Deadpool has always been one to bust through boundaries. He created his own ultra-meta superhero movie subgenre, took the Marvel Cinematic Universe model and delivered a high-octane version, and now he’s breaking down the once-impenetrable, legally enforced boundary between the MCU and the Fox X-Men movies with Deadpool & Wolverine.
But as the title suggests, Wade Wilson isn’t tackling this challenge alone. Deadpool & Wolverine is a two-hander that favors Hugh Jackman’s take on Logan as much as Ryan Reynolds’ trademark Merc with a Mouth. Together, they may have established a new first for Marvel: a fun, frothy romantic comedy — or, at least, a bromantic comedy.
To celebrate tickets for the July 26 movie now being available for purchase, Marvel released a new sneak peek of the film that appears to be an oddly intimate compilation of moments between the two heroes, set to the haunting tones of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Check out the video below.
Weirdly, these are some of the most rom-com-esque images we’ve seen in the MCU so far. While there are countless Marvel love stories — Steve and Peggy, Gamora and Peter Quill, Wanda and Vision — they’ve always been rife with grief and trauma, putting the couples through the wringer of amnesia, time travel, or worse.
But Deadpool & Wolverine has a different dynamic: two guys who don’t want to work with each other but discover they have more in common than they thought (like Loki’s Loki and Morbius but with more R-rated jokes and less noble sacrifice). Whether or not they end up in a romantic relationship doesn’t really matter: emulating a rom-com, even platonically, will still be the closest the MCU has gotten to a frothy enemies-to-lovers dynamic.
It’s certainly not something the marketing is shying away from. If fans purchase a $65 “Premium Package,” they’ll receive two tickets to Deadpool & Wolverine as well as a heart-shaped pair of best friend necklaces. Those same necklaces have appeared on posters and even Blake Lively’s Super Bowl ensemble.
It may have been eight years since Deadpool advertised its Valentine’s Day 2016 release with fake rom-com posters, but Deadpool & Wolverine could actually make good on the promise. It won’t be a traditional rom-com and end with a kiss and a swelling soundtrack, but nothing about Deadpool has ever been traditional. Why should this be any different?
