How Do We Get the Wolverine We Deserve?
DEADPOOL (2016) was dope. It was hilarious, wildly irreverent (as only Deadpool could and should be), action packed and well-cast. Ryan Reynolds redeemed himself from his disastrous turn in the glowing green suit and crossed over to a franchise that could actually suit his talent. Kudos, welcome to the better comic cinematic universe (sort of). Seeing as how it’s April, there’s nothing new I can really tell you about the film, but on the off-chance you’ve managed to avoid seeing it, check out YC’s review of the film, which will definitely get you in a theater like yesterday.
But don’t take our word for it, DEADPOOL officially became the most successful R-rated film at the box office, proving that a faithful adaptation of a comic book character, no matter how controversial, could make for good viewing and big bucks. Or did it?
So, does the success of Deadpool mean we will finally get the Wolverine movie we deserve?
— Jamie Righetti (@JamieRighetti) February 15, 2016
Yep, that’s me asking the million-dollar question. WHAT ABOUT WOLVERINE? At the time, fresh off my chimichanga high, I was hopeful. Yes, DEADPOOL would have an effect because money talks. And I wasn’t wrong. The lure of cash wafted over the big wigs at DC and we’re soon to be the proud owners of an even longer R-rated version of BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN. Exciting, right? No? Well, maybe the film will make more sense with the extra scenes added in or maybe it’s more emo Bruce brooding or false idol reflections by Clark but I sure as shit know it’s not more Diana because that would be a smart decision and when have DC ever made one of those? Anyway.
Rumor has it WOLVERINE 3 is going for that R-rating and while the studio swears up and down it has nothing to do with the success of DEADPOOL, we’re not idiots. So let’s unpack the success of DEADPOOL for a minute. Yes, I loved the film but let’s think about what warranted that prized R-rating: language, violence and sex. Awesome. But with the exception of Wade’s affinity for guns, most of what we got from DEADPOOL is what we get in any Seth Rogen comedy (although please double pump the breaks on any GREEN HORNET sequels). That’s not exactly groundbreaking and we all know Logan has claws, not a sense of humor.
So that leaves us with the violence. Cool. If I’m honest, this is my only glimmer of hope for a faithful on-screen adaptation of Wolverine. I certainly don’t mean to knock Hugh Jackman’s portrayal. He’s not only brilliant, he IS Wolverine. But an actor can only work with the material they’re given and that’s always been incredibly lacking. And here’s the problem, Deadpool never gets as dark as Wolverine does. Ajax can’t hold a candle to how fucked up Stryker is. Hiding from your girlfriend because your face turned into a melted asshole doesn’t even touch Logan’s difficult choice in the Dark Phoenix saga. So if we want to look for how to get fucked up and dark and still be wildly successful, DEADPOOL isn’t the place to start. But Netflix is.
There’s no question that DAREDEVIL (2015) and JESSICA JONES (2015) have made a huge impact on Marvel Entertainment. Without their success, we wouldn’t be getting the highly anticipated LUKE CAGE (2016) series or IRON FIST (2017). I think these two shows offer us the best examples of how to do dark and have people raving. DAREDEVIL has given us glorious, unabashed violence. Matt Murdock throws the fuck down in those shadowy hallway fights. In Season Two, we’re even given scenes of The Punisher on a water tower, sniping. Faithful to the character, even in an age where we’ve seen senseless gun violence too often. Even when it leaves something to be desired, DAREDEVIL is still one of Marvel’s best offerings.
On the flip side, JESSICA JONES went dark as hell. The plot centers around sexual abuse and survival. Jessica is a barely functioning alcoholic, who gets drunk to forget about the lingering effects of her abuse. There’s drug addiction and manipulation. There’s wild superhero sex. And it was feminist as fuck. It was brilliant. The Purple Man (played to perfection by my favorite Doctor, David Tennant) asking Jessica to smile or insisting his relationship with Jessica was not rape, despite the lack of consent, were incredible indictments of rape culture. JESSICA JONES hits you hard and makes you uncomfortable but it was still hugely successful.
So, dark can be done. Comic book violence can be done. But will it ever be done on the big screen? I’m not sure. For all their success, Marvel Entertainment has never lifted the lessons of DAREDEVIL and JESSICA JONES and applied them to the greater MCU. There is potential if we EVER get a Black Widow solo film but this is also a franchise owned by Disney. I hope but don’t hold my breath. And if it’s not done in the MCU, who have the money and clout to pull this off, I’m not sure Fox would take the risk, especially when Wolverine is tied to their bread-and-butter franchise, The X-Men.
So let me pose this question, FanBros: Would we be better off rebooting Wolverine as a Netflix series?
