After years of trying to bring the character to life in a Fox-produced solo film, Channing Tatum finally brought Gambit to live-action in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Tatum‘s Gambit stole the show as audiences fell in love with the actor’s long-awaited debut as the Cajun, even if his accent made it all but impossible to understand him at times. It didn’t take long for fans to begin to call for more of Tatum‘s mumbly mutie. And with a little post-credit magic here and a deleted scene there, more of Tatum as Gambit in the MCU seemed to possibly be in the cards and then, Marvel Studios announced the main cast of Avengers: Doomsday, which included Tatum, allowing him to bring Le Diable Blanc to another party. This time, however, there will be one notable difference.
“I’m not gonna go full Cajun,” said Tatum of his role as the Ragin’ Cajun in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? Woo, I’m about to make a name for myself here.
As Tatum explained in an interview with Variety, directors Anthony and Joe Russo “want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full ‘Deadpool’,” in which the character’s accent more closely resembled the indecipherable gibberish spit out by Blake Clark‘s Farmer Fran in Adam Sandler‘s The Waterboy. “They want to keep the drama and keep it tight. When Gambit gets serious — when he drops the Mardi Gras mask — things do matter,” teasing a major role for Gambit, including a “big fight” with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom that Tatum found himself sidelined for, thanks to an unidentified leg injury.
The change in approach comes in response to Marvel execs, who the star said “really had to wrap their mind around the accent and how people are going to understand him,” in the biggest Marvel film of the decade.
“There was very little improv. The Cajun dialect is a very particular one,” said Tatum in a previous interview of his first go around as the character. “I grew up in Mississippi and my dad is from New Orleans. So it’s one of those things that I grew up around it, but I’ve never done it. There are certain little isms that are very Cajun-y, but we actually intended it to be somewhat unintelligible. That was sort of the joke.[Co-star Ryan Reynolds would] come up to be and say, ‘I don’t want to know anything that you’re saying on this [take],’ so I just dialed it all the way up,” added Tatum. “And then other ones he’s like, ‘All right, I’ve got to understand what you’re saying now.’”
Whether the changes to the character result in this Gambit being a Variant from another timeline or just someone looking to communicate more clearly with his friends, fans will certainly be thrilled with the return of Tatum in the role.
On December 14, 2017, Bob Iger announced that Disney had acquired 21st Century Fox and explained that the company was “looking forward to expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool.” Seven years later, an Marvel Studios X-Men film is only in the scripting stages and the Fantastic Four are still 8 months away from making their first MCU appearance. Somewhat astonishingly, Deadpool–the character who at the time seemed the least likely to find his way into the MCU–has found himself at the center of Marvel Studios’ efforts to reclaim its pop culture crown.
While it was not without its flaws, Deadpool & Wolverine accomplished exactly what Disney hoped it would: put butts in seats for a Marvel Studios movie. Heavily dosed in nostalgia, the third Deadpool film didn’t veer far from the same successful foul-mouthed formula that Ryan Reynolds put on display in the first two films, which were produced by Fox. And, of course, having Hugh Jackman along for the ride as Wolverine certainly didn’t hurt the film’s popularity. While rumors persist that Jackman will stay on as the MCU’s Wolverine for the near future, Reynolds has indicated that he isn’t in a huge hurry to suit up again anytime soon. Now, in a new interview, the star details his vision for the future of Deadpool and what it would take for him to return as the Merc with a Mouth.
“I have some pitches and ideas, but none of them center on Deadpool,” said Reynolds during an extensive conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. “Centering Deadpool works best if you take everything away from him and put his back against the wall. I can’t really do that again. A fourth time feels a little iterative and redundant. That doesn’t mean sacrificing fun. There is still an arc for Deadpool which is fulfilling and powerful,” he teased. “He is a great supporting or ensemble player. And I would always want Deadpool and Wolverine to be paired in some way.” After seeing the duo take the box office by storm in Deadpool & Wolverine, it would stand to reason that Disney would like to keep them paired up in the future as well.
