What does 'Deadpool and Wolverine' say about the state of the MCU?

As much as I grew up loving the MCU, I’ve never been somebody to care for the Deadpool movies. Trust me, I wish I understood the hype. My favourite thing about the (old) MCU movies was coming together with a group of people who were just as excited about the next chapter as I was. After the MCU fell off post No Way Home, finding that feeling became something much more rare. The only thing that came close recently was Dune: Part II opening night, but the hype surrounding that paled in comparison to NWH or Avengers: Endgame. As much as these movies are flawed, and not the best in terms of quality, the experience of being a Marvel fan a few years ago was unbeatable. This is why I’m sad that I didn’t care enough for this movie to allow myself to feel that way again and that the nostalgia of childhood Marvel movies has worn off. Maybe that’s a “me problem”, or maybe “Marvel fatigue” has ground me down so much that I groan at the sight of a new film. If you boil it down, this movie was not made for me, and that’s fine! I’m happy, and honestly jealous, that others found joy in this.

Credit: Marvel Studios (2024)

The main issue I have with Deadpool and Wolverine is its self-awareness. Deadpool has always been about poking fun at corporations, which is fine and sometimes refreshing. However, this novelty wears off when you realise they won’t do anything to fix themselves. Deadpool can joke about the fall off of the MCU as much as he wants, but they clearly have no intentions of fixing this. This became even more apparent a few days after the movie’s release when Marvel announced the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom. Whilst this is likely to reflect a Tony Stark / Dr. Doom comic book storyline, it still feels like nothing more than an easy cash grab. The reveal of RDJ as Dr. Doom at Comic Con was cool, but just like Deadpool’s Marvel failure jokes, the novelty of this wore off in an instant. Kevin Feige is panicking and it’s never been more obvious than now. Deadpool’s MCU jokes took me out of the fun. When I stepped back and thought about it for more than a second, I realised that Wade Wilson was Marvel’s last hope.

In the wake of Deadpool and Wolverine, RDJ isn’t the only hero to make his return to the MCU, this movie is full of cameos and bringing characters back from the dead (I mean, one of them is literally in the movie’s title). There are also plenty of new characters for fans to sink their teeth into. This is the film’s greatest strength. Matthew Macfayden and Emma Corrin are standouts and are two very talented actors who I would love to see on the big screen more often. One thing that his movie did well was how they brought back Wolverine. This was especially impressive considering how beloved Logan (2017) and the ending of Logan’s story is. I respect how they didn’t try to go back and tamper with it, and instead, the Wolverine we see in this film is a variant who needs his redemption. Out of the recent failed cameo attempts the MCU has forced upon us post No Way Home, this one worked the best. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s the best thing since sliced bread, but out of the MCU fall-off jokes and these cameos, I think the latter works best in Deadpool’s favour. The jokes about failed cinematic characters work because Marvel (as a company, excluding studio rights) did something to fix that. They went from awkward 2000s critical failures, to a once respected universe that took over the box office. The only Marvel movies people had for years were not the widely considered “canon” movies owned by Disney.

Credit: Marvel Studios (2024)

It’s also important to recognise that humour is subjective, and Deadpool simply is not my sense of humour, and that’s okay! That being said, all three movies consistently rely on this catch-all “boy humour” as entertainment. Deadpool’s appeal is that these movies are not “family-friendly” and he has no filter, which after three entries, I got tired of hearing the same jokes on repeat. As much as I don’t find Deadpool’s jokes funny, I see how they function well and serve a purpose for others. However, if you’re relying on jokes so much to carry a narrative, maybe that’s a sign that the story isn’t that special. As somebody who doesn’t find it funny, when you strip back these movies they become just as generic as other MCU entries have been in the past.

If I’m being completely candid, my biggest issue with Deadpool is that these movies are not made for me. I don’t enjoy them and that’s fine. I don’t think there’s anything offensively bad that would completely take away from a fan’s enjoyment, which is why if you’re a fan of the franchise I think you would enjoy this. As I said in my introduction, I’m happy and almost jealous that others enjoyed this more than I did. I’m glad that this film might have given some people an opportunity to feel the excitement that they had when Marvel was at its peak. Maybe I’m just a hater, or maybe I’m just sad that I didn’t enjoy it.

My rating: ⭐⭐✨

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