What is there to say about Deadpool & Wolverine that the TikTok kids and the Reddit folks haven’t already said by now? I mean, I’ve certainly got thoughts, but let’s see if any of y’all happen to be on the same page as me. Released last Thursday, Deadpool & Wolverine serves as Deadpool’s official defection from 20th Century Fox to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’s brought Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine along for the ride. When word first hit that Wolverine would be in the film, folks worried that it would tarnish the character’s farewell in Logan. And this film addresses that, right off the bat, in a way to let you know that Disney, seemingly, doesn’t want Deadpool to change a thing about himself. He proceeds to kill a bunch of Time Variance Authority troops (See Loki on Disney+) using the exhumed adamantium skeleton of Wolverine. Oh, and *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” scores the massacre. Yeah.
Someone on social media had seen the film early, and said that it feels like a “feature length MTV VMAs skit”, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s less a “cohesive film”, and more like Deadpool’s Kentucky Fried Movie. It’s basically 3 movies in one: It’s Deadpool 3; it’s an Exiles movie, the same way that Deadpool 2 introduced its own version of X-Force; and it’s essentially Avengers Endgame for the pre-Marvel Studios properties of the late 90s/early 00s. And it only manages to do 2 of these things well. There’s not a ton of meat there for Deadpool himself. Sure, he wants to “matter”, and he has to save the world for Vanessa. Now, I’ve never been in his shoes, but if I traveled through time to prevent my girlfriend’s death, don’t we basically have an unbreakable Soul Bond at that point? Sure, Life Happens, but what kind of bitch breaks up with you after you moved time and space to save her life? So I wasn’t really buying the whole “They grew apart because he lacked purpose” angle. The Exiles part was great because it was like it was written by a committee of fanboys hopped up on Monster. Garner has kept it tight all these years. No one is ever gonna accept a Blade other than Snipes until Snipes is no longer with us. It was cool seeing Dafne Keen. But the one I was happiest to see was Channing Tatum’s Gambit.
I’ve already discussed my love of Gambit – fairly recently, in fact. That said, I was really disappointed that Tatum’s Gambit solo film died while in development. I would have loved a Gambit film, but it also felt like it was a passion project for him. He just seems like a good guy, and I remember he was so excited about the prospect of joining the Marvel Universe (albeit at Fox) at a time when the concept had become so “Old Hat” that everyone else involved just seemed sort of jaded. My main takeaway from that announcement, however, was how everyone was at SDCC in Hall H, and while they were grandstanding, waving to fans, Channing was patiently helping Stan Lee onstage, and tending to him as if he were his own grandfather. I’m an old fashioned guy, with old fashioned values, and we just don’t “respect our elders” like we used to. Some might say those elders no longer deserve it, but I’m not here to litigate that. All I saw was an image that I’ve carried with me for years, making me a Channing Tatum fan, and rooting for his film that would never come to be. So, I was glad he finally got his chance “at bat” here.
As a swan song for the predominantly Fox era of Marvel, I guess it worked. If we’re being honest here, this was still a Fox film, which was simply allowed to use Marvel Studios resources. It didn’t feel like an MCU film, despite how many Easter eggs and how much stock footage they threw in there. I loved the Evans cameo, as I had no problems with his Fantastic Four films. I was never a huge fan of that property, but I liked that cast a lot, and enjoyed the films at the time for what they were. But I also hated that some concepts were just sort of throwaways. I mean, we finally see a comic accurate Fantasticar onscreen, and it’s here? While it was nice seeing alternate versions of characters, those sequences looked really bad. Age of Apocalypse Wolverine’s vignette looked almost like 90s WWF. Old Man Logan! For roughly 10 seconds… There were even some deep cut cameos (Deadpool 2099?!), and comic Lady Deadpool never had the early 2000s Paris Hilton “That’s Hot” energy that we got here (Thank you, Blake Lively!). But it also played fast and loose with concepts that a Marvel Studios film would never! Those things are meticulously researched, and they publish guidebooks for that universe. This isn’t the film for continuity nerds or nitpickers. You’re just supposed to sit back and enjoy the show. It reminded me of something an employee once said while I was in the comic shop: “Who wins between Wolverine and the Hulk? THE FANS.” This movie was built on that mentality. Don’t think too hard, enjoy the well choreographed fight sequences, and you’re gonna be OK. Also, I didn’t catch that one of the TVA soldiers was played by none other than Ryan Reynolds’s ownership partner for Wrexham Association Football Club – and star/co-creator of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia – Rob McElhenny. They totally should have had him wearing the duster…
I’ll say that I’m glad the film doesn’t actually end with Deadpool in the Sacred Timeline of the MCU, as I feel his fuckery would be better suited aligned with the TVA. I don’t want them to try to shoehorn him into a universe that seemingly doesn’t have a Vanessa, Peter, or Blind Al. Which reminds me – What happened to TJ Miller and Zazie Beetz? I mean, I can understand why Miller isn’t there, given the allegations and all, but was Beetz a scheduling conflict? Did she not want to come back? I dunno. I do know, however, that I sort of expected a “Deadpool Will Return” at the end of the credits. I mean, they did it for Star-Lord and you KNOW they haven’t figured out when or where that’s gonna happen. And speaking of Guardians, Deadpool & Wolverine had better soundtrack needle drops. Sorry, not sorry.