Even as Reynolds shared that he does have a vision for how Deadpool can continue in the MCU, it sounds as though the next chapter in his story won’t be told anytime too soon. “There are no updates to share just yet,” Reynolds said. “But I trust Kevin and Lou D’Esposito with my life. The character trait I love most about Deadpool is that he’s a fanboy. His enthusiasm and longing to be part of a team is really endearing to me. It’s his overarching wish-fulfillment story. But I don’t think he should ever be an Avenger or an X-Man,” Reynolds explained. “If he becomes either, we’re at the end.“
However, that doesn’t mean Reynolds would fight to keep Deadpool out of either of Marvel Studios’ upcoming Avengers films or their X-Men reboot. “Just the opposite!” he told THR. “I think Deadpool works so well appearing with the X-Men and Avengers, but he always needs to stay an outsider. His ultimate dream is to be accepted and appreciated. But he can’t be accepted.”His coping mechanism of deflecting shame through humor works only when used to pave over his many inadequacies. If and when he does become an Avenger or X-Man, we’re at the end of his journey.”
Reynolds is a clever guy and has always been a wordsmith so while he explained that there are no updates “to share just yet”, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what’s next. Plenty of rumors have placed both Deadpool and Jackman‘s Wolverine in the mix for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars and given where their stories were left at the conclusion of Deadpool & Wolverine, those rumors certainly track. However, with the start of production on Secret Wars nearly a year away, it may be quite some time before we find out if there’s any truth to any of those rumors.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Marvel Studios had a fairly large presence at Disney’s D23 Expo in Brazil which ran from November 8th through November 10th. While no new projects were announced, footage was shown from upcoming projects from all the studios under the Marvel umbrella. Marvel Studios showcased its 2025 film slate with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps; Marvel Television shared a look at next March’s Daredevil: Born Again; Marvel Animation unveiled the first trailer for Season 3 of What If…?, which debuts on December 22nd, and gave the fans a look at Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which hits D+ on January 29th, 2025.
Despite not breaking any news on the stage, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, did have plenty to say to the Brazilian outlet Omelete about the potential futures of several big-time MCU players.
Blade
“We are committed to Blade,” said the Feigster. “We love the character. We love Mahershala’s take on him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still figuring out how it fits into our schedule, we let the audience know. You’re all up to date on what’s happening. But I can tell you that the character will indeed make it to the MCU.”
Parsing words a bit, it does seem interesting that Feige chose to say that “the character would indeed make it to the MCU” rather than the film. It may ultimately be nitpicking but it is worth noting and tracking as things continue to develop.
Deadpool and Wolverine
After finishing up an incredible run in theaters, Deadpool & Wolverine is now available digitally and, as of November 12th, is streaming on Disney Plus where it’s sure to generate another round of hype. According to Feige, fans can probably expect to see more of the odd couple. “The plans with Deadpool and Wolverine will always be the same,” teased Feige. “We’re always wondering where we can fit them in, and how quickly.” With rumors that both characters will have roles in the studio’s 2027 Multiverse Saga finale, Avengers: Secret Wars, it may not be too long before the deadly duo suits up again.
And now, whatever room remained to harbor doubt was wiped out by Feige in Brazil.”We had Agatha All Along on Disney+ just now, and that series was great for us. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about Wanda in fans’ minds,” said Feige. “So all I can say is that we’re excited to find out when and how Scarlet Witch can come back.” New rumors suggest the character will play a large role in Avengers: Doomsday; if those rumors are true, we’ll likely find out soon as the film is expected to go before cameras in early 2025.
X-Men
Fans have been eagerly awaiting Marvel Studios’ take on the X-Men since the live-action rights to the characters were acquired as part of Disney’s 2019 merger with Fox. And while some mutants have been sprinkled into other projects over the past few years, the studio does have much larger plans for the X-Men, including a film being written by Michael Lesslie. While there was some hope it might end up in the Multiverse Saga, Feige put all that talk to bed in Brazil.
