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From the release of “Iron Man” in 2008 to “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Hollywood’s most successful film franchise. However, the quality of its movies and television series has dropped in recent years. At the height of the MCU, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’s Captain America drew people to the theater regardless of the movie’s plot, but the MCU has not since introduced actors or characters that have connected with audiences.

The studio needed a hit to keep fans interested in its long-term future. They placed a bet on an unlikely and unconventional character, the “merc with a mouth” Deadpool, a wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking antihero who has become a fan favorite for his sarcastic and aggressive nature. Unfortunately, “Deadpool & Wolverine” feels more like the end of an era than the beginning of a new one.

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the only MCU movie releasing in 2024. It has the weight of an entire franchise on its shoulders, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the film. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is more interested in superhero movies of the past than the future, with references, cameos and jokes from forgotten superhero movies of the 2000s.

Following the events of “Deadpool 2,” where Deadpool (Reynolds) goes back in time and makes some drastic changes to history, the Time Variance Authority abducts him. A TVA agent named Mr. Paradox (Matthew MacFadyen) explains to Deadpool that his universe is falling apart due to the death of Wolverine in 2017’s “Logan.”

Deadpool travels through several universes to save his world and find a Wolverine to replace the one who died. Eventually, Deadpool and Wolverine are sent to the Void, a vast wasteland where discarded people and objects from broken universes are sent.

The Void is a graveyard for all the superhero properties made by 20th Century Fox before Disney purchased the studio for $71.3 billion in 2019. Fox was the first studio to take a chance on making superhero movies a massive brand of intellectual property. From appearances by Wesley Snipes as Blade to Evans as Johnny Storm, “Deadpool & Wolverine” becomes a tribute to Fox’s films and their impact on superhero movie culture.

The release of “X-Men” in 2000 marked the start of the superhero movie phenomenon, which the MCU would be built around. Without the risks Fox took when making “X-Men,” the MCU would not have a place in the industry. Reynolds has spoken openly about his love for Fox and his gratitude for the creative freedom he was given in the “Deadpool” films.

“This isn’t just Deadpool saying ‘Oh, Hello’ to the MCU,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram.“It’s Deadpool –and Hugh, Shawn, and me – saying farewell to a place and an era that literally made us. We are forever grateful to the fun, weird, uneven and risky world of 20th Century Fox. It was our origin story and we wouldn’t change it for anything.”

No character and actor represents the Fox era of superhero movies more than Jackman as Wolverine, and his performance in “Deadpool and Wolverine” is one of his best. Famously, Jackman was set to retire from playing the character after “Logan,” so bringing him back would require something special. The ‘something special’ is a chance to play the character in his comic-accurate suit for the first time. Jackman’s performance perfectly blends aggressive viciousness and profound regret. His incredible displays of emotion in this performance bring it to a different level from his roles in the Fox “X-Men” movies.

While it is a thrill to see Jackman back as Wolverine, his appearance and several other characters in “Deadpool & Wolverine” highlight one of the MCU’s most significant issues regarding the subsequent phases of its storytelling. Marvel’s struggles to introduce new, exciting characters led them to reach back into the past to engage audiences.

The first official MCU X-Men project, “X-Men ‘97,” was released on Disney+ in March 2024 and continues the story of “X-Men: The Animated Series,” which aired on Fox from 1992-1997. The show had some exciting moments for younger audiences, but was full of nostalgia for a time when superhero stories weren’t as popular. For the MCU to take the next step in its storytelling, the creatives need to find unique ways to tell classic stories and cast actors who can give a fresh take on a character.

Reynolds’s and Jackman’s successes in their roles are highlights of the Fox superhero era, so it makes sense that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the franchise’s send-off. The movie is a trip down memory lane for superhero fans and a rewarding experience for anyone who has seen the genre’s ups and downs.

Before its release, “Deadpool & Wolverine” was hailed as the movie that needed to “save the MCU” – an expectation that would be difficult to reach. The forthcoming introduction of the Fantastic Four in July 2025 and the expected debut of the X-Men in 2028 are much-needed boosts to the MCU’s potential. The MCU still has structural and creative issues that need to be worked out, but “Deadpool & Wolverine” was the financial and crowd-pleasing success it needed to be.

Published on August 1, 2024 at 12:32 am