While we’re on the topic of Deadpool, there was some controversy this week, as former Marvel Editor Roy Thomas said that he appreciated the onscreen credit for his role in “creating” the character of Wolverine, but he feels the amount of his contributions would indicate he should have been listed first. Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard similar thoughts from him, as he started receiving credit for his involvement earlier this year. It’s a controversial stance, however, because he was an editor, while the creative team of Len Wein and John Romita Sr actually did the heavy lifting. It should be noted, however, that neither of them is alive to stop Thomas at this point.
I don’t really know where I stand here. I mean, on the one hand, we’re constantly talking about how creators aren’t fairly compensated when these corporations go on to make billions on their creations. On the other hand, it’s work for hire, and most know that going in now. With Thomas, we have a creator, staking his claim, and being vilified for it. No, seriously. But is an Editor a Creator? And did this Editor actually Create? From those involved, his contributions to the finished product of “Wolverine” were negligible. From what I’ve read, the biggest problem comes down to payment structure. It appears that there’s a finite pool of royalties, and those are split accordingly. So, instead of adding more money to that pool for Thomas, he is now taking money away from the estates of both Wein and Romita. It’s a crazy payout structure, but it also makes me understand why folks would be so angry about what he’s doing. In these situations, there’s always a loudmouth and a quiet guy, who’s just happy to have been involved. Thomas is out here, acting like Rob Liefeld, when we need him to act more like Fabian Nicieza.
Trailer Park
Family Guy (Fox, January 2025?!)
So, for the first time in forever, Family Guy will not be launching this fall, but is being held by Fox til midseason. I hate this, and I felt it was probably a bad sign. Especially since the holiday episode will be released on Hulu, before the season officially starts. I am a Day One fan of this show, and I know it’s not “cool” to love it anymore (Yet y’all still watch South Park for reasons that are beyond me…), but I’m always rooting for it. Like any comedy institution, its quality ebbs and flows. In the past 2 seasons, I’ve felt I was watching it out of obligation as opposed to enjoyment. If I’m ranking Seth’s comedies, this is probably 3rd, as American Dad is his best, and Ted is right underneath it. Still, based on this trailer, this might be one of the good seasons. After all, the show does politics better than SNL these days, so it’s at least got that going for it. I loved this video (which premiered at SDCC), but I almost fear this is every good joke from next season.
American Dad (TBS, Fall 2024)
Now, I was JUST saying that American Dad was the superior show, and then comes this trailer, to make me eat my words. To be honest, last season wasn’t great, but I blame that on the fact that I binged it, instead of watching weekly. American Dad is one of the few shows I watch live, weekly, and that just didn’t happen this year, so it took some of the shine off things. There were some high points, like more stories from Roger’s pre-Smith Earth history, but we didn’t get a dynamic Christmas episode this time around. Speaking of Christmas, those AD Christmas specials used to be the stuff of legend, but I feel like they’ve done all they can do with Santa at this point. It was awesome when he was The Smiths’ mortal enemy, but it went off the rails once Krampus was introduced. Then Santa died, and was resurrected as a golem when Roger took over Hanukkah. And now he’s in a band? Anyway, I love this show, so I’m still gonna watch it, but Family Guy is gaining on it.
Will Around The Web
Remember That Show?‘s Saved By The Summer event keeps chugging along, as Adam and I cover Saved By The Bell: The New Class. It seems like many fans of the OG series missed out on this continuation. What started out as “We’ve got ‘Zack Morris’ at home!” eventually found its own voice and footing. Check out our new episode here, or on all major podcast platforms!
SDCC Recap
Last week was San Diego Comic-Con, where all the geek magic happens, and these were what I felt to be the biggest announcements:
- DC Comics got a new logo, which is the same as an old logo. The new DC Studios logo brings back the “DC Bullet” of the 80s and 90s, which is my favorite logo of theirs. In fact, in my younger days, I was this close to getting a tattoo of that thing!
- Giancarlo Esposito’s character in Captain America: Brave New World was revealed to be Sidewinder, of the Serpent Society. Was actually kinda disappointed by that one. Feels like a waste of his talent.
- Tawny Newsome, of Star Trek: Lower Decks fame, is reportedly developing a workplace comedy, set in the Trek universe, which sounds like it might take place on the pleasure planet Risa. Still, there’s too much damn Star Trek. Let’s lighten up with all the Star Trek, huh?
- Playmates Toys announced their Mighty Morphin Power Rangers line is slated to ship Fall 2025.
- Hasbro has a Knight Rider/Transformers collab coming, which you can already preorder.
Things You Might Have Missed This Week
- The revival that nobody asked for has been put out of its misery, as Clone High has been canceled after 2 seasons on Max
- There is a gender-flipped Penguin in Prime Video’s new Batman: Caped Crusader series, as Olswalda Cobblepot is voiced by Minnie Driver.
