Deadpool & Wolverine is the third movie starring Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth, and it also features the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Finally giving the clawed Canuck his iconic yellow costume, the movie is already seeing major waves in terms of fan interest. This creates several conclusions that Marvel Studios can draw for the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.

The most obvious of these would be the characters that fans want to see most, namely the X-Men. Likewise, slowing things down to better control quality is the best thing that the MCU could do for those fatigued by too much content of varying quality. Likewise, programming that’s geared towards older fans can create a greater sense of diversity and achieve what Marvel has been trying to do since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga.

Deadpool & Wolverine Shows That Marvel Studios Needs the X-Men

More than ever, fans are clamoring for Marvel Studios to introduce the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation of the X-Men. Those characters, along with the less popular Fantastic Four, had their cinematic rights held by 20th Century Fox. Once that company was bought by Disney (which owns Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios), it seemed like a given that the merry mutants would be in the MCU soon. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, with any sort of setup for these characters and concepts being delivered via an incredibly slow drip. This was mainly seen in the season finale of Ms. Marvel and a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but it’s yet to amount to much.

The hype for the new Deadpool movie, namely the introduction of Wolverine’s comic book-accurate costume, has fans already clamoring for more X-Men content. Furthering this sentiment is the success of the first season of X-Men ’97, which brought back the continuity of the 1990s cartoon, X-Men: The Animated Series. The new show used elements from both old-school and newer comics that were never seen in the Fox X-Men movies. Now, there’s a stronger fervor to see these things on the big screen and in live-action, allowing the stories to truly come to life. Getting the X-Men right is key to finally adapting those classic storylines, not to mention adding long-term interest and hype back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel Studios Could Benefit to Lower Its Output

One prevailing complaint that’s become even stronger in the 2020s is “superhero fatigue.”This describes the sentiment that superhero movies have become both so common and so increasingly mediocre that audiences as a whole are growing tired of them. This was compounded by many of them — including entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — becoming box office flops in 2023. In fact, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (the latter of which was actually made by Sony) were the only hits within the genre that year, with things ending on a particularly low note when The Marvels became a box office bomb. That’s without even bringing up the various MCU TV shows that have been released on Disney+, which themselves have rarely been acclaimed.

The deluge of content has even hardcore fans asking for Marvel Studios to slow down on all the projects coming down the pipeline. Perhaps in response to this, Deadpool & Wolverine is the only Marvel Studios/Marvel Cinematic Universe movie hitting theaters in 2024. This kind of discipline would have been unheard of when the MCU was firing on all cylinders, but now that it’s flailing, it’s become a necessity. It also points out a way that the shared universe can regain its former foothold in the realm of pop culture consciousness. Deadpool & Wolverine is able to generate a lot of hype, not only due to fans being generally excited by the concept, but also the fact that it’s the only major Marvel movie from Marvel Studios.

It gives the impression that the studio is finally slowing down and taking fan concerns seriously. It also recreates the sense that Marvel movies are “events,” which are the kinds of movies that perform especially well in today’s still fractured box office. Years ago, every MCU film had that same aura, but this has increasingly become no longer the case. One way to reverse that might be to follow the lead of the new Deadpool movie and releasing only one MCU movie a year, alongside two Disney+ shows. Conversely, two movies and one show is another option, with the two being interchanged depending on the year. This will help to once again make Marvel movies into much-anticipated releases instead of lists to check off.

Where Marvel Went Wrong in Making Content for Younger Viewers

One issue with recent Marvel Studios projects is that they seemingly reach far too young in terms of target audience. This can be seen in the “tween comedy” that was Ms. Marvel, which was largely compared (favorably, to be fair) to a Disney Channel show. Though that series was well-received, it didn’t have the broad viewership of any MCU Disney+ show, which did the titular character few favors. A similar sense of humor and tension was found in the 2023 movie, The Marvels, and though that movie’s ending was seemingly meant to lead into a Young Avengers movie, it’s hard to see that happening anytime soon.

Most of the Young Avengers heroes have not had the opportunity to win over audiences, including the well-liked Kamala Khan, who was in a TV show with a low viewership and starred in a box office flop. If anything, the Kate Bishop Hawkeye played by Hailee Steinfeld is the only true winner of the bunch. By shifting the focus to a much younger target audience, Marvel Studios may have unwittingly alienated older fans who had been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years. This was the shared universe’s bread and butter, so losing their interest has had a dramatic impact on things.

It doesn’t help that these attempts to reach a younger audience haven’t really succeeded, as the more youth-oriented works may not have been aligning with the tastes and interests of the current generation. Instead, projects such Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and various anime are the kinds of things that kids are paying attention to. A better method might have been to create non-MCU cartoons for young kids and put them on Disney+, or at least make more of the youth-based MCU projects “optional.” On the other hand, keeping things fun for the whole family should have remained the norm, and if anything, older audiences would have been the better group to gear specialty projects toward.

Hype for Deadpool & Wolverine Shows There’s a Market for More Adult Content

One thing that’s certain to happen in Deadpol & Wolverine is a plethora of brutal humor and violence that wouldn’t be possible in most Marvel Studios releases. Of course, a lot of this will be played for laughs, but the past several years have shown an increased appetite for darker superhero fare. Along with the previous two Deadpool movies, there was also the far darker and more serious Logan. At Warner Bros. Discovery and DC, the controversial Joker showed the popularity of a certain Clown Prince of Crime in a brutal and gritty drama. Likewise, Amazon Prime Video shows such as The Boys and Invincible show that those who grew up with the MCU are getting older and that their interests have changed.

With how well-liked these movies and shows are, it’s no surprise that something similar with Deadpool & Wolverine (which is already set to have a massive opening weekend box office haul) is now being felt. Thus, Marvel Studios would be wise to create content on the same level, even if it’s not all as irreverent. Beforehand, there was a lot of success and acclaim for most of the Marvel Netflix shows, namely Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and especially Daredevil. Currently, a follow-up to the latter is in the works, and it’s going to be under the Marvel Spotlight banner for darker, more adult projects.

Said banner might also be how the much-beleaguered Blade movie or any follow-ups to Werewolf by Night are brought to audiences. Older fans are mostly the ones with money, so Marvel growing with their audience, at least in some projects, is far from an unwise decision. If anything, it’s the way things should be going across the board to some extent, especially given criticisms over “Marvel humor.” Deadpool & Wolverine is currently set for its own sort of comedy, fun and games, but with how successful it already is, the positivity that it and similar works can generate is no laughing matter.

Deadpool & Wolverine will release in theaters on July 7, 2024.