Between all the cameos, Easter eggs, F-bombs, and wild surprises of Deadpool & Wolverine, there’s one, highly under-discussed aspect of the movie… The insane chemistry between Peter (Rob Delaney) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku).
In case you haven’t seen the movie (though given the movie is expected to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever this weekend, you probably have), spoilers past this point. In the climax of the film, Peter shows up in Deadpool’s (Ryan Reynolds) discarded Deadpool costume, calls himself Peterpool, and saves the day. Or at least he distracts the Deadpool Corps enough for Deadpool and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to go stop Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin) from destroying the multiverse. Meanwhile, Hunter B-15 has been alerted to the situation with Nova, and how TVA (Time Variance Authority) employee Mr. Paradox (Matthew MacFadyen) is attempting to use a Time Ripper to destroy Deadpool’s timeline.
It isn’t until Deadpool and Wolverine successfully save the timeline by turning Cassandra Nova into noodles that Peter and Hunter B-15 meet. They have two, brief interactions, one where they first notice each other; the second when they’re about to part ways. All the duo does is stop for a moment and stare at each other, while everyone else stands around awkwardly… But goddamn, the heat coming off the two of them in those moments is off the charts.
Are these moments played for laughs? Surely. Both Delaney and Mosaku are very fun, talented actors. The joke, essentially, is that they’ve never met before, Delaney is in a skin-tight superhero suit with his tummy popping out, and Mosaku’s Hunter is supposed to be a buttoned-up leader of the TVA, all business. There’s no reason that they should be releasing a pheromone bomb in the middle of a high-stakes, multiverse-ending situation.
And yet they do! It is laugh-out-loud funny because it’s a surprise. But the attraction between the two characters in these moments is undeniable. I don’t know about you, but when I saw those scenes, my heart started to beat a little faster. I felt that burgeoning romance in my bones. Deadpool & Wolverine might not be The Notebook, but in these brief bits, Delaney and Mosaku are giving Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams a run for their money.
Can two people get all that romance across with a pair of looks that probably don’t amount to more than 10 seconds of screen time? Writer Alanna Bennett notably talks about this nearly constantly, so I’ll quote her here: “The number one thing a man in a romcom needs, TV or movie, is the ability to look at their love interest REALLY WELL. The man barely even needs to speak if he just knows how LOOK at a person.”
Delaney definitely knows how to look at a person. While he’s probably better known for his raunchy online presence and supporting roles in everything from Hobbs & Shaw to, well, Deadpool 2, I urge you to check out the excellent and heartbreaking comedy Catastrophe he co-created with Sharon Horgan. It’s one of my favorite shows of the past few decades, and there too, the chemistry between Delaney and Horgan is off-the-charts.
While Mosaku is probably better known as a dramatic actress — check out her barnburner of a role as Ruby on HBO’s Lovecraft Country as evidence — this moment wouldn’t work without her. If anything, the look seems to be coming from Hunter B-15, not Peter, who is just happy to be there. There’s a moment where Hunter almost stumbles forward as if she wants nothing more than to rush into Peter’s arms, losing herself in his bushy mustache as their lips press together in one sacred timeline. Perhaps I’m AO3-ing a little too close to the sun with that last sentence. But I also don’t think I’m wrong. Mosaku gets that all across with a simple look.
While Marvel Studios is cutting down on the number of movies and TV shows they’re producing, and they’re aiming to play it safe with moves like bringing back Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there’s one chance they need to take… We need a rom-com featuring Hunter B-15 and Peterpool. Or perhaps an erotic thriller? But I’ll settle for a rom-com to let the families and four quadrants check it out.
And in fact, I’d argue this is a safe bet… Spinning off a low-budget, Before Sunrise-style movie starring Delaney in a Deadpool costume and Mosaku as Hunter B-15 (from Loki, Marvel’s most successful Disney+ show) is one of the safest bets Marvel could make. Heck, bring back the Marvel One-Shots label and give us a 15-minute mini-movie packaged with the Deadpool & Wolverine Blu-Ray. This chemistry is too good to prune from the timeline.
Make it happen, Marvel. Deadpool & Wolverine is already a huge, runaway success. Follow it up with When Peterpool Met Hunter B-15, and you’re putting money in the bank. The future of the MCU isn’t with blockbuster movies featuring hundreds of characters that cost half a billion dollars to make… It’s a quick, cheap rom-com featuring Rob Delaney and Wunmi Mosaku. And worst case if you don’t give us that romantic comedy (or erotic thriller? No? Okay), it’ll still spawn a multiverse of fanfics.
I’d love for them to bring back the one shots, they’re often forgotten about I feel.
Agreed! Sadly I don’t think they will, but they were such a fun bonus feature.