I’ll admit it: Deadpool’s “low point” joke at theMCU’s expense inDeadpool & Wolverineisn’t as unfair as I first thought. There were many reasons to be excited about Deadpool’s MCU debut in 2024’sDeadpool & Wolverine. Setting aside the titular team-up itself, it marked the X-Men’s first in-earnest foray intothe MCU after mutants were establishedin movies likeBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. It had also been six years since Deadpool was on the big screen, and I was personally hyped about seeing how Marvel Studios would incorporate the Merc' with a Mouth into the wider MCU.
I think we all knew what to expect. Deadpool is the last character to pull his punches, both physically and verbally, with some of Deadpool’s best jokes being at the expense of his co-stars and the filmmakers responsible for bringing him into live-action. The fact is, the MCU had a big target painted on its back by the timeDeadpool & Wolverineneared release, with the movie that immediately preceded it,The Marvels, becomingthe MCU’s lowest-grossing to date. At first, I thoughtDeadpool kicked the MCU while it was down. In retrospect, he was kind of right.
Deadpool & Wolverine Made A Joke About The MCU Being At A Low Point
Deadpool’s MCU Opinions Were Not Censored
Deadpool took aim at the MCU more than once inDeadpool & Wolverine. His rapid-fire quips can be hard to keep track of, but one of the most memorable came early on, moments afterDeadpool’s Wolverine-hunting montagebrought “Worst Wolverine” to the TVA. After lambasting anoften-cited MCU tropewith a “He’s standing right behind me…isn’t he?” (A “trope” I will always assert is unfair), Deadpool strikes right at the heart of the matter when he turns to Wolverine and says “Welcome to the MCU, by the way. You’re joining at a bit of a low point.”
The MCU had released its worst-rated movie, worst-rated TV show, and worst-performing movie in the space of the single year preceding Deadpool & Wolverine.
This wouldn’t be the last joke Deadpool would make at the Multiverse Saga’s expense, either. Towards the end, moments before brawling with the Deadpool Corps in one ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s best action sequences, Deadpool pleads, “Can we just be done? With the whole multiverse thing? It’s not great. It’s just been miss after miss after miss.” Compared to his earlier joke, Deadpool certainly doesn’t mince his words here.
At the same time, he wasn’t exactly wrong. The MCU had released its worst-rated movie, worst-rated TV show, and worst-performing movie in the space of the single year precedingDeadpool & Wolverine. Prior to this,the Multiverse Saga launched with a string of underperformers, with (in release order)Black Widow,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, andEternalsbecoming the third, fifth, and fourth-lowest-grossing MCU movies, respectively, at the time.Eternalswas also the MCU’s first “Rotten” movie onRotten Tomatoesat the time, though it has since gained company.
Captain America: Brave New World Is The Latest MCU Project To Disappoint Critics
It Continues To Divide Critics And Fans
Captain America: Brave New Worldhas proved to be aparticularly divisive MCU installment. The positive response toDeadpool & Wolverinemight have supercharged optimism forthe future of the MCUhadCaptain America: Brave New Worldnot helped to continue a baffling new trend where a critical dud follows an acclaimed installment. While I hope this doesn’t continue on the current trajectory,it exemplifies a glaring issue the MCU faces in the Multiverse Saga, as its critical flops are disproportionately part of the last two MCU phases.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
46%
5
47%
4
48%
52%
62%
Thor: Love and Thunder
63%
67%
2
68%
1
70%
72%
Ofthe ten worst-rated MCU productionsacross TV and cinema, seven are a part of the Multiverse Saga. Sadly, as the third-worst-rated (so far),Captain America: Brave New Worldhas exacerbated this unfortunate stat, though it notably knockedDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness- another Multiverse Saga installment - out of the bottom ten.Thor: The Dark World, which held the bottom spot for eight years, is now the seventh-worst-rated MCU movie, with critics now rating it higher than its sequel,Thor: Love & Thunder.
I’ve Changed My Mind, MCU Phases 4 And 5 Are A Low Point For Marvel
It’s Hard To Overlook The Issues The Multiverse Saga Has Faced
I’ll preface what I’m about to say by acknowledging that there seems to be a form of cognitive bias regarding critics' opinions of recent MCU installments, which relates to why I thinkAvengers: Endgamehelped to destroy the MCU. WhetherThor: Love & Thunderis truly worse thanThor: The Dark World, for instance, is debatable, while general sentiments towardsEternalshave vastly improved in the three years since its release. Setting aside my personal opinions, however,it’s hard to ignore the issues that plague MCU Phases 4 and 5.
The Best (& Worst) Movie From Every Phase Of The MCU
The MCU has experienced successes and failures in every phase, but each phase has one film that stands out as the best and one as the worst.
For example, while I thinkEternalsis one ofthe most egregiously underrated MCU installments, the titular team epitomizes one of the biggest problems of the Multiverse Saga. Alongside Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, and Dane Whitman (to name a few),the Eternals are an example of characters recently introduced in one MCU Phase only to be sidelined for the entirety of the next MCU Phase. This is both unheard of and indicative of an oversaturation issue. After all, MCU stalwarts like Thor and Spider-Man are still going strong as the MCU’s character roster only continues to swell.
An exceptionally large output compared to previous MCU Phases also makes keeping abreast of MCU plot threads even harder as fans must now consider multiple TV shows in addition movies.
This also feeds into the MCU feeling more disparate than ever. Without an Avengers movie to help punctuate each phase and bring its composite characters together for a common cause, there is little reason to care about what Shang-Chi has been up to, personal desires notwithstanding. Set-ups like the two post-credits scenes ofEternalsadditionally remain unaddressed. Still, while the Multiverse Saga has its issues, I refuse to lose sight of the fact that it hosted some of the best MCU installments, which imbues me with hope for the future.
Marvel Can Still Turn Things Around In MCU Phase 6
MCU Phase 6 Boasts The Most Promising Release Slate Yet
Recent MCU installments likeAgatha All AlongandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol.3help to provethe MCU hasn’t yet run the gamut. Furthermore, should the strange on-again-off-again pattern that seems to be emerging in the MCU continue withThunderbolts*(especially ifthe latestThunderbolts*traileris anything to go by), then we should be in for yet another stellar MCU installment. The concern, then, is thatThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill fall short of expectations - but I think that’s highly unlikely.
Thunderbolts*is due to be released on May 2, whileThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis due to be released on July 25.
Instead,Thunderbolts*could end MCU Phase 5 on a high note and open the door to a phase that could be, dare I say it, comparable to MCU Phase 3.The building blocks for a mind-blowing MCU Phase 6 are all there, launching with one of the most anticipated MCU installments that Kevin Feige himself has professed to be a labor of love, and ending - finally - with two Avengers movies. Other confirmed MCU projects for Phase 6 includeSpider-Man 4, the latest installment in one ofthe MCU’s most dependable franchises.
Deadpool &Wolverinewas right: The Multiverse Saga has been a low point for the MCU. The pressure on MCU Phase 6 to succeed is immense, and I don’t envy the filmmakers involved in delivering on such hotly anticipated movies asThe Fantastic Four: First StepsandAvengers: Doomsday. Thankfully, Avengers movies are the perfect space to finally deliver on the myriad plot threads the Multiverse Saga has left hanging, and perhaps the vast gulf between Avengers installments will help to supercharge enthusiasm for this saga’s climax when it finally rolls around.
