Silas Gonzalez ‘24
Alongside Hugh Jackman, Liar, to have a surprise reprisal of Wolverine
The “Merc with the Mouth” makes a mesmerizing reappearance in the widely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Actor Ryan Reynolds made a video in September announcing Deadpool 3 to be released in 2024. Two big surprises were present: Deadpool 3 would take place in Marvel Studios’s connected universe, meaning Deadpool has the opportunity to interact with heroes whom he never had the chance to before, and that Hugh Jackman would co-star Reynolds as his iconic Wolverine. Social media celebrates yet another prioritized cameo in a solo superhero film, however, the return of both characters raises some questions…
We Know Wolverine Can Regenerate But…
As audiences have seen in 2019’s Logan, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine officially passed away after a long and tiring lifetime in the movie. This reasonably led said audiences to believe that Hugh Jackman was retiring his Wolverine character for good, because he very clearly died. Boom. Whoosh. Yup that’s it. See ya. Gone for good. Sleep well. Therefore when Kevin Fiege (President of Marvel Studios) resurrects Hugh Jackman, it wipes away a bit of the effect Logan’s ending had.
The Never-Ending Story
In my perspective, I am glad Jackman can reprise the character he so clearly adores playing as. However, the recent growth of weaponized nostalgia eliminates the permanence of Wolverine’s character progression. Stories are supposed to have an ending, but Marvel, and other blockbuster businesses, have been reanimating nostalgic characters and franchises in order to maintain the attention of audiences. According to another video from Ryan Reynolds, he states that Wolverine’s story remains intact, “Logan takes place in 2029. We have no intention of touching that movie.” Even though the character of Wolverine remains relatively unharmed, the timeline of the movies in reality show how Marvel truly acts in the long game. Nostalgia has been transformed into a corpse for companies like Marvel to put makeup on and sell, as is clearly happening with Wolverine.
To expound further from Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, it has become abundantly clear that Marvel Studios has no intention of ending its franchise. They clearly could have ended their cinematic universe after the release of Avengers: Endgame, the definitive end to what is now deemed “The Infinity Saga.” What was once common knowledge to every writer, director, producer, and any team member even slightly involved in creating a story is now ignored by blockbuster franchises: Stories need to have an ending.
Deadpool 3 hits theaters sometime in 2024.
The Salesian Spectator 