- RIP Xbox 360, as Microsoft shut down the Xbox 360 Marketplace, as well as the Movies & TV app, this week.
- Elsewhere in the video game world, this week saw the 35th anniversary of the US release of the Nintendo Game Boy handheld console.
- My heart immediately went out to my pals at the After Lunch Podcast when I heard the news that Renegade Nell had been canceled after 2 seasons on Disney+
- It was announced that Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost will be the host of the upcoming Pop Culture Jeopardy!
- Speaking of SNL, cast member Punkie Johnson announced her departure from the show prior to the upcoming 50th (!) season. I always hate SNL summer goodbyes, as they never get a formal farewell. After 4 seasons, I think she earned one.
- “Most excellent dude, have you seen this heinous Godot?” Brace yourselves for dialogue like that, as Keanu Reeves will make his Broadway debut this fall, reteaming with Bill S. Preston, Esquire himself, Alex Winter, in a production of Waiting for Godot.
- It was announced that the Boomerang streaming service will be discontinued and folded into Max. So, uh, I guess MeTV Toons couldn’t have picked a better time to debut…
- It seems like nobody in HR was vetting the Power Rangers recruits once Zordon left the building, as another PR alum now has an arrest record. Hector David Jr., who was the Green Ranger of the Neo-Saban era Power Rangers Samurai, was filmed knocking over an old man and his walker in a parking lot. TMZ reports there is currently a warrant out for his arrest.
- Squid Game will end with season 3, which would probably be more impactful if season 2 had come out yet…
- It’s an American Homecoming, as country star – and former American Idol winner – Carrie Underwood will be replacing Katy Perry as the third judge on the show.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. IS BACK?!!! Of course, that was everyone’s reaction when he was revealed in Hall H at SDCC last Saturday. What folks didn’t initially realize, however, was he was back as Doctor Doom – mortal enemy of The Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, and a Top 3 Marvel Universe villain. I tend not to engage in fanboy speculation because I’m old and ain’t got time for that. That’s the stuff of TikTok and folks with fresh student loans. I was curious, however, as to why they didn’t just make him Kang – the role previously played by Jonathan Majors, but also the identity of Tony Stark in the recent reboot of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. It would have been pretty easy to just say Downey was a Kang variant (although there would be a kajillion thinkpieces on how Kang was being “whitewashed”). Plus, Avengers 5 was already Kang Dynasty, so it could have worked. Instead, however, he’s Doom and Victor Von Doom, at that.
This means we’re not dealing with a “Tony Stark becomes Doctor Doom” story. We’re dealing with a “Robert Downey Jr. used to be Iron Man, but now he’s another character” story. But folks aren’t great with attention to detail. The internet went to work, trying to dig up all the comics stories where Tony Stark became Iron Man. Geek “news” sites tried to suggest the movie was inspired by the Marvel comic Infamous Iron Man, making it obvious they’d never read it, nor were they familiar with it. In that series, Victor Von Doom has turned over something of a new leaf after the events of Secret Wars, and he creates his own Doom-inspired Iron Man armor to fill the void left by a recently incapacitated Tony Stark. It is not Tony Stark in Doom armor. But fanboys gonna fanboy!
For all we know, we might not ever see his face – I mean, we’ve never seen Vin or Bradley’s faces, yet we know it’s them. But you don’t back up the Brinks truck in this situation without showing the face. I feel like the reveal of Kang’s face to the existing heroes will be worth the price of admission alone. Pus, it’s a comic book movie, so they can’t help but have his mask come off at some point. But it’s gonna be a long 2 years, since that movie isn’t slated for release until 2026. Meanwhile, I hope Atlanta has beefed up its security, because they’re gonna need it to keep images from leaking.
Meanwhile, the success of Deadpool & Wolverine has folks proclaiming “The MCU is BACK!” I wouldn’t go that far, for the reasons I mentioned at the beginning of this piece. However, it is nice to not having folks shitting all over the MCU anymore. The MCU is like a kindly grandpa – sort of like Peter Falk in The Princess Bride. He came and read stories to ya when you were sick. Now, you’re a teenager, and grandpa ain’t so fun anymore. You’ve forgotten about all the storytime. You just know grandpa soils himself in the living room from time to time. “You stink, grandpa!” Grandpa might be losing his memory, but he remembers the things that matter. He remembers the storytime, but he’s also gonna remember this. You’re breaking grandpa’s heart, Tyler! Well, with Deadpool & Wolverine, grandpa just got accepted into a new drug trial. Things are about to turn around for ol’ G-P. And you actually never forgot the storytime. It just hurt you to see grandpa in this state. With the new drugs, you assume things will go back like they were. Your old grandpa is coming back. Well, I’ve got news for ya, Tyler. Grandpa is moving to Boca and he’s gonna get himself a girlfriend. Screw you, Tyler! Anyway, Marvel Studios had the West Week Ever .