“When we were preparing for Avengers: Endgame years ago, it was a matter of getting to the grand finale of our narrative, and then we had to start all over again after that,” Feige explained. “This time, on the road to Secret Wars, we already know very well what’s going to happen. be the story until then and beyond. The X-Men are an important part of that future.” With a script already in the works, it’s very possible that Phase 7 of the MCU (if Phases are even a thing anymore) could lead off with Marvel Studios X-Men.
Eternals
Perhaps in part because of the success of Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Studios made the choice to develop a film around the Eternals, an obscure group of characters created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s. However, rather than lean into what Kirby intended the characters to be, the studio stripped them of everything their creator built into them that was of interest. The result was a film that was poorly received critically despite having one of the MCU’s most impressive ensemble casts.
Before it flopped in theaters, there seemed to be big plans for the characters introduced in Eternals. That no longer seems to be the case with Feige already saying “there are no immediate plans forEternals 2” earlier this year and now indicating that whole the studio remains “very proud of that movie” adding that cast was incredible” while giving no indication that’s something he’s actually attempting to do.“We’d be lucky to get any of them back at some point,” he closed, which would be a strange thing to say if he were planning on using the characters.
Inhumans
Originally in development as a film for a 2019 release, Marvel’s Inhumans was pulled from the slate in 2016. From there, the property moved to Marvel TV and ultimately turned into one of the most ridiculously embarrassing projects the company ever produced.
Though Anson Mount‘s Black Bolt did appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s never really seemed as though Feige had large-scale plans for the Inhumans within the confines of the MCU. And if his response to a question about the characters is any indication, he still doesn’t have any. “We’ll see where, if, and when, they return,” replies Feige to an inquiry about their MCU future. At least we’ll always have that great moment where one of Marvel’s most disciplined heroes accidentally killed himself!
With Deadpool & Wolverine now available digitally after a record-breaking theatrical run, some fans are catching the buddy comedy for the first time from the comfort of their home theater. Though Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are the film’s stars and the ones out to save the day, they get plenty of help from a surprising group of heroes.
Despite being made by Marvel Studios and containing a scene set in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, most of Deadpool & Wolverine takes place on Earth-10005, multiple other Earths across the Multiverse or in The Void at the End of Time. While there’s plenty of fun had as Wade hops from Earth to Earth in search of the right Wolverine for the job, it’s in The Void where the film really flexes its creativity, bringing in a ragtag team of washed up heroes known as The Resistance. The Resistance generated a lot of buzz during the film’s theatrical run and is likely to do so again as the project’s second life begins. So, who are the characters who make up The Resistance and why are they there? Let’s take a look!
The Members of The Resistance
Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
Played by: Chris Evans
References: Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
The first member of The Resistance met by Wade and Logan, Johnny Storm also meets a horrible fate at the freaky hands of Cassandra Nova. The film cleverly exploited Evans‘ return, baiting the audience into believing they might be seeing the triumphant return of Captain America. While that didn’t turn out to be the case, Evans gave Johnny a proper sendoff which includes a profanity-laced tirade for the ages.
Thank you to Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Shawn Levy for letting me be a part of such an incredible movie! They’re three of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Special thank you to Ryan for making it all happen. Playing Johnny again was a dream come true and he’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Chris Evans
Elektra Natchios
Played by: Jennifer Garner
References: Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005)
After debuting as the character along Ben Affleck‘s Matt Murdock/Daredevil in 2003 and leading an Elektra film in 2005, Jennifer Garner suited back up as the assassin almost 20 years later and didn’t miss a beat.
I didn’t know that Elektra and I needed an ending, but Shawn and Ryan did. They are gifted in many ways, but seeing and elevating people around them is at the top of the list.
Jennifer Garner
Eric Brooks/Blade
Played by: Wesley Snipes
References: Blade (1998), Blade II (2002) and Blade: Trinity (2004)
A decade before the MCU kicked off with Iron Man, Wesley Snipes brought Blade the Vampire Hunter to the big screen, lending legitimacy to superhero properties and changing the pop culture landscape forever. Despite Reynolds and Snipes having a fairly well-known feud with one another while filming Blade: Trinity, Reynolds reached out and the two found a way to not only bring Blade back but give him the proper send-off he never got.
