S Poddar
The latest tweets from Ryan Reynolds have us wondering: was Deadpool & Wolverine more than just a blockbuster – maybe it was actually a massive, two-hour focus group. With a cast of cameos that reads like a superhero who’s who, the film feels less like a movie and more like some sprawling audition for the MCU’s future.
Marvel’s gone through some wild times lately. Off the back of some cinematic stumbles, Deadpool & Wolverine is their golden ticket back to the top—raking in a staggering half a billion dollars and giving the MCU the much-needed charge of adrenaline. But behind all that dirty humor and frenetic action lies an astute business strategy.
The film’s literally littered with cameos—everything from the expected, like Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, to a few totally unexpected, like Wesley Snipes as Blade. It feels like a giddying talent Rolodex, and though not all of these cameos can be called straight-up fan service, one wonders if some might be more than that.
Take Channing Tatum’s Gambit, for example, who makes a cameo that feels like a cautiously planned test run. With the solo Gambit movie languishing in development hell for years, this really does feel like the Marvel way of testing the waters. And with Reynolds himself taking to Twitter to sing Channing Tatum’s praises enthusiastically, that’s certainly done nothing to quash a potential spin-off.
It’s not just Gambit. Reynolds has thrown his weight behind a Blade movie starring Wesley Snipes, and, of course, the surprise Henry Cavill Wolverine cameo that sent the internet into overdrive.
Marvel has developed a history of taking their fan favorites and making them into full-fledged franchises. Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness is among them. Stemming from the scene-stealing stint in WandaVision, she gets a spin-off of her own. Therefore, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that there will be comparable plans for some of these cameo characters.
Of course, not every cameo is some potential franchise starter. Some are just fun nods to Marvel’s rich history. However, following up with the unbelievable success of Deadpool & Wolverine, it is hard to ignore the business acumen behind casting.
While this is temptingly cynical exploitation, the film actually is. It constantly pokes fun at the corporate machine that’s driving the Marvel juggernaut. So, maybe we should embrace this meta commentary and just enjoy the ride. After all, if that’s what it takes to get more movies with our favorite superheroes, we’re not complaining.
One thing’s for sure: Ryan Reynolds and his merry band of cameos have managed to not only entertain us but also give Marvel a blueprint for the future. Be it Gambit Spin-off, Blade reboot, or Henry Cavill Wolverine—all that is certain is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has just begun.
