• Subscribe to our newsletter
The Media Online
  • Home
  • MOST Awards
  • News
    • Awards
    • Media Mecca
  • Print
    • Newspapers
    • Magazines
    • Publishing
  • Broadcasting
    • TV
    • Radio
    • Cinema
    • Video
  • Digital
    • Mobile
    • Online
  • Agencies
    • Advertising
    • Media agency
    • Public Relations
  • OOH
    • Events
  • Research & Education
    • Research
    • Media Education
      • Media Mentor
  • Press Office
    • Press Office
    • TMO.Live Blog
    • Events
    • Jobs
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • MOST Awards
  • News
    • Awards
    • Media Mecca
  • Print
    • Newspapers
    • Magazines
    • Publishing
  • Broadcasting
    • TV
    • Radio
    • Cinema
    • Video
  • Digital
    • Mobile
    • Online
  • Agencies
    • Advertising
    • Media agency
    • Public Relations
  • OOH
    • Events
  • Research & Education
    • Research
    • Media Education
      • Media Mentor
  • Press Office
    • Press Office
    • TMO.Live Blog
    • Events
    • Jobs
No Result
View All Result
The Media Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Broadcasting Film

Is Deadpool & Wolverine the hit Marvel needs?

It’s entertaining – but it likely won’t cure our superhero fatigue.

by Lornia Piatti-Farnell
August 30, 2024
in Film
0 0
0
Is Deadpool & Wolverine the hit Marvel needs?

Bringing Wolverine into the MCU was possible due to Disney’s re-acquisition of the rights to the X-Men characters, previously hekd by 20th Century Fox. IMDB

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) latest offering, Deadpool & Wolverine, recently opened in theatres worldwide.

The film brings two highly popular characters, played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, back to the silver screen – raking in about US$440 million from its global opening.

The film certainly doesn’t shy away from fan service, with much of the material seemingly added just to please existing fans. The plot is filled with in-jokes, including a variety of meta-references to the alleged off-screen feud between Reynolds and Jackman.

In fact, I’d say the film appears to be solely intended for a specific segment of Marvel’s existing fanbase, with very few attempts at making the story palatable to a global audience.

This is a noteworthy choice for a standalone Marvel film – especially at a time when superhero films have lost some of their lustre. Marvel’s previous release, The Marvels (2023), ended its box-office run as the lowest-grossing film in the MCU’s history, making about US$197 million globally.

It’ll be intriguing to see the effect of Deadpool & Wolverine on the declining popularity of the MCU. Will it end up being the hero Marvel needs? Or will our collective “superhero fatigue” ultimately keep it from reaching its potential?

Marvel’s formula comes undone

After the global peak of Avengers: Endgame (2019), things haven’t quite been the same in the Marvel corner. While the studios have forcefully continued to produce several films and series, the excitement that characterised the release of Marvel movies pre-Endgame seems to have virtually disappeared.

Marvel Studios’ recent failure to replicate its longstanding success can probably be attributed to a few factors. First and foremost is that Marvel seems to have lost the coherent structure that supported its pre-2019 superhero movies, beginning in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Films from this era focused on developing stories and superhero characters belonging to the now much-beloved Avengers group.

Although there were several other films focused on the exploits of individual characters – such as Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Thor (2011) and Black Panther (2018) – all of these narrative offshoots regularly converged back to the central Avengers storyline, which itself was advanced through films such as The Avengers (2012), Age of Ultron (2015), Infinity War (2018) and, finally, Endgame.

This winning formula ensured box-office success for Marvel. In Endgame, however, the principal storyline that had driven so much of the MCU until then overtly came to an end.

The film not only tightened the narrative strings of previous stories, it also saw the death of key characters including Tony Stark as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Natasha Romanov as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) – and the “loss” of Steve Rogers as Captain America. Fans worldwide felt the film had lived up to its name, marking the end of the MCU as they knew it.

Bringing Wolverine into the MCU was possible due to Disney’s re-acquisition of the rights to the X-Men characters, previously held by 20th Century Fox.
IMDB

Marvel has tried to keep its momentum going post-Endgame, in what has become known as “phase 4” of the MCU. In recent years, the studios have produced a growing number of series such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), WandaVision (2021) and Loki (2021), to name a few.

Disney’s takeover

Central to the boom in production has been Marvel’s merger with Disney. The acquisition of Marvel Entertainment by Disney actually happened in 2009. However, it wasn’t until after Endgame that the relationship openly came to fruition, when Disney’s new streaming venues truly came to play a part.

After 2019, Marvel’s series have been primarily streamed on Disney+, consolidating the studios’ place as part of Disney. The decision to adapt to the online Disney model, however, may have contributed to the decline in Marvel’s success. In following the production-heavy model that suits platforms such as Disney+, Marvel may have been spread too thin – leaving characters and storylines half-developed and gaining a series of flops.

Trying too hard?

Another result of the overproduction of superhero films and media is what has become known as “superhero fatigue”, wherein there are just too many superhero stories around (often of questionable quality) for even loyal fans to appreciate them.

Deadpool & Wolverine therefore comes in the wake of a very difficult time for Marvel. The film definitely relies heavily on the iconicity of the two titular superheroes and in particular on the introduction of Wolverine into the MCU canon. Whether this gamble has been successful remains to be seen.