Well, if you can make it happen. Sure. I’ll come and do it. I did not think it was possible. I didn’t think he would be able to pull it off. I didn’t think that Marvel was into it. Disney was into it.
Wesley Snipes
Remy LeBeau/Gambit
Played by: Channing Tatum
Reference: None
Though a version of Gambit appeared in the absolutely awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there’s little more to the story of this particular version portrayed by Channing Tatum. When Disney and Fox merged in 2019, Tatum’s long-developing Gambit film went by the wayside as the Fox X-Men franchise was euthanized. Tatum’s passion for the character came through in Deadpool & Wolverine, leading for fans to call for his return as the Cajun down the road.
I thought I had lost Gambit forever.
-Channing Tatum
Laura/X-23
Played by: Dafne Keen
Reference: Logan (2017)
Dafne Keen first starred as X-23, a clone of Wolverine, in 2017’s Logan and instantly became a fan favorite. While her return to the character was rumored months ahead of the film’s premiere, Keen kept the secret from almost everyone. Unlike the other members of The Resistance, Laura eventually ended up on Earth-10005, seemingly promising more in store for the character in the MCU.
Shawn [Levy] told me this lovely story about him reading this scene where Deadpool was telling Wolverine about X–23, and thinking, ‘Maybe we should just have X-23.’ She’s a big emotional motor for Wolverine, and Wolverine is her entire emotional motor.
Dafne Keen
Deadpool & Wolverine is now available for purchase on digital platforms.
As Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel Studios first R-rated movie, continues its record breaking theatrical run that has seen it become one of the ten highest grossing MCU films to date, attention has begun to turn to home release. With only Inside Out2 pulling in more money for Disney this past year, fans had begun to wonder if Deadpool & Wolverine would follow the same digital release schedule as the Pixar sequel which would have made it available for purchase on September 17th. However, with the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman buddy comedy still pulling in decent returns overseas, fans will have to hold out just a little longer before seeing Jackman’s abs in the comfort of their own homes.
Revealed via Disney’s social media platforms today, Deadpool & Wolverine will be available to rent/own in various digital platforms such as Fandango, Apple TV and Amazon Prime beginning on October 1st.
Be the first to watch #DeadpoolAndWolverine from the comfort of your living r-hugh-m.
Following a three week digital-only window, physical copies of the film will be available on October 22nd. As of now, no date has been revealed for the movie’s debut on Disney Plus.
Though it has been mildly criticized for doing so, Deadpool & Wolverine took full advantage of the nature of The Void to add some seasoning to the buddy comedy. And while Chris Evans, Jennifer Garner, Daphne Keen and Wesley Snipes each added their own flavor to the mix as part of The Resistance, nobody spiced up the screen as much as Channing Tatum.
After years of trying to bring Gambit to life, Tatum’s portrayal of the Cajun mutant took general audiences by storm as he took on Cassandra Nova and her cronies. Tatum’s Remy LeBeau stole nearly every scene in which he was featured and became a social media darling following the film’s release. Tatum’s character did indeed make a name for himself, so much so that many–including the film’s star Ryan Reynolds–have called for a continuation of Remy’s story in the MCU. In the days following the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, eagle-eyed fans believed they had spotted a way that might allow for that possibility and now Reynolds has confirmed those theories.
A month after the film’s July 26th theatrical release, Reynolds took to social media to share a deleted scene from Deadpool & Wolverine that featured Tatum’s Gambit. Set in The Void following the escape of Wade and Logan, the scene shows Gambit become aware of a magical portal–which Reynolds calls a Marvel Sparkle Circle–opening behind him.
Though it is a deleted scene, Reynolds confirmed that a version of the scene was indeed rolling on a background monitor on the TVA, providing hope that Gambit did escape The Void and could pop up again down the road. With Avengers: Secret Wars set to close the Multiverse Saga and Marvel Studios already hard at work on their own plans for the X-Men, there’s no reason to close the sparkle circle on the possibility of an MCU future for Gambit.
