- Deadpool vs. Everybody
The only story bigger than superheroes fighting each other is Deadpool beating them all. Who would have thought just a few short years ago a film about the Merc with the Mouth would be a bigger critical and commercial success (it just became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time) than a film starring the two most famous superheroes in history.
Deadpool became an unplanned herald of R-rated superhero flicks like the upcoming Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman and the third Wolverine film hitting theaters next year and you can bet studios are doing all they can to learn from its success. Just like Suicide Squad apes Guardians of the Galaxy, it reinforces that fun is the most desirable trait in a comic book film. Whether a film is sanitized like a Marvel film’s or as grimdark as a D.C. flick, Deadpool proves that, even in an article analyzing the politics of these films, it’s fun that matters most to superhero films.
While the other films brought their characters together through tragedy, Deadpool did it with humor. Liberal or conservative, I bet you laughed at this movie. As far as unifying end notes for an editorial about what divides our heroes (and, by proxy, ourselves) I can’t think of a better one.
