It’s been 14 years and 24 days since I rushed to theaters to witness the first live-action iteration of my favorite comic book character.
I was utterly delighted to hear that Deadpool would make his official big screen debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but I left that theater conflicted, frustrated, and all around disappointed by what they’d done to my boy. While I quite enjoyed Ryan Reynold’s portrayal of Wade Wilson, the film’s depiction of Deadpool — if you can even call him that — was so atrocious it almost damaged my enjoyment of the character.
So news that Deadpool 3, which has officially entered production, is closer to a Wolverine movie than a Deadpool movie gave me an immediate pit in my stomach. It brought back memories of that ridiculous, stitched-up face, and the absolute butchering they gave my favorite character in his live-action debut.
I’ve got nothing against Wolverine — quite the opposite, in fact. He’s another longtime favorite, and a few dozen Wolverine comics decorate my bookshelf right alongside my robust Deadpool collection. I’m thrilled to hear that Wilson and Hugh Jackman are coming back together for a film that, if handled properly, could actually serve as the antithesis of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film could easily serve as a humorous knockdown of that infamous flick, particularly given the capabilities Wade’s fourth wall-breaking tendencies provide. But if the movie veers too far in the wrong direction, we could get yet another embarrassing example of how not to handle a superhero movie.
To be fair, I have quite a bit of faith in Reynolds — who, by the way, also hated Deadpool’s portrayal in Origins — and I think he and Jackman make a stellar team. But there’s a reason Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are so popular, and its clearly not because of Wolverine.
Theres plenty to be said for the character, and for Jackman’s dominance of his portrayal, after decades of defining work across the X-Men film franchise. There’s no argument that Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart carried those films, and — even when he stumbled — Jackman always did an incredible job in the role. But the biggest failure in his stint as Wolverine is inarguably Origins, which also happens to be the only other movie in which his character and Reynolds’ shared screentime.
I’m by no means convinced that Deadpool 3 is set to be a rehash of that atrocious interpretation of Wade Wilson, but I don’t love the idea that the third Deadpool flick is set to focus more on Wolverine than our own Merc with a Mouth. A team-up? Absolutely. We already got a taste of the stellar Cable & Deadpool series with Deadpool 2, and I have no doubt Wade’s team-up with Logan is set to be just as delightful. So long as they remember not to touch any of the elements contained within Origins with a ten foot pole.