Deadpool & Wolverine cleverly took advantage of The Void to include characters from movies that were great (Dafne Keen‘s X-23 from Logan), movies that were good (Wesley Snipes Daywalker from Blade), movies that were “mid” (Chris Evans‘ Johnny Storm from Fantastic Four), movies that were terrible (Jennifer Garner‘s Elektra from Daredevil and Elektra) and movies that never were (Channing Tatum‘s Remy LeBeau from the Fox Gambit film that never materialized). More than cameos, the characters who made up the Void’s Resistance to Cassandra Nova played a significant role in Deadpool & Wolverine and, in one case, the potential to appear again down the line.
While the identities of the characters were a fairly well-kept secret (we had them all for you here), the cats are now out of the bag. Following the film’s successful second weekend, director Shawn Levy posted a pair of photos of the Resistance minus Johnny Storm who met an unfortunate end before making it back to their base.
As great as the appearances of all the characters ended up being, it has led to a conversation about characters who did NOT show up. Where was Hacker Doom from Fant4stic Four? Why couldn’t Anya Taylor-Joy‘s Magik show up? What about Thomas Jane‘s Frank Castle or Nic Cage‘s Johnny Blaze? While they might sound like more crazy fan wishes, at least one of them was a distinct possibility according to Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds.
When asked if the thought of having Cage reprise the role of Ghost Rider for Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds simply responded “Yes,” before adding that “It] came to a conversation for sure. Yeah, but no.” Seeing Cage’s Blaze roar through the Void’s Mad Max-ian landscape on his Hell Cycle would seem to have been a no-brainer but for reasons that we may never know, it didn’t work out. However, with Marvel Studios speeding toward the end of the Multiverse Saga, it’s not entirely unreasonable to wonder if Cage’s return to the role might happen after all in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
Deadpool & Wolverine is currently in theaters everywhere!
In what’s either the most brilliantly coordinated marketing move in its history or a spectacular coincidence, Marvel Studios looks to be following the plot of the recently released Deadpool & Wolverine as it attempts to accelerate the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. Launched in 2021 with the studio’s first streaming series, WandaVision, the Multiverse Saga has now toddled into Year 3 with a track record pockmarked by an unprecedented run of projects that simply failed to land with the fanbase. Beginning with 2021’s Eternals, the studio dropped a series of duds into theaters. Though the cringeworthy Thor: Love and Thunder made plenty of money at the box office, it also raised plenty of concerns about what was happening behind the scenes. Those concerns seemed justified when, in 2023, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania–one of the Multiverse Saga’s most important stories–was DOA at the theaters and became a critical and financial bomb.
What followed has been well documented and won’t be rehashed here in detail; however, a new mandate by Disney big cheese Bob Iger, the loss of the entire creative team and star of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and an extended Hollywood work stoppage have all combined to metamorphose the future of Marvel Studios. And now it seems as though Kevin Feige and crew wish to euthanize the Multiverse Saga and move ahead into whatever all-new, all-different saga is on deck. While that assumption is purely speculative, comparing the studio’s original plans for the Multiverse Saga with the latest iteration does provide a compelling foundation from which to make an argument that Marvel has chosen to prune its current saga.
How It Started
Despite getting underway in 2021, the Multiverse Saga was not known as such until July 2022 when Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, revealed the title and what ultimately became the first of many drafts of the saga’s future slate. At that point in time, six films (Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder) and seven streaming series (WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?Hawkeye, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel) had already been released as part of Phase 4. Feige then revealed that Phase 4 would wrap up with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, bringing the total number of Phase 4 projects to 15, only 8 fewer than that ENTIRE Infinity Saga. Phase 4 played out as planned with each project making its scheduled release date.
The cookie crumbled a little differently for most of the one dozen projects that originally made up Phase 5. That number quickly changed to 13 when the then untitled third Deadpool film was added to the phase just a couple of months later in September 2022…and from there, the shuffle was on. For the purposes of this discussion, it’s not worth counting the number of times each project was given a new release date, only to point out that as of publication, 6 Phase 5 projects (half of the original number) have yet to be released despite the original plan calling for the phase to wrap up with the release of Thunderbolts on July 28, 2024 (the date on which Deadpool & Wolverine ultimately was released). As it stands, the final six projects of Phase 5 are currently set to be released in 2025.
