by Aelwen Iredale
Deadpool is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on July 26th. As a fan of the first two Deadpool films and an enjoyer of Marvel, I was excited when the trailer popped up on my feed. As I watched it, however, I found myself apprehensive of the coming movie’s plot and their approach to previous characters’ growth.
Deadpool’s humor, thankfully, seems as hilarious as ever—a crucial part of the character. His personality is not what concerns me (though if they do change him from the entertaining antihero I’ve always appreciated, I imagine that I won’t be the only person disappointed).
No, my apprehension lies in the depiction of the Time Variance Authority. I was (and am) an avid fan of the LOKI TV series. The TVA experienced a lot of growth in the show, developing from villains into heroes. Are they all good people? No, not at all. Bureaucracy is a pain. However, there was improvement. Yet in the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, Deadpool is seen fighting with people using Time-sticks, the weapons of the TVA. My worry is that the MCU writers have gone back on the TVA’s improvements and made them into villains again, thus erasing the growth in the LOKI series.
My concerns have a foundation, as well. There were many rumors after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that Wanda Maximoff’s character growth in Wandavision was erased due to screenwriters for the movie not watching the TV show or reading its scripts. It would be a shame to retcon what the LOKI series did; it is a critically acclaimed show which won Best Drama Series at the Critics’ Choice Television awards in January of 2024. It developed the character of Loki and the TVA in interesting, compelling ways. I hope that the screenwriters for Deadpool & Wolverine paid attention to what the LOKI show created and ensure its legacy isn’t rewritten or ignored.
I want to have a fun Deadpool movie. All I ask is that, on top of Deadpool’s own characteristics being upheld in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel doesn’t disregard what the LOKI series built.