The long-anticipated Deadpool 3 is set to release in May 2024. While few details have been released about the film’s plot, casting announcements and set photos are giving fans a lot to be excited for. This movie sees the official return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, a role he played for 17 years starting in 2000’s X-Men and ending with the character’s apparent death in 2017’s Logan. When the initial set photos showed Jackman in the classic yellow and blue X-Men uniform from the comics, Marvel fans went wild.
By the time the new Deadpool installment releases, it will have been six years since the wildly over-the-top Deadpool 2. Though die-hard fans of the Merc With A Mouth have been ready for a next installment immediately following the sequel, any hope for an official trilogy was put on hold when Fox was bought out and many Marvel characters were acquired by Marvel Studios and Disney. Fans worried that a Disney-owned Deadpool would lose what made Ryan Reynold’s take on the character so memorable. However, the news that future solo Deadpool installments would maintain an R-rating eased fears. Despite hype for the upcoming film, it will take a lot more than just comic-accurate suits and deep-cut cameos to keep the same momentum that the first two films set forward.
What Made Deadpool 1 & 2 Work?
Deadpool was a breath of fresh air in the comic book media realm due to how much the movie respected its source material. The first two movies were brash, gritty, and violent, and balanced a comedic element effectively. Almost anyone can watch the film and get something out of it.
The first movie broke ground for what superhero movies can accomplish when they are allowed to go that extra step into adult themes. Wade Wilson struggles to come to terms with his declining health after a terminal cancer diagnosis, while also trying to be with the woman he loves. At its core, Deadpool has a deeply human story for a superhero movie. Audiences go through the stages of grief that Wade feels as he fights for a way to save himself from an incurable disease. And when he does find a “cure” for his cancer, it leaves him horribly disfigured. He lashes out and leans into his anger, letting it fuel his drive to kill the ones who he feels are responsible for keeping him from the woman he loves.
Deadpool 2 lacks a bit in the compelling nature of its story, especially after fridging Vanessa as the inciting incident to its plot. Hpwever, the film more than makes up for that deeply human nature in its world-building and action. Deadpool 2 allows room for its supporting cast to shine, most notably with Brianna Hildebrand’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Zazie Beetz's Domino, and Josh Brolin’s Cable. The sequel is a true blend of the Buddy Cop/Team-Up genres with outrageous cameos and, somehow, more fast-paced comedic dialogue that resonated well with its target audience.
What Should Deadpool 3 Do Differently?
Now that Deadpool is officially part of the MCU, there is more room for the character to excel in the ways that the comic character has always thrived: his outrageous relationship with the super-powered world around him. While fans got a glimpse of this in the first two movies, the MCU is the perfect playground for Wade Wilson. However, this can’t happen until Wade Wilson says goodbye to his Fox universe.
However it happens, the best way for Deadpool to cross over is in the most authentic way it can without crossing into fan service territory. One of the drawbacks of Deadpool 2 was how it over-relied on cheap jokes that took attention away from the story. While it’s exciting that Hugh Jackman is returning to the role of Wolverine, this also could be set up to be a huge risk for Deadpool 3 if the character is not handled with respect.
Several characters from the first two Deadpool movies are already confirmed to appear in the new installment, including Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Karan Soni as Dopinder, and Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. While few details have been released to give fans a glimpse into just how Wolverine exists in this film (not including the Doctor Strange 2 theory), it has been confirmed that this film will have no impact on the ending of Logan. If anything, each detail released about Deadpool 3 proves that this film will be another installment in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.
No matter how Deadpool 3 does end up bringing Wade Wilson into the MCU, whether it is through a variation of the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe or a brand-new storyline created for the film, one thing is certain: fans cannot wait to see Wolverine and Deadpool together again.
Deadpool 3 is slated to release on May 3, 2024.