Anyone with any sort of active internet feed, and not just those obsessed with superheroes, is well aware that Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters over the weekend, as the R-rated comic book duo raked in a record-breaking $211 million domestically, literally making it the biggest opening weekend of all time. There are many reasons for the film’s initial success, but a major one can be found in the title: People. Really I would have loved to see a proper team-up between Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and while this certainly isn’t the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe has employed such a tactic to drum up interest in a film, its massive success certainly indicates that it won’t be the last.
Even going all the way back to the MCU’s early days, when “Iron Man 2” had references to Captain America and a post-credits scene teased Thor’s debut, entire projects have been built around the notion of watching different superheroes interact with each other on screen. It’s why 2012’s “The Avengers” grossed a then-record-breaking $1.5 billion at the box office. At the same time, beefing up franchises like “Deadpool,” which existed outside the MCU, with big budgets and multiverse storylines filled with appearances from other heroes adds another layer to the process.
2016’s “Deadpool” was a relatively small-scale production compared to other superhero movies, with the script even joking about its limited access to the larger X-Men universe, which helped the first film stand out among the rest. “Deadpool & Wolverine” certainly stands out in that it works neatly as an MCU crossover event while still filtering through the very unique filter of the character. This idea of using the appeal of one character to boost the commercial prospects of another isn’t new, but Marvel Studios seems to be taking it even further to great effect.
The MCU uses characters to lift up other characters, just like in the comics
To that end, it was recently announced that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom rather than Tony Stark. He played the fan-favorite character in both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, where he goes from hero to villain thanks to the magic of the multiverse. For better or worse, Marvel Studios is keen to use beloved characters and actors to maximise their appeal in other franchises.
Does this mean the MCU will focus exclusively on team-ups and crossovers for the foreseeable future? Probably not. Let’s not forget that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($845 million worldwide) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($859 million worldwide) were both blockbusters that didn’t rely on drawing on other characters from the Marvel Multiverse. At the same time, Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion worldwide) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($955 million worldwide) set new high standards for their respective franchises with this type of crossover storytelling.
One thing to remember is that this all dates back to the pages of Marvel Comics. “The Avengers” was created in the ’60s to unite readers of the publisher’s various standalone comics. Marvel and DC still publish big crossover events today, with “Secret Wars” being one of the most beloved storylines in mainstream comic book history. This is all deeply rooted in the source material. That’s not inherently a bad thing; it’s the execution that counts, and not relying on it too much.
We talked about this in more detail on today’s episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below.
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