reynolds had been attempting to produce a "Deadpool" solo film as early as 2004. The project faced resistance from 20th Century Fox for years, due to the necessity of it being rated R. Luckily, test footage of Reynolds in the role leaked in 2014, reigniting fan interest and proving that a "Deadpool" film might find an audience — which it most certainly did.
Released in 2016, "Deadpool" quickly exceeded box office expectations, grossing over $780 million against a budget of only $58 million. At the time of its release, "Deadpool" also became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and was only dethroned by its own 2018 sequel, "Deadpool 2." Part of the franchise's success can be attributed to its marketing campaign, spearheaded by Reynolds, as well as its appeal to both non-superhero fans and deeply-invested lovers of the "X-Men" comics.
There is a lot of expectation that "Deadpool and Wolverine" will excel at the box office like its predecessors, especially as the first film of the franchise to officially be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's predicted that "Deadpool and Wolverine" will be one 2024's biggest hits, even against already-proven successes like "Dune: Part Two" and highly-anticipated sequels like "Joker: Folie à Deux" and "Gladiator 2."
The film requires no previous MCU knowledge
One big hurdle that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling with is the connectivity of all their projects. Films like 2023's "The Marvels" require casual fans to familiarize themselves with many different projects, including Disney+ series like "WandaVision" and "Ms. Marvel," as well as previous films like "Captain Marvel" and "Avengers: Endgame." Even hardcore fans of the franchise have found it exhausting to keep up with Marvel's constant output.
Thankfully, "Deadpool and Wolverine" director Shawn Levy has explained to AP News that the film is designed to be a light-hearted summer adventure at the movie theater, while also satisfying longtime Marvel fanatics. "I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world," he said. "But I didn't want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research."
Even the trailers seem to indicate that "Deadpool and Wolverine" will offer a healthy middle ground for both hardcore MCU viewers and less informed audiences. Hugh Jackman's iteration of Wolverine appears to be a variant from a previously-unseen timeline, and the Time Variance Authority that appears seems to include none of the characters established in "Loki."
Wolverine returns in his first MCU appearance
Even before Hugh Jackman hung up his claws in "Logan," he and Ryan Reynolds had floated the idea of bringing their characters together on screen again, having last traded blows in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The "Deadpool" films have also mocked Jackman's character repeatedly, so a rematch simply seemed inevitable at some point.
Jackman in particular had been dreaming of a Deadpool-Wolverine crossover since he saw the original "Deadpool" in 2016, telling Variety, "All I kept seeing in my head was '48 Hrs.' with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. So it's been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here." It also took Reynolds officially making the offer for Jackman to go back on his word that "Logan" would be his last time playing the character.
Thankfully, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is respectful of Jackman's history with the character, while also bringing something new to the table. As seen in the trailers and photos, this will be Jackman's first time donning Wolverine's iconic yellow-and-blue suit after two decades of playing the role. Whether he continues to don the claws in the MCU beyond this film is a matter of speculation, with Daniel Radcliffe and Taron Egerton floated in the past as potential new Logans.
The TVA makes its big screen debut
The Time Variance Authority, or TVA, was introduced in Marvel comics in 1986 as a Kafkaesque organization maintaining the sanctity of timelines. In 2021, the TVA made its on-screen debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series "Loki," but the outfit has yet to appear in any of the Marvel films in recent years — until "Deadpool and Wolverine," that is.
While there's no sign of Mobius, Hunter B-15, or Ouroboros from "Loki," a new face features prominently in the trailers: Paradox, played by Matthew Macfadyen from "Succession." In the film, it seems that Deadpool is being recruited by the TVA for a mission that will ultimately reward him with a place in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
There is also much more hidden in the "Deadpool and Wolverine" trailer, such as the appearance of the Void, which is established in "Loki" as the place where pruned individuals and objects are sent for disobeying the Sacred Timeline. Deadpool even seems to come into conflict with Alioth, the monstrous guardian of the Void previously controlled by He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), though it's highly unlikely that the Kang variant will also appear.
The Reynolds-Jackman feud goes to the next level
Since they first appeared on-screen together in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have had a friendly rivalry both in their personal lives and in the press. Particularly in the years of press for "Deadpool" and its sequels, Reynolds has taken any and all opportunity to rib Jackman regarding Wolverine, which has included following the Australian actor to his press tours for other movies, mocking the actor in-character in the "Deadpool" films, and both men playfully roasting each other via social media.
