Let no one say that Kevin Feige lacks a sense of humor.
The architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is often perceived as a serious businessman, or even a robot keeping the franchise from evolving. As Marvel’s universe stagnates, the scrutiny has only gotten stronger, especially with Marvel’s first R-rated feature on the horizon.
There’s a lot riding on Deadpool & Wolverine. Not only is it the film that’s (hopefully) going to wrap up Marvel’s multiverse saga in a neat little bow, but it also needs to bring its edgier sensibilities over to the aggressively PG-13 MCU. The Deadpool films are infamous for their meta humor, rampant violence, and filthy innuendos, so fans were concerned Marvel’s inherent tameness would neuter the property’s most out-there character.
Feige has heard these worries and acknowledged them in a recent sit-down with Inverse. “I think in the early days, it was like, ‘Oh, Disney’s making a Deadpool movie now. Does that mean we’re not going to be allowed to do things?’” Feige said. Apparently, even Ryan Reynolds — who’s cultivated Deadpool’s irreverent tone for the past 15 years — wondered if the team would have to cut back on the franchise’s trademark cheek. But Feige’s answer was pretty diplomatic: “I said, ‘Let’s just make a great movie like you did on the first two.’”
Evidently, he let the Deadpool & Wolverine team run wild. The film’s first trailer opened with a pegging joke, and subsequent teasers doubled down on that tone. Below, the Marvel Studios president breaks down two of the trailers’ riskiest jokes.
“Do you wanna build a snowman?”
Deadpool & Wolverine’s first full-length trailer ended with one of its better “Disney sees all” jabs, as Reynold’s Wade Wilson scolds his roommate, Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), for offering him a bit of nose candy.
“Cocaine is the one thing that Feige said is off-limits,” Wade says. “They know all the slang terms; they have a list.”
Per Feige, that joke might have been inspired by a conversation he had with Reynolds early in production. “I think Ryan was being respectful and asking, ‘Is there anything that we should avoid?’” Feige recalled. “I believe I said — and in my mind, it was sort of in passing — ‘Eh, this cocaine joke seemed a little stale. It might be a little old now; maybe we can do without that.’ And he translated that into, They’re not allowing us to do cocaine jokes, which he then turned into great cocaine jokes.”
Rob Liefeld’s Feet
The trailer also features a joke about Rob Liefeld, creator of Deadpool. As Wolverine and Deadpool walk through a destroyed town, they pass a storefront named “Liefeld’s Just Feet.” Feige recalls visiting the movie set and inquiring about that particular sign.
“I said, ‘Oh, it’s a shoutout to Rob, that’s nice.’ And they said, ‘You know what the feet is?’ I said, ‘No.’ Apparently, people say that he has a hard time drawing feet.”
This isn’t the first Liefeld gag to appear in a Deadpool film; Deadpool 2 made a reference to the creator when our hero meets Domino (Zazie Beetz). The duo debate the existence of luck-based superpowers, and Deadpool insists Domino’s skills were probably conceived by “some crackpot” that can’t draw feet.
Whether Liefeld actually has difficulty drawing feet or simply chooses not to is part of Deadpool lore at this point, but every joke about the comic book artist is all in good fun. Liefeld even approved of Deadpool & Wolverine’s storefront before it was revealed to the world, so it seems like everyone behind the scenes is cool with a joke or two at their expense.
