The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to new titles hitting theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Moviegoers who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know just how popular Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool franchise is, but the actor/filmmaker recently revealed why he throws out the first draft of those movies out. Honestly, the reasoning is pretty legit.
Deadpool & Wolverine broke records at the box office upon its release, with Shawn Levy's blockbuster putting Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman's faux feud on display for audiences. While moviegoers might assume that Reynolds' vision is clear from the jump, an interview with TorontoLife revealed more about how he writes for Wade Wilson. In his words:
Vulnerability is what I love and what I look for, particularly in a comedic role. When I’m writing the Deadpool movies, I always rip up the first draft. With that first draft, you write a comedy, because it’s really fun to write a comedy. But it doesn’t really hold together, so you rip it up and write a drama instead, and then you add the comedy back in.
Well, my mind is blown. This offers a peek behind the curtain on how Deadpool movies come together, and makes a great deal of sense. Because while all three blockbusters are jam packed with R-rated humor, there' also an emotional story underneath. And that's key to the property's wild success, both critically and at the box office.
In the first Deadpool movie, the story was about Wade Wilson's self-loathing, and the worry that Morena Baccarin's Vanessa wouldn't love him after his appearance was so drastically changed. For the second movie, it was about Cable's tragic backstory and Wade Wilson using his trauma to connect with Julian Dennison's Firefist. And both of these helped to buoy these movies outside of the constant barrage of fourth wall-breaking humor.
Of course, Deadpool & Wolverine brought back Hugh Jackman's Logan, this time a variant from another universe. Rather than being the hero we know and love, this version of Wolverine had failed to save his loved ones and the rest of the X-Men. He was filled with regret and bitterness, which was quite a mix of feelings to be dealing with amidst Wade Wilson's antics.
In the end this story was powerful, and Deadpool & Wolverine showed how much box office power the MCU could still have. Fans are hoping to see its title characters in upcoming Marvel movies, specifically the next two Avengers movies. We'll have to wait and see if/when they actually do.
The Deadpool franchise is streaming in its entirety on Disney+, and the next MCU movie hitting theaters is Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 24th as part of the 2026 movie release list.
