What a fun mess Fox's X-Men universe was. So many highs and lows it might as well be a roller coaster. It gave us "Logan," which is pretty much the greatest comic book movie ever, but we also had to suffer through two horrendous takes on the infamous Phoenix storyline.
With "Dark Phoenix" followed by "New Mutants," it was time for that universe to be put out to pasture, with one exception.
Deadpool had a lousy start in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but thanks to dedicated fans and Ryan Reynolds, we were given, not one, but two off-the-wall insane movies that did the character justice.
I can't claim to be a Deadpool comics fan. Never read one. With comics, I'm more a DC gal, but the Merc with a Mouth movies, I enjoy. And the latest bit of news out on "Deadpool 3" is promising.
The head brain over at Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, who I'm convinced is in cryostasis recharging after giving the world "Avengers: Endgame," must have sent a body double to an interview with Steve Weintraub over at Collider. Feige's clone confirmed the character of Deadpool will be folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with all his sassy Ryan Reynolds goodness. Here's exactly what the clone had to say:
"It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan's overseeing a script right now ... It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan is a very busy, very successful actor. We've got a number of things we've already announced that we now have to make, but it's exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life."
Well fan-freakin' tastic. I'm sure Feige has communed with Disney executives for days on end at this point, trying to convince them that they couldn't make any changes to Deadpool, or there would be a riot. If Marvel Studios so much as nudged the character an inch toward PG-13, it would throw away the goodwill it won with "Avengers: Endgame."
Keeping Deadpool rated R is a smart move, and more comic book movies could stand to go all out for that rating. "Logan"? Rated R. "Blade" Rated R. Both great movies. "Alien Vs Predator" and "Venom" were both held back by their PG-13 ratings and could have been better.
With Reynolds and a solid R rating secured, Marvel has all but assured fans will swarm "Deadpool 3" and make another $700 million for the company. And being folded into the MCU will give Reynolds about 2,000 gallons of new material for meta jokes. Heck, even his B-side comedy can be dumped into "Detective Pikachu 2."
I think the MCU is ready for Deadpool. "WandaVision" is out today, and it shows Marvel is ready to start experimenting with some different formats and themes in its universe. This is only going to continue with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Thor: Love and Thunder."
Now that the MCU had its big epic showdown with all the characters in "Avengers: Endgame," it's the perfect time to change gears and try some new stuff.
Folks come to Deadpool for jokes, both quippy and meta. And by now the MCU has proved it can handle funny movies well. As much as I love "Captain America: Civil War," it's also great to be able to change channels, so to speak, and watch a "funny" Marvel movie.
I know I'm in a lonely camp, but you know who my favorite character in the MCU is? It's Ant-Man. I love Paul Rudd's performance as a conflicted father who is just trying to do right by his daughter and figure out how to find love in his new family situation.
And with "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and "Thor: Ragnarok," Marvel has convinced me it's ready for movies that go heavier on comedy than your typical MCU entry. Not that you can't find jokes in "Iron Man 2," but the one thing everyone was talking about after seeing "Thor: Ragnarok," was how hilarious it was.
The first two Thor films weren't anything to write home about (especially "The Dark World," woof), but then Taika Waititi came out of nowhere with his entry, and suddenly, everybody loved Thor. You've got characters like Korg and the strongest Avenger getting his hair all cut off. You finally get to see Thor pull one over on Loki. It was a much funnier breed of MCU film than I expected.
"Deadpool 3" will take that humor and dial it up to 11. If "Thor: Ragnarok," had me in stitches, then "Deadpool 2," had me taken to the hospital in a fit of laughter. And, of course, after I got out of the hospital I couldn't afford to see any more Marvel films because of my crushing American medical debt. It was a vicious system.
My wishlist for "Deadpool 3" is pretty simple. Give Ryan Reynolds whatever he wants. Bring back Cable, Vanessa, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, and Domino. And for the love of Pete, please please please actually get Hugh Jackman to film a scene this time. I know he probably won't be in the MCU, but we got a mask with his face on it for "Deadpool," and recycled footage for "Deadpool 2." Bring on The Wolverine, even if it's just for half a minute.
The DC Extended Universe has been on fire ever since "Aquaman," with good movie after good movie. (Although maybe "Wonder Woman 1984" lowered the temperature a bit.) The MCU, meanwhile, seems like it's been in hibernation since "Spider-Man: Far From Home," since Marvel Studios is too stubborn to release "Black Widow" on Disney+.
The timing for "Deadpool 3" couldn't be any better, assuming covid-19 is gone from the Earth by 2023 when it releases, and I can go watch it safely in theaters.
I have faith the MCU can handle Deadpool and do him justice. Just remember, folks. In Ryan Reynolds we trust.