Deadpool Movie Preview

2016 is a pivotal year for comic book movies with several entries hitting theaters in the next few months. Deadpool, Marvel Entertainment’s merc with a mouth, leads the charge and may well be as important to 20^th Century Fox’s cinematic fortunes as the DC trinity of Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman is to Warner Bros’ attempt to build a movie franchise to rival Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. To the average person, Deadpool, initially a supporting character in spinoffs of Marvel’s X-Men comics, is not a household name. It’s ironic then that the fan favorite may be the potential savior for Fox which is still reeling from the disappointing Fantastic Four, and for Deadpool’s star, Ryan Reynolds who has had an unfortunate string of misfires recently at the box office.

Reynolds and Deadpool are anything but strangers with the actor portraying him in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Initially fans were excited to see Deadpool on the big screen opposite Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the thought of Reynolds as Deadpool seemed like a natural fit. Unfortunately the film and Reynolds’ turn as Deadpool did not meet expectations, although the actor could hardly be faulted for what went wrong. Reynolds appeared unmasked at the beginning of the film and he was able to deliver some of the charm that initially had fans excited to have him in the role. However, the film totally missed the mark with the character by silencing Reynolds after Deadpool becomes disfigured and acquires his mutant healing factor. A final showdown between Wolverine and Deadpool fell flat with any verbal interaction between the two lost due to the decision to keep the Merc with a Mouth silent. Depriving Reynolds from using one of his best assets, his gift of gab, won’t be repeated in this reboot of the character.

This has been evident from the start of the film’s publicity tour as Reynolds has been front and center in Deadpool’s marketing campaign. From the initial short that was released a while ago featuring Reynolds as Deadpool to Facebook videos of him in costume and in character interacting with kids on video as they went trick or treating during Halloween, Reynolds has embraced the role with open arms. There was a 12 Days of Deadpool campaign to coincide with the holiday season leading up to the official trailer’s release on Christmas day and Fox has even thrown Valentine’s Day into the mix with these cheeky tweets.

This Valentine’s Day, witness 50 Shades of Slay. #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/hIQ68O92RO

— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) January 12, 2016

A love for which is worth killing. #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/d3jQdKSmOZ

— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) January 12, 2016

To be honest, Reynolds despite being an engaging actor is in need of a hit. His last few big budget efforts (Green Lantern, R.I.P.D.) have been met with less than stellar box office results. While the films themselves have been panned, Reynolds’ performances have been generally well received. His turn as a man buried alive in 2010’s Buried garnered him rave reviews from critics and proved that he was more than a pretty face with a sharp, frat boy sense of humor. Deadpool gives Reynolds the chance to succeed in a role that he seems to have been born to play. Released on Christmas day, the red band trailer for Deadpool is a hilarious, violent teaser that showcases Reynolds at his best. There is enough action, laughs, one-liners and trademark Reynolds charm to keep Deadpool fans happy until the film opens in February.

Penned by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and directed by Tim Miller (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) Deadpool, at least so far, seems to be a spot on adaptation on the comic book. The film openly refers to the X-Men universe and the character’s existence in the film, considering his death in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, may be the result of the altered timeline that came about after the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past.

20^th Century Fox has got to be relieved at the internet’s positive reaction to the trailer. After the epic failure of The Fantastic Four, Fox will need Deadpool to be a success and to take some pressure off X-Men: Apocalypse to do well at the Box Office. DC’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Suicide Squad, Gambit and Doctor Strange are all comic book inspired films slated to drop in 2016. Fox has three of them, when Gambit is included in the mix and its imperative that the studio’s films perform well, if for no other reason than to prove that it can make critically acclaimed blockbusters movies outside of the core X-Men films. Deadpool’s success will go far to help diminish the impression that Marvel is the rich cousin who can do no wrong while Fox is the less successful family member who just can’t seem to get it’s act together.

Years ago, having a movie like Deadpool with ties to Marvel come out with an R rating would have been incredibly risky. The success of Universal’s Kick Ass in 2010 proved that R rated comic book movies could work. Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix is another example of programming that caters to a mature audience can win over critics and the fan base as long as they are done correctly. Fox has also made changes to their X-Men franchise to help the films be more in line with their source material. Colossus appears in Deadpool much like he does in the comics. Previously portrayed as a young American in the previous X-Men films, the character’s Russian heritage has been restored.

So how did we get here? What has led the movie going public to plunk themselves down in front of their computers and mobile devices for multiple viewings of a trailer featuring one of Marvel’s newer and lesser known characters?

It all goes back to 1991 and the character’s first appearance in The New Mutants #98 where he debuted alongside Gideon and Domino. Co-created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld, Deadpool started out as a mercenary who was a thorn in the side of The New Mutants and later X-Force. Deadpool’s irreverent characterization and madcap adventures made him a fan favourite and eventually earned him his own solo monthly title in 1997. The character’s comedic personality, ability to break the fourth wall and the self-realization that he was a fictional comic book character catapulted him into the upper echelon as one of the most popular characters in Marvel’s stable. Often pitted against another Liefeld co-creation Cable (this time with writer Louise Simonson) the two were given their own monthly title called Cable and Deadpool in 2004. It lasted for 50 issues until both were given their own monthly book again in 2008. Deadpool’s current title recently came to an end with issue #250 to coincide with Marvel’s restructuring of their comic book universe at the conclusion of their Secret Wars mini series.

Among comic book fans, Deadpool remains one of Marvel’s hottest properties with his own comic book series, appearances in Marvel’s animated series and a new video game. At conventions, Deadpool is one of the most popular cosplay characters – for men, women and children – and his off the wall characterization, zany sense of humor and tendency to break the fourth wall in the comics and cartoons has seen his popularity soar since he debuted in The New Mutants #98. Armed with a quick wit and even bigger guns, Deadpool is one of the few breakout characters created in the nineties that has not only maintained its popularity but has seen it grow to levels rivaling established favorites like Wolverine, Captain America and Spider-Man.

It’s with this momentum that Reynolds and Fox have pulled out all the stops to make Deadpool a winner. Everyone involved is poised to reap the benefits if Deadpool opens well and continues to rake in the cash past opening day. If not, it’s possible that the Merc with a Mouth and the rest of Fox’s licensed Marvel properties may have to look towards Sony’s deal with the House of Ideas for guidance and ultimately success.

This article appears in the upcoming issue of Comix Asylum (January 2016)