Deadpool & Wolverineis another massive hit forMarvel, and its success shows that the blame for Marvel’s inconsistent Multiverse Saga may be misguided. Despite Marvel’s recent struggles,Deadpool & Wolverinewas a surefire hit forthe MCU timeline. Fox’s Deadpool films performed incredibly well and audiences couldn’t wait to see the Merc With The Mouth team up withHugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Fortunately, the film performed beyond expectations. It’s currently passed $1.29 billion worldwide and has a good chance of crossing $1.3 billion before the end of its theatrical run.
Deadpool & Wolverineis now the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, and audiences continue to return to theaters to see it. However, its success may be more meaningful than just stating that audiences enjoy watching its heroes. The film is a multiversal story, as the titular pair encounters variants of characters from the Fox Universe and the MCU. The multiverse is often criticized as the main issue behind Marvel’s struggles, butDeadpool & Wolverine’s box office resultsprove the multiverse is not the prominent issue.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Box Office Proves The Multiverse Is Not The Problem With The Multiverse Saga
Deadpool & Wolverine follows a recent MCU trend.
The MCU has been inconsistent sinceAvengers: Endgame, both in the quality of its content and the content’s success, whether at the box office or on streaming. While film and television are subjective,one thing that’s objective is how well the MCU’s multiverse films have performed at the box office. Every MCU film with a storyline centered around the multiverse has done well.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessmade $955.8 million worldwide, andSpider-Man: No Way Homegrossed $1.92 billion worldwide.
Deadpool & Wolverine Ending Explained
Deadpool & Wolverine’s ending is filled with multiversal stakes, insane cameos, and big teases for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On streaming,Lokiis centered largely around the MCU’s multiverse, and it’s regarded as one of Marvel’s best shows. WhileAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniadidn’t do great at the box office, it was also focused on the Quantum Realm instead of the multiverse, changing the degree with which it can be perceived as a multiversal movie.Deadpool & Wolverinefollows the trend that multiverse projects perform well at the box office and are usually received well by critics and audiences. Only two MCU projects sinceEndgamehave grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, and they’re both multiverse projects.
The Multiverse Saga Has Too Many Characters And Storylines With Little Connective Tissue
The Multiverse Saga isn’t as focused as the Infinity Saga.
Deadpool & Wolverinecalls out the MCU’s multiverse problem, saying it’s just been miss after miss sinceEndgame. However, it’s ironic that Deadpool suggests that the multiverse is the issue, as it’s part of the reason for the film’s success.Deadpool & Wolverine’s cameosdraw from several different universes, and the multiverse was the only way to bring back Jackman’s Wolverine without ruiningLogan. As such, Deadpool’s blame is misguided, as it should be pointed at the MCU’s lack of direction for Phase 4 & Phase 5.
Deadpool & Wolverine: 100 Marvel Easter Eggs & References Explained
Deadpool & Wolverine quite literally has over 100 different Easter eggs, references, and cameos galore. Here are all the ones we found.
The MCU is creating the road towardAvengers: Secret Wars, buttrying to connect all the pieces has been rough. It’s been three years sinceShang-ChiandEternals, two films with significant events that could impact the MCU. Shang-Chi still hasn’t returned or received any updates, and the events ofEternalsare being addressed over three years later inCaptain America: Brave New World. The lack of cohesion also arguably led to poor box office results forAnt-Man 3andThe Marvels, as general audiences aren’t as invested in the MCU’s current storyline.
Marvel Needs To Establish New Main Characters For The MCU After Avengers: Secret Wars
Marvel needs to figure out who its leading characters are before the next Avengers movie.
The other issue with the Multiverse Saga is too many new characters have been introduced with no leading figures. The MCU continues to bring in new characters, like Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, and the Eternals, while established MCU characters, like Doctor Strange and Thor, appear too infrequently. Several of these characters have been introduced on Disney+, which has backfired for Marvel, since many film viewers are not watching the TV shows.
The barrage of new characters and storylines can make the universe feel disjointed, andaudiences don’t want to do homework so they can catch up before the next MCU project. WhileDeadpool & Wolverinedoes have many characters from different films, it doesn’t require audiences to know everything about them to enjoy their appearance. There are plenty of valid criticisms about the multiverse, but saying it is the thing ruining the MCU is anything but the truth, and the franchise’s box office proves it.
