Deadpool & Wolverine is the 34th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film series. It’s also the 14th movie in the X-Men film series. Not to mention, the third Deadpool movie. And yet, despite all that, director Shawn Levy thinks going to see the film requires no homework
“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy told the AP. “I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world. But I didn’t want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research.”
While I certainly respect Levy’s goal here and do hope that on some level he’s correct that the movie is entertaining first, it’s a little hard to take this quote seriously. Beyond the 47 movies referenced above, Deadpool & Wolverine also includes significant plot elements from the two-season MCU television show Loki, and potentially more movies and TV shows as well. There’s also the potential for cameos, like multiple iterations of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine played by other actors.
And beyond that, the recent trailer not only shows off the end of time known as The Void from Loki but includes Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), Professor Xavier’s evil sister, working out of a giant Ant-Man skull guarded by rejected villains from nearly every X-Men movie.
Did I mention that this movie also tackles Marvel’s multiverse, and includes an iteration of Wolverine wearing his costume from X-Men: The Animated Series that we’ve never seen before? And there are multiple versions of Deadpool including Dogpool, a dog who is Deadpool? And Jennifer Garner’s Elektra from Daredevil (2003) as well as the ill-fated Elektra spinoff movie somehow shows up? Plus possibly even more Fox-movie rejects, if rumors are to be believed?
Look, I get the urge to say “Don’t worry about it, just come see the movie.” Disney needs this movie to hit big at the box office to turn around the narrative that the MCU is on its last legs after decreasing box office results and mixed critical reaction. And this is 100% not to gatekeep. But there’s a difference between “you don’t need to do homework” and “attend only the final lecture of the semester where there’s a pop quiz that’s worth all of your grade.”
Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26, 2024.
