The Marvel Cinematic Universe…

Deadpool & Wolverine, the new feature film from the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-present), or as many fans call it - the MCU, has been released in theaters worldwide this Friday, July 26th. And to massive critical and audience acclaim. Shocking!

And why do I say shocking when I have been waiting eight years for this movie? That's because of the bleak state of the MCU for the last couple of years since Avengers: Endgame in 2019. The fans know it, and the casual moviegoing audience knows it. The franchise has declined in quality since then. While there are still a few amazing projects in between here and there, the consistency of back-to-back wins is completely gone.

From 2008 to 2019, from their first movie "Iron Man," to the grand final "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel was at the peak of their game. This 11-year phase was called "The Infinity Saga." Of course, there were some misses in between, but only a handful. The movies were so fantastic and unique that they outweighed the very few mediocre ones.

I mean, if you were there, you know. Every new Marvel release was an EVENT. Theaters would sometimes run full 24 hours to keep up with demand from moviegoers throughout the film's entire theatrical run, let alone on opening weekend. But does that still happen today? Well, yes, but mostly no. Let's track back to how Marvel lost its identity and stakes and if Deadpool & Wolverine truly delivers...

Image Credit: Aubrey Odom from Unsplash

Was the Multiverse Storyline The Right Follow-Up…?

First of all, what made this franchise special in the first place was the care that was put into these films. They never rushed a project for the sake of money; they made audiences connect with the characters and the world's cohesiveness while also offering excitement about what would come next. All the movies were spaced out, and I had plenty of time to breathe and build upon excitement for the next one.

It was an average of 2 or 3 films per year. But since 2020, when this new phase of the MCU began, titled "The Multiverse Saga," it has completely lost all that. It went from 3 films per year to 6 to 8 projects. So, of course, quality dropped. The mind and producer behind this entire franchise, Kevin Feige, is just one man. He and anyone would get stretched too thin. It was worrying a bit when Feige announced in 2020 that it was the Multiverse that they would follow with for their storyline throughout the next 8 to 9 years.

When you involve the Multiverse in your storytelling, you completely lose all your stakes because a certain character that died could now come back at any time through the different worlds and endless possibilities within the Multiverse. It just makes it seem like "lazy writing. However, one thing I'm forever grateful for in this new saga was having a childhood dream come true when Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) came out.

Watching the three Spider-Men on the big screen together for the first time was something that only seemed possible in dreams. It brought audiences back to theaters in masses since the pandemic began and scored Avengers-level box office all over the globe. Therefore, Multiverse storytelling has its perks, but the problems are too big not to outweigh the good.

Image Credit: Mateusz Wacławek from Unsplash

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Marvel's Identity Crisis…

However, personally, what I believe caused the MCU to spiral downward was the loss of their two main faces and anchors - Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark/Iron Man) and Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America). From 2008 to 19, they were the pinnacle of it all - amazingly written characters and leaders of the Avengers, and they were beautifully portrayed. While they were not in every film, you felt their presence and how they anchored it all together without necessarily being present. That's what I call the power of great storytelling.

While Avengers: Endgame served as the epic conclusion of the first 11 years of the MCU, it was mostly a swan song for Downey and Evans. A very emotional and heartfelt one at that. So, since 2019, there have been no anchors or "faces" for this franchise.

There are still some characters that are loved by audiences and significantly impact the overall story of this new phase of the MCU, but it just doesn't hit the same as it used to at all. Another impact the franchise suffered with this new phase was starting to do TV shows on Disney+. Yes, it seemed like a great and fresh idea at first because you would have the films in theaters and the new streaming shows, but it got way over-saturated. Also, the TV shows haven't been great at all, with a few exceptions.

So, taking all of this into consideration - losing the two anchors of this franchise, dip in quality from mostly both the films and shows, over-saturation, and some moviegoers having jumped ship since Endgame - you can kind of already imagine the state of Marvel now for the past four years. This takes us to the now... Deadpool & Wolverine. The entire industry and Marvel have been betting everything on this film to show if the so-called "superhero fatigue" talk is real or if it's just "mediocre movie fatigue…"

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Is Deadpool Truly "Marvel Jesus"…?

In 2016, when the first Deadpool film starring Ryan Reynolds was released to audiences' delight, the character became a worldwide phenomenon. And after Deadpool 2 in 2018, we've all been craving for Deadpool to come together with Wolverine, played by the only Hugh Jackman, at least once. However, it seemed impossible as Jackman retired from his role as the character in the masterpiece "Logan," in 2017.

He had been in the role since 2000. It was a sad but perfect ending to his legendary and iconic incorporation of the character. But like I said, with the Multiverse, what seemed impossible five years ago is now all but impossible. Ryan Reynolds made it happen and teamed up with Jackman for the first time.

So, while the excitement for this movie was immense with audiences, it could certainly still disappoint. But my god, did it deliver. Deadpool & Wolverine is nothing short of spectacular.

As a superhero film, it's astonishing. As a movie itself, maybe not so much. The pacing can feel off throughout, and the story can lack at times, but the core of the past two Deadpool films remains - it's an emotional and heartfelt experience. And that's what makes it such an incredible movie. You can feel the love that Reynolds, Jackman, and director Shawn Levy had for this project. And the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman is simply unmatched. That old MCU magic was felt for the first time since Guardians of the Galaxy 3 early last year. But the question is... is superhero fatigue real then?

Not at all. It's mediocre fatigue. The MCU doesn't need saving, which is far from it, but it certainly needs innovation in its stories.

The superhero genre has dominated for the past 20 years, so eventually, stories get old, so you need to re-invent them again and make them fresh and compelling. Audiences are going in masses to watch Deadpool & Wolverine as it just became the 6th highest-grossing opening weekend in cinema history. Many have waited 24 years for it since Jackman first donned the Wolverine suit in the original X-Men film. Make a great movie...audiences will show up. However, consistency is needed in Marvel's upcoming projects. Consistency in quality, I should say. But there will always be a hunger for more throughout the years. And this goes to the cinema as a whole. No matter the genre, if you make a good movie with a compelling story and market it well, people will show up in droves for it. Even if just one movie wins, cinema wins.