Though not much of it was revealed at SDCC ’22, Phase 6 was originally intended to be made up of at least 11 projects. As of July 2022, only three of those projects were “known” and they were all films (Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars). At that time, the Multiverse Saga was on track to be composed of an incredible 39 projects with 8 of them being unknowns. Additionally, as of July 2022, only two projects were slated for release between the fifth and sixth Avengers films–which were both set for a 2025 release–and only one of them was believed to be a feature film, though the identity of it was unknown at the time.
Post-SDCC ’22, fans already found it hard to believe that the studio would roll out two Avengers films in one year and by October 2022, they were proven right. The studio moved Avengers: Secret Wars into 2026 which meant there was now room for 3 movies to be released between the fifth and sixth Avengers films. By February 2023, Disney had moved Blade into 2024 and bumped The Marvels into the November 2023 release. By June 2023, the schedule had been rearranged again to include a total of 10 films to release in the Multiverse Saga after the theatrical debut of The Marvels (a net increase of 1 film from the original plan) with only 2 in between Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
This plan remained intact through Disney’s April release schedule update with Deadpool & Wolverine being the first of 10 films released after The Marvels with Avengers: Secret Wars still in place to be last of the 10.
Following SDCC ’24, Disney released another updated version of its theatrical release schedule on August 2nd, 2024. While it’s highly unlikely to be the final version of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga slate, the latest update removed the July 24, 2026 theatrical date from the schedule. Marvel Studios had not named the film intended for that date and it seems very likely that Sony will quickly pounce on it as the release date for Spider-Man 4; however, Spider-Man 4 was always coming and it was always coming from Sony so Marvel dropping the date is a net loss of one project from the Multiverse Saga, putting things back to where they stood in July 2022 with only one film set to hit theaters in between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. So if they’re back to where they started, how can the argument be made that they are trying to accelerate the ending of the saga?
We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.
Bob Iger on the reduction of content being produced by Marvel Studios
To truly make the argument, one must look at the overall reduction in content as mandated by Bob Iger who, in this instance, is playing the part of Mr. Paradox. Once set to be composed of AT LEAST 39 projects (21 films and 18 streaming series), that number has been greatly reduced–although not entirely quantifiable at this point. The studio was originally willing to release as many as 5 live-action streaming series in a year, a number that has already been reduced to 2. Where once the studio planned to roll out Echo, Season 2 of Loki, Ironheart, Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again over the course of 12 months spread between 2023 and 2024, Daredevil: Born Again is now set for a March 2025 release and Ironheart, while still expected to be released, remains in limbo. Beyond those shows, only Wonder Man and the Paul Bettany-led Vision series have been confirmed by the studio and are not likely to arrive on Disney Plus until 2026. Looking back at the original Phase 6 reveal, it seemed as though the studio had planned for as many as 5 streaming series to be released within it. Even if Wonder Man and Vision were among them, it seems very hard to believe that the studio will then push out 3 more streaming series in 2027 before the release of Avengers: Secret Wars.
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(Disney/John Argueta)
CHARLIE COX, VINCENT D’ONOFRIO
The strongest indicator that the studio is looking to put the Multiverse Saga out of its misery is the recent reduction of films between the newly retitled Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While it does return the slate to the state of its initial reveal at SDCC ’22, nobody believed that was the final draft at the time. Reducing the number of projects in between the films results in the reduction of efforts to further explain or further explore what’s going on in the Multiverse. Where it once seemed likely that Armor Wars, a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange 3 were all destined to be part of the Multiverse Saga, that’s no longer possible given the most recent release schedule update; where Phase 6 once looked to be comprised of 6 films, it’s now down to 5 and that is with Blade, which was originally a Phase 5 film, having slid into Phase 6 due to struggles to get production underway. Whatever film lands in between the two Avengers films will have some seriously heavy lifting to do as it seems increasingly unlikely that a streaming series would be required viewing for an Avengers saga finale.
