Deadpool & Wolverine’s Biggest Obstacle Is Fan Expectations

Deadpool & Wolverine’s latest trailer is good because it focuses on the drama rather than cool cameos and multiversal promises, and that filled me with a bit more hope. Will diehard Marvel Cinematic Universe fans appreciate a proper Deadpool threequel that pays more attention to its characters than crossing names off a wishlist though?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness found lots of success at the global box office and was largely well-received by critics and general audiences, yet an annoying portion of the increasingly toxic Marvel fandom decided it sucked because it wasn’t the parade of unrelated cameos they’d wished for instead of, you know, a follow-up to both Doctor Strange and WandaVision. Moreover, it was an MCU movie that (gasp) dared to have a strong visual style. A sauce-less Sam Raimi comic book movie, imagine that.

While much of Deadpool & Wolverine is clearly setting up the inevitable multiversal event movies coming our way and having fun with the now-ended Fox sandbox of X-Men characters, it seems that the script is actually trying to give Wade Wilson and his gang of Fox refugees an emotional closure of sorts before all hell breaks loose. At the same time, the Logan-centric second trailer promises that Hugh Jackman didn’t just agree to do another one of these movies just for the laughs and a meaty paycheck. It could bump into the problem of repeating some of Logan’s emotional beats with this variant of the character, but it looks like there’s more to this iteration of the character.

For all intents and purposes, it doesn’t matter whether this Logan is Logan’s Logan (ugly phrasing intended). Deadpool & Wolverine is doing its own thing and running with the idea of a defeated and bruised Wolverine becoming (once again) the hero he truly is… alongside the multiverse’s most lovable idiot. It’s undeniably a killer pitch, but then there’s the question of whether Marvel Studios and the creatives behind the project can pull off the sweet balance between compelling character arcs and giving fans a bag full of surprises.

Going into this movie expecting it not to be playful about this whole multiverse deal is stupid. Let’s get that out of the way first. If you can’t stand Marvel’s universe-building and/or the entire superhero genre, you should get off this train. That said, the second Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Loki already showed us the powers that be could actually allow these stories to flourish on their own while also tying into the larger multiverse and time-related plans of the MCU’s current overarching saga.

It remains to be seen if Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, and their team have managed to find a good spot between all the surface-level, fan-pleasing fun and dramatic beats that can make us remember the movie for years to come. Much of Marvel Studios’ past wins are linked to almost effortlessly walking the line between fan service and genuinely fine storytelling, and Phase 4 and 5 haven’t been completely devoid of that type of magic. It just feels far less common now.

Regardless of the final outcome, I fear that rabid fans are already setting themselves up for disappointment that doesn’t have anything to do with the actual quality of the movie, but instead is about not getting all the dopamine-boosting presents they’d wished for. I can’t help but think of Dudley Dursley’s 11th birthday in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone whenever this happens.

Deadpool & Wolverine has teased plenty of fun cameos already, and I’m not extremely hopeful about Cassandra Nova – one of Marvel Comics’ strangest and most interesting villains of all time – getting the treatment she deserves. There simply isn’t enough space in a fast-paced action-comedy-adventure to properly flesh out all the major players, so excuse me if nostalgic cameos aren’t too high on my list of priorities. This doesn’t seem to be a common sentiment among fans though. One look at social media or YouTube comments and it’s all wishing for bloated, meaningless slop that would rival Marvel’s blandest comic book events. I’d rather save the celebration of Marvel Studios’ massive multiverse for Avengers: Secret Wars and get some proper characterizations while we can.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ultimately worked because it didn’t lose track of Stephen Strange’s journey nor the consequences of Wanda Maximoff’s actions despite all the universe-hopping action that let Raimi flex his blockbuster muscles while indulging in some memorable horror moments that gave the MCU a sharper edge for a limited time. The Illuminati never should’ve been more than an obstacle to overcome and a cautionary tale, and Michael Waldron’s script understood that. Watching Wanda destroy them was satisfying because it represented Marvel Studios not falling into an all-too-common trap of franchise filmmaking. It wasn’t ‘huge crossover time’ yet.

Some naysayers at the other side of the spectrum may argue that Spider-Man: No Way Home relied far too heavily on nostalgia, yet I found it to be a focused and emotional exploration of who Peter Parker is and why he’s doomed to never ever have a normal life everywhere in the gigantic multiverse. You know, the kind of themes that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also explored last year. If Deadpool & Wolverine can apply some of that energy to its two leads and their self-worth issues, I’ll be a happy moviegoer instead of just another satisfied consoomer.