Deadpool & Wolverine is on its way, and director Shawn Levy has made a big promise to Marvel newcomers. But should we take what he says at face value?
Deadpool & Wolverine sees Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) teaming up with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) after the Time Variance Authority recruits them to save at least one reality from the mutant villain Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).
Previously titled Deadpool 3, the movie is the third film in the Deadpool series, along with the tenth movie that Jackman’s Wolverine appears in. It’s also the first Deadpool and X-Men movie to be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since the licensing issues that kept those characters out of the MCU were resolved when Disney bought 20th Century Fox. The film also marks another major milestone: it’ll be the first MCU movie to be rated R, thanks to Deadpool’s copious swearing and penis jokes.
Of course, the MCU is known for making its viewers do loads of homework in order to understand any one of its films. Oh, you want to see Thor: Love and Thunder? You’ll need to watch not just three previous Thor movies to know what’s going on, but the two latest Avengers films and a bit of Guardians of the Galaxy. Moviegoers sometimes find themselves lost if they haven’t been keeping up with their Marvel lore.
But according to Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine is breaking with Marvel tradition.
“I was a good student in school,” Levy said in an interview with Associated Press. “I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies. 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.”
That’s a surprising thing for Levy to say, seeing as Deadpool & Wolverine is a) a threequel, b) a continuation of Wolverine’s saga, and c) part of the lead-up to the 2027 MCU tentpole Avengers: Secret Wars.
But it wouldn’t be the first time Marvel Studios has pulled back from its strategy of making all its films tightly interconnected. Last January, Marvel released the Disney+ series Echo, which was the first entry in the “Marvel Spotlight” series: a collection of films and shows that don’t require previous knowledge of the MCU to enjoy. Of course, the first episode of Echo ended up being an extended recap of the end of Hawkeye, but I guess it’s not technically homework if you’re doing it in class.
In any case, Deadpool & Wolverine lands in theaters on July 26—and if Levy is right, you don’t have to be a Marvel expert to enjoy it.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
