There is no doubt now with ‘Deadpool 2′ cleaning up at the box-office (and being the movie to finally take ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘ out of the #1 spot) that Ryan Reynolds and company have a franchise that is a force to be reckoned with, and 20th Century Fox would be fools not to move forward with more films starring the titular character, whether that means actually doing ‘Deadpool 3‘ or utilizing Reynolds in a number of ‘X-Force’ films remains to be seen. The only issue at this point is the ever-looming potential merger between 20th Century Fox and Disney/Marvel, which brings the possibility of Deadpool having to join the MCU if it happens. A lot of people have strong opinions about this, especially since Deadpool hinges on his “R” rating and the MCU is a bit more family friendly.
While speaking recently to the folks over at Cinemablend (during their ‘Reelblend’ podcast) about the possibility of Deadpool joining the MCU, ‘Deadpool’ creator Rob Liefeld had the following to say about the prospect:
“Only if Ryan [Reynolds] calls the shots. … If Ryan is not the guy who is helming that ship, then who cares? If Ryan is given everything that he deserves, and they say ‘You can do your own thing over here under Disney.’
Let’s say that goes through. So, now, I can not imagine a world where the reaction — if on stage, let’s say a Hall H or a D23, clearly, one of the places this will happen, Ryan coming out as Josh [Brolin] did last year. … Can you imagine, that same scene, Ryan walking out to shake hands with [Robert] Downey Jr.? I mean, I think the world would go bazonkers. And you know, having him interact with them, I think, is next level, billion dollar… I don’t know how that doesn’t work out spectacularly well.
But, I’m going to go back. I really believe Ryan, who has invested so much of himself in both movies, and people don’t understand — he is all but directing these movies. This sequel, he poured everything that he could into it. And I just think they gotta… and the thing is, you look at Marvel, and there really only has been one captain of that ship. So I would hope that they go, ‘Ryan, you have your own fleet of ship. They’re right over here. We have the Santa Maria, and you have the S.S. Deadpool.’ “
Personally, I hope if the deal goes through Marvel develops some kind of adult brand (‘Marvel Dark’ or something) that caters to a more adult audiences and releases films like ‘Deadpool’ or ‘Logan’ and allows that “R” rating to get by, while still alerting families and parents that though this movie takes place “in the MCU,” it is not suitable for children the way the rest of the MCU is. I just do not see characters like Deadpool surviving in the PG-13 MCU we have now and it would be a shame to limit them creatively just for that rating. And of course, this all hinges on that deal between 20th Century Fox and Disney actually going through, and while it seems like it is happening, you just never know. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you want Deadpool to join the MCU? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