For example, in 2018, Reynolds and Jackman made fake political attack ads aimed at each other, subtly promoting "Once Upon a Deadpool," a PG-13 recut of "Deadpool 2" released in theaters for the holidays, and Jackman's "The Frontrunner." They've also amped up their faux-conflict in promotional stints for their individual companies as well as birthday messages to each other on social media.
With "Deadpool and Wolverine" on the horizon, this good-natured public war will likely ramp up in anticipation of the film's release. Given how ruthless Deadpool has been in making fun of Wolverine (and Jackman) in the films, it'll only get funnier to see him do it to the man's face on the big screen.
The villain might set up an important X-Men character
"Deadpool and Wolverine" is also set to introduce a very integral character in the "X-Men" universe who's never appeared on screen before. While "The Crown" star Emma Corrin was originally announced as an unidentified nemesis, the trailers seem to confirm that the villain is none other than Cassandra Nova. What's important about this character appearing in a movie with Wolverine is that Cassandra Nova is canonically the twin sister of Charles Xavier.
In the comics, Xavier killed Cassandra in the womb, but Cassandra was reborn as a parasitic humanoid, inheriting her twin's psychic powers and using them to enact revenge on him and the X-Men. However, the "Deadpool and Wolverine" trailer seems to suggest that Cassandra Nova is not just an X-Men villain here but rather a citizen of the Void, implying that she's a variant who was pruned by the TVA.
It's unknown what Cassandra's motivations are going to be and how Deadpool and Wolverine factor in, but her introduction in this movie could be important to the involvement of Charles Xavier in future MCU films. Patrick Stewart has already reprised his role as Professor X in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and hasn't explicitly denied the possibility of him returning in "Deadpool and Wolverine."
The film will pay tribute to 20th Century Fox's Marvel movies
The first two "Deadpool" films have playfully referenced other Marvel movies produced by 20th Century Fox, from their roasts of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to cameos by other cast members from the "X-Men" films. Early in the development of "Deadpool and Wolverine," it was made clear that the film was going to take advantage of its transition to the MCU, but it wasn't until filming began that fans started to get excited by how the movie would acknowledge the abandoned Fox universe.
Early set photos revealed a Deadpool vs. Wolverine fight taking place near a decimated 20th Century Fox logo, a scene which appears in the early trailers for "Deadpool and Wolverine." Given the involvement of the Time Variance Authority, it's likely that this scene takes place in the Void, where the 20th Century Fox universe may have been sent after Disney's purchase of the film studio. This could open the door for many memorable faces from the Fox films to cameo in the film, with some fans speculating about appearances by former Fantastic Four heroes like Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan.
While fans are excited for future MCU films like "Fantastic Four" and the inevitable "X-Men" reboots, "Deadpool and Wolverine" might be the last hurrah for many of Fox's former Marvel stars — or at least the ones who are enthusiastic about the idea of returning to the roles.
One previous Marvel star's return is already confirmed
One A-list star from Marvel's movie past has already been confirmed to be appearing in "Deadpool and Wolverine" in at least some capacity: Jennifer Garner. The actress notably appeared as sai-wielding assassin Elektra Natchios in the 2003 "Daredevil" movie starring her future ex-husband, Ben Affleck. She later starred in her own spin-off, 2005's "Elektra," which despite ending with the door open for the character to return, reportedly damaged Garner's career and stalled progress on female-led movies for an entire decade.
That's why fans were surprised when it was confirmed that Garner would reprise her role in "Deadpool and Wolverine," though perhaps she saw it as an opportunity to do justice to the character. As she told The Hollywood Reporter, she felt the film suffered from not being supervised by Kevin Feige: "It's such a shame, honestly, because once Kevin took over everything there was elevated: the writing, the direction, the comedy inside of the stories they were telling ... And I did not have that experience."
Audiences will still likely enjoy seeing Garner play along with jokes about "Elektra" being bad in "Deadpool and Wolverine," though it could also be fun to see Garner share the screen with Élodie Yung's take on the character from the Netflix "Daredevil" series.
