Deadpool & Wolverine: What Is Marvel Homework?

Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine quotes have us wondering: What Is Marvel Homework?

Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy says that you won’t need to do extra “homework” to enjoy Deadpool & Wolverine. However, is that true? A lot of the Phase 5 Marvel titles have come under fire from grumpy fans and bad actors alike for requiring too much viewing to enjoy them. Phase 4 and 5’s runtimes are available on any number of charts all over the Internet at your leisure. However, when you really drill down into the details of these films and TV shows, they behave much like other sequels in other franchises. Maybe there’s one or two movies that you might want to have seen to enhance the experience. 

“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy said to the Associated Press during that conversation. “I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world. But I didn’t want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research.”

So, there’s no obligation to come with prior “research.” That’s true. But, the definitions of research and “homework” need a little clarifying here. A lot of the fans attracted to the idea of Deadpool & Wolverine are drawn to the project because of all that existing story that was built up over years. (ComicBook.com’s Phase Zero podcast has been taking that journey through the Fox X-Men franchise over the last few months and there are so freaking many movies to go through.) Still, these comments are being cheered online, despite the nebulousness of the definitions. 

Can You Really Go Into Deadpool & Wolverine Cold?

I mean, sure. But, obviously a lot of the people heading to the theater in July have been through the past two movies with Ryan Reynolds‘ Deadpool. It helps that there’s only really been two appearances from The Merc With A Mouth. But, Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine is another kettle of fish entirely. The actor has been a staple of the Fox X-Men franchise. He’s been in most of the entires from X-Men all the way to Logan back in 2017. Jackman has even appeared in one of the Deadpool films in the direct tease to this movie. Will Deadpool & Wolveirne directly call on that tease? Who knows.

Still, that’s a ton of supplemental viewing material that ranges over more than a decade. So, you might want to start now if you’re a completionist-type. But, there’s another task in front of you here. Deadpool & Wolverine’s trailers and promo materials also lean heavily on Loki Seasons 1&2. Tom Hiddleston’s god of stories probably won’t appear. Still, with the Time Variance Authority, Minutemen, and The Void appearing multiple times, maybe Disney+ might not be a bad place to spend a few hours. (Do you actually recognize all of those words? Well, first hello, you’re probably one of our core readers. But, if not, yeah that might take a second to wrap your head around.)

Just in these few paragraphs, I’ve laid out more “homework” than the last few Marvel series have required. (And, significantly more than something like The Marvels needed to grasp a surprisingly simple plot.) The real work that the Deadpool & Wolverine director was doing here is smoothing that runway for all of this to go down as easily as possible. It’s amazing what you can do with the Ryan Reynolds hype cycle and the return of a beloved character. 

The Multiverse Saga And The Idea Of A “Quality Over Quantity”

As The Mutliverse Saga moves forward, there have been calls for a reboot from segments of the fanbase. (Some of those voices more honest than others.) Along with that, the ideas of bringing back familiar Avengers from The Infinity Saga, bringing in Doctor Doom, and other wild swings have been raised. However, a lot of these aims fly in direct contradiction to each other. Loki Season 2, X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine present a clear line of an upswing for Marvel Studios. Yes, the highs are not as high as 2019. (Look around you my friend, they really aren’t anywhere! And, that’s quite alright.) But, the quality is basically fine. The only two real mis-fires have been Secret Invasion and Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. Once The Marvels was available on Disney+, people changed their tune on the film.

Even with that caveat, it’s clear that the current trajectory should give viewers and fans some ebullient hope for the next 12 months of releases. Does it matter if you don’t watch every single solitary second of Phases 4 and 5 for Deadpool & Wolverine? Well, no. I’d argue that it never mattered for most of the other releases either. These movies have always been pretty accessible. (One large counter to this is a delightful piece from Slate where Avengers newbies tried to digest Endgame.) Fret not, good times are here again. But, that’s not because there’s less “homework” this time around. In fact, that previous experience is a huge reason Deadpool’s latest movie is going to be such a great time at the theater.

What cameo drawing on a previous movie or report are you looking forward to most? Thanks for reading @ComicBook for all your pop culture updates!