Given the response of the audience to the multiverse portions of the Multiverse Saga, the reduction of projects almost certainly happened as a result of Iger and Marvel Studios’ creative cohort, The Parliament, recognizing they were on very thin ice with fans. And while that is indubitably a “good thing”, it does not alleviate the perception that they’d like to get this chapter of the MCU over as soon as possible. While we will have to wait a bit longer to be able to say just how many fewer projects will ultimately make up the Multiverse Saga, it is clear it will be fewer than intended and that Iger’s return to Disney coincided with the push to deploy the Time Ripper against it.
Doomed to Fail
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20; however, the Multiverse Saga was always a risk. And before Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania flopped and Jonathan Majors‘ legal troubles deep-sixed Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Kang was always going to be a problem…and a problem the studio should have foreseen following Avengers: Endgame. There are plenty of reasons why hardcore sci-fi media never really lands with general audiences but time travel, alternate dimensions and the infinite possibilities of a multiverse are definitely near the top of the list. For a decade, MCU films were easily digestible popcorn blockbusters. Avengers: Endgame changed that and the online dialogue following the film stands as a testament to the difficulties general audiences have with key hardcore sci-fi concepts. Not even the writers of Endgame agreed with the directors on how time travel worked.
We are not experts on time travel, but the Ancient One specifically states that when you take an Infinity Stone out of a timeline it creates a new timeline. So Steve going back and just being there would not create a new timeline.
-Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely on how time travel works within the MCU
Both Ancient One and Hulk were right. You can’t change the future by simply going back to the past. But it’s possible to create a different alternate future. It’s not a butterfly effect. Every decision you made in the past could potentially create a new timeline. For example, the old Cap at the end movie, he lived his married life in a different universe from the main one. He had to make another jump back to the main universe at the end to give the shield to Sam.
-Anthony and Joe Russo on how time travel works within the MCU
Tracking and understanding the multiple realities created by time travel in Avengers: Endgame became an obsession and a wonderful lesson of why it is important not to engage in online dialogue about nuanced and complicated fictional topics. What should have been a teachable moment for the Parliament became anything but. Rather than avoid dipping back into the deep end of the sci-fi pool, they doubled down by choosing to enter the Multiverse Saga and by choosing Kang as its center. Even the most dedicated and long-standing fans of Marvel Comics would have a difficult time explaining the convoluted nature of Kang to a fellow dedicated and long-standing fan. Making Kang the “anchor being” of the Multiverse Saga was never the right choice. And despite the correct decision to eliminate the saga’s “anchor being” following Majors‘ legal troubles, it nonetheless accelerated the end of the saga, forcing them to turn to where they should have always started.
Now, it seems, the studio heads chose to learn the hard way and in a move that has been described as “desperate”, turned to Doom to save the Multiverse Saga…and turned back to their biggest star (Robert Downey Jr.) and their most consistent shepherds of content (McFeely and the Russos). Superficially, pivoting to Doom indicates that the Parliament “was listening to fans” and let them help drive the bus to the end of the Multiverse Saga. On the other hand, the move to Doom seems hurried, and, in all the worst ways, Avengers: Doomsday could turn into the MCU’s Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice: a rushed and contrived mash-up that tried to do too much too fast and ended up as an abject failure.
Can Doom replace Kang as the anchor being and save the Multiverse Saga? That’s not a question that can be answered until the entire saga can be viewed retrospectively. However possible it may be, it may be hard for longtime fans of the MCU (and even harder for longtime fans of the Victor Von Doom found in the pages of Marvel Comics) to accept the Multiverse Saga as a success. All things die and with so many options available for Marvel Studios to choose from for their next saga, it might be hard to find many fans who mourn the accelerated end of the Multiverse Saga.
Marvel Studios is expected to provide some measure of an update on the Multiverse Saga on Friday, August 9th during its portion of Disney’s Entertainment Showcase as part of D23.
Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga has definitely not landed with everyone. While there have certainly been some wonderful projects theatrically and streamed on Disney Plus, projects such as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder were largely considered misses for the studio. With the return of Bob Iger to Disney came a mandate for the company’s larger studios to throttle down and focus on quality. Combined with a lengthy work stoppage in 2023, Marvel Studios was left with only one theatrical offering in 2024: Deadpool & Wolverine.
With all eyes on the project (and a growing number of people who simply want Marvel to fail), Marvel Studios marketed the hell out of the project, putting Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman everywhere over the last month, ensuring a major box office take. However, big bucks alone wouldn’t be enough to prove to critics that Marvel still has what it takes, nor would the Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The true test, as always, is how the film lands with fans and now we know that answer as well.
Following its true opening night, fans gave Deadpool & Wolverine and A Cinemascore. That score is higher than Logan, which many consider one of the best superhero films of all time, and on par with Deadpool and Deadpool 2. What does it mean? While the film has been hammered a bit by critics for feeling a tad empty, audiences are having a good time in the theater which is, of course, the point of going to a theater in the first place.
Is Marvel Studios back? One good Cinemascore certainly doesn’t prove anything but Deadpool & Wolverine landing with fans on the heels of a few well-regarded projects such as X-Men ’97 and Echo can only help keep the positive momentum going.
From the sounds of the reviews of critics who were able to catch early screenings of Deadpool & Wolverine, the movie is no Quantumania but it’s no Endgame either. Wherever it ultimately lands in terms of fan and critical reception, there’s no doubt left that it will blow up the box office and that Hugh Jackman‘s return to inhabit the role of Wolverine once again has a lot to do with that. Jackman famously believed he had fully left the role behind him after 2018’s Logan gave the character an incredibly well-received send-off; however, a call from Ryan Reynolds and a long drive gave Jackman the clarity to decide that Deadpool & Wolverine provided a way back in without having to disturb the legacy of Logan.
Jackman’s return as Wolverine (along with FINALLY donning the iconic comic-accurate costume) has been central to the film’s marketing since the beginning and seems to have been worth the wait. Even before the film’s debut, fans were already begging for more of Jackman in the role, hoping that he’d star in one or both of the studio’s upcoming Avengers films. While that’s not been confirmed by Marvel yet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take advantage of Jackman’s presence in San Diego to make a major splash at their Saturday Hall H panel. However, even if Jackman does come back for another appearance or two, he can’t go on forever and whoever does ultimately replace him will have their claws full.
In an interview with Discussing Film, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, addressed the topic of Hugh Jackman‘s future as Wolverine and the idea of replacing the actor in a role he has owned for more than two decades. “Yes,” Feige answered bluntly when asked if someone other than Jackman would ever portray Wolverine in the MCU. “You know, Marvel is celebrating its 85th anniversary later this summer. That’s just the first 85 years, and Disney just celebrated 100 years as well. I think these characters will be around for another 100 years, long after all of us,” he continued, “so, for sure, there will be [eventually another actor as Wolverine]. I think it will be in a very different style and in a different way.” Feige finished the answer with a warning for whoever takes the handoff from Jackman, saying, “I also think if somebody were to attempt to do a Hugh Jackman as Wolverine impression, that would be a pretty big mistake.”
As Marvel Studios moves closer to launching their own take on the X-Men, it’s all but a sure thing that Wolverine (one of the most popular X-Men ever) will ultimately be part of their plans. It sounds as though that’s something Feige has already thought quite a bit about and that the folks behind the MCU’s X-Men reboot will be delivering their own take on Wolverine which will help distance it from Jackman’s iconic portrayal. “As comic readers know, there have been various and very, very different versions of these characters over the decades,” began Feige. “It would be fun to explore different ones someday down the line. Again, we don’t have immediate plans by any means. But in the decades to come, I think it’s inevitable. If that happens, it would have to be a very different and bold reinterpretation of [the character] because no one will be as great as Hugh Jackman at doing his version of Wolverine.”
So while it seems we’ve not seen the last of Jackman in the role just yet, it also sounds like a plan is in place to make sure the next guy in the suit doesn’t have to bear the weight of being compared too closely to him. Check out Jackman’s latest turn as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine, in theaters now.
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