Reynolds reunites with director Shawn Levy
"Deadpool and Wolverine" also marks the third collaboration between Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy, who previously partnered on "Free Guy" and "The Adam Project." Levy's previous credits include executive producing and directing episodes of "Stranger Things," as well as the "Night at the Museum" movies, so when it comes to creating a crowd-pleasing action film, there's truly no better duo than Reynolds and Levy.
Levy has already set up high expectations for "Deadpool and Wolverine," telling Deadline that fans should not expect it to just pick up from where "Deadpool 2" left off. "It's a different thing that's very much Deadpool and Wolverine," he said. "And it's not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure."
While the previous "Deadpool" films have been helmed by strong action movie directors, the reunion of Reynolds and Levy could be fortuitous for fans of the franchise, as the director-actor duo seem very comfortable with and confident in each other as collaborators. Time will tell if Reynolds' desire for Levy to direct the film was a good idea, or if "Deadpool and Wolverine" will end up as another reject in Reynold's catalog of shows and movies.
Deadpool and Wolverine is 2024's only MCU film
For the first time since 2012 (not counting 2020, as COVID-19 delayed projects that were meant to arrive that year), there is only one Marvel Cinematic Universe film coming to theaters in 2024. In recent years especially, Marvel has come under fire for its overabundance of content, with at least three films arriving each year theatrically as well as frequent Disney+ shows.
However, "Deadpool and Wolverine" wasn't always meant to be Marvel's only film this year. It was supposed to be joined in 2024 by "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Thunderbolts," but the 2023 Writer's Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed production on numerous Marvel projects. In addition to those hang-ups, Marvel faced many behind-the-scenes issues, from the firing of Jonathan Majors (whose Kang had been set up as the big bad of the Multiverse Saga) to production dilemmas causing series like "Daredevil: Born Again" to be restarted from scratch.
Suffice it to say, the tide has been turning against the MCU in recent years, so a year in which the studio is only releasing one film, not including Sony's independent "Spider-Man" spin-offs, will be a big indicator of the franchise's future. Hopefully, audiences will walk away from "Deadpool and Wolverine" excited to see more Marvel characters on the big screen in 2025 rather than less.
This will potentially set the stage for Avengers: Secret Wars
Among Marvel's many issues in the so-called Multiverse Saga is the ability to tie up all the loose ends introduced so far, leading up to their Phase 6 tentpole, "Avengers: Secret Wars." While films like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" have already set up stakes involving the multiverse, "Deadpool and Wolverine" will likely be a big domino in the chain of events leading to that all-star film.
Rumors have particularly swirled in recent months that "Deadpool and Wolverine" won't exactly be the end of the story for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. The actor may be poised to return to the role yet again in "Avengers: Secret Wars," though insiders allege that his only condition for Marvel is the opportunity to share the screen with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. That would certainly make "Secret Wars" one of the most iconic moments in the history of superheroes on film.
Other than those rumors, "Deadpool and Wolverine" may also begin tying together loose ends previously established in recent films and Disney+ series, from the activities of the TVA in "Loki," to whatever Shang-Chi's been doing, to Monica Rambeau's end-credits scene in "The Marvels."
The film's rumored cameos promise to be dazzling
While there's plenty to be excited about with "Deadpool and Wolverine," there may be even more in store for both casual pop culture lovers and comic book fanatics, with the film's creators and stars teasing some high-profile cameos. Actor Karan Soni, who plays cab driver Dopinder, even promised Variety, "Let's just say a lot of people traveled to London."
Perhaps the rumored cameo that's gotten the most traction is Taylor Swift, a close friend of Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively. Swift's pet cats cameoed on a shirt worn by Reynolds in "Deadpool 2," and fans have for years dream-cast Swift as Dazzler, a pop star mutant with the ability to turn sound into energy beams. Reynolds and Levy have been coy about Swift's involvement, with Levy recently telling ET Online, "That is hardly confirmed nor denied in this interview ... I'm going to literally walk about of the frame and save myself, otherwise Ryan's taking a hit [out] on me."
Even if Swift doesn't pull a Harry Styles and pop into a Marvel movie for a few seconds, there are plenty of other potential cameos for fans to look forward to. Rumors have suggested that Wesley Snipes is returning as Blade, though the actor's history with Reynolds might make that unlikely. Lively herself has also been rumored to play Lady Deadpool, which would certainly charm the couple's fans. The only thing that's confirmed so far is that audiences will walk out of "Deadpool and Wolverine" surprised.