Although box office returns have been high since opening night, reviews have been mixed. Some have appreciated the meta-humour, where the specific jokes give the film a kind of “self-awareness”. But others have been put off by the unbelievable plot which often leans into pastiche, even as it tries to echo the visual spectacle that was characteristic of the Avengers franchise.

In a way, Deadpool & Wolverine feels like something of a filler film, strategically placed to recapture fans’ attention through what is essentially a parody of the superhero genre.

The film was also released alongside Marvel’s announcement of the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, expected in 2026–27. This will be directed once again by the Russo brothers and will (somewhat unexpectedly) bring back Downey Jr in the new role of Doctor Doom.

It’s hard to predict whether this new direction will revive the MCU. For the time being, Deadpool & Wolverine – while generally enjoyable – does little to ease the pain of Marvel fatigue.


Lorna Piatti-Farnell, Professor of Film, Media, and Popular Culture, Auckland University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


 

Tags: cinemaDeadpool & WolverinefilmsLorna Piatti-FarnellMarvelmoviereviewsuperheroesThe Conversation

Lornia Piatti-Farnell

As a cultural historian, Lorna Piatti-Farnell primarily researches the impact of popular icons, narratives, and practices on our identities: how we see ourselves, and how we want to be seen by others. She focuses particularly on entertainment and fringe cultural narratives, from food to superheroes, from vampires and Gothic horror to the history and development of our everyday trends and practices.

Follow Us

  • twitter
  • threads
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Kelders van Geheime: The characters are here

Kelders van Geheime: The characters are here

March 22, 2024
Dissecting the LSM 7-10 market

Dissecting the LSM 7-10 market

May 17, 2023
Keri Miller sets the record straight after being axed from ECR

Keri Miller sets the record straight after being axed from ECR

April 23, 2023
Getting to know the ES SEMs 8-10 (Part 1)

Getting to know the ES SEMs 8-10 (Part 1)

February 22, 2018
Sowetan proves that sex still sells

Sowetan proves that sex still sells

105
It’s black. It’s beautiful. It’s ours.

Exclusive: Haffajee draws a line in the sand over racism

98
The Property Magazine and Media Nova go supernova

The Property Magazine and Media Nova go supernova

44
Warrant of arrest authorised for Media Nova’s Vaughan

Warrant of arrest authorised for Media Nova’s Vaughan

41
Navigating the AI tide without losing our humanity

Navigating the AI tide without losing our humanity

May 29, 2025
The marketing mission remains clear

The marketing mission remains clear

May 29, 2025
 Auditing masterclass lifts the lid on hidden costs

 Auditing masterclass lifts the lid on hidden costs

May 29, 2025
Media Moves: TASTE turns 20, Anele, Lira and Janine van Wyk are FEARLESS in new campaign; Alex Okosi new MD for Google Africa, Accenture Song wins Telkom business

Media Moves: Media24 unveils unified advertising and content team, Masego Matlotleng awarded Creative Futures scholarship, PHD wins Cell C business

May 29, 2025

Recent News

Navigating the AI tide without losing our humanity

Navigating the AI tide without losing our humanity

May 29, 2025
The marketing mission remains clear

The marketing mission remains clear

May 29, 2025
 Auditing masterclass lifts the lid on hidden costs

 Auditing masterclass lifts the lid on hidden costs

May 29, 2025
Media Moves: TASTE turns 20, Anele, Lira and Janine van Wyk are FEARLESS in new campaign; Alex Okosi new MD for Google Africa, Accenture Song wins Telkom business

Media Moves: Media24 unveils unified advertising and content team, Masego Matlotleng awarded Creative Futures scholarship, PHD wins Cell C business

May 29, 2025

ABOUT US

The Media Online is the definitive online point of reference for South Africa’s media industry offering relevant, focused and topical news on the media sector. We deliver up-to-date industry insights, guest columns, case studies, content from local and global contributors, news, views and interviews on a daily basis as well as providing an online home for The Media magazine’s content, which is posted on a monthly basis.

Follow Us

  • twitter
  • threads

ARENA HOLDING

Editor: Glenda Nevill
glenda.nevill@cybersmart.co.za
Sales and Advertising:
Tarin-Lee Watts
wattst@arena.africa
Download our rate card

OUR NETWORK

TimesLIVE
Sunday Times
SowetanLIVE
BusinessLIVE
Business Day
Financial Mail
HeraldLIVE
DispatchLIVE
Wanted Online
SA Home Owner
Business Media MAGS
Arena Events

NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION

 
Subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2015 - 2023 The Media Online. All rights reserved. Part of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • MOST Awards
  • News
    • Awards
    • Media Mecca
  • Print
    • Newspapers
    • Magazines
    • Publishing
  • Broadcasting
    • TV
    • Radio
    • Cinema
    • Video
  • Digital
    • Mobile
    • Online
  • Agencies
    • Advertising
    • Media agency
    • Public Relations
  • OOH
    • Events
  • Research & Education
    • Research
    • Media Education
      • Media Mentor
  • Press Office
    • Press Office
    • TMO.Live Blog
    • Events
    • Jobs

Copyright © 2015 - 2023 The Media Online. All rights reserved. Part of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?