Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Since hitting theaters last week,Deadpool & Wolverinehas been hailed as a tribute to a bygone era of Marvel films thanks toits absurd list of cameos.Shawn Levy,Ryan Reynolds,Hugh Jackman, and the rest of the team managed to land no shortage of characters from Fox’s comic book movies, though one notorious flop was notably absent —2015’sFantastic Four. While the superpowered family featured inTim Story’s 2005 title got some love in the multiversal feature, the same cannot be said for the much-maligned 20th Century Studios reboot, though it wasn’t for a complete lack of trying. In a spoiler-filled interview, Reynolds told Collider’sSteve Weintraubjust how close an appearance from the group was to fruition.
Fantastic Four, perhaps better known as the stylizedFant4stic,was the lowest-grossing movie starring Marvel’s first family, thanks in part to a ghastly reception from both critics and audiences. The film sits at a 9% score onRotten Tomatoesand the audience score isn’t much better. It does, however, feature a star-studded ensemble withTop Gun: MaverickstarMiles Tellerleading the team as Reed Richards alongsideKate Maraas Sue Storm,Michael B. Jordonas Johnny Storm, andJamie Bellas Ben Grimm. As a piece of superhero cinema, it also would’ve still had a place in the world ofDeadpoolconsideringthe extremely wide net cast for the project.
Reynolds says thatFant4sticwas definitely part of the discussion when planning out who would appear inDeadpool & Wolverine, but a few hurdles stood in the way of that happening. For one, it simply lacked the impact ofanother majorFantastic Fourcameo, but it also boiled downto budget and fears of going a little too far with licensing for an R-rated film. He said:
“Yeah, that was a part of it. But like that, you’re never going to get the mislead with like, Chris Evans, you know, with him doing it and the kind of license to thrill after that, with Chris. So you know, and also, we were trying to be mindful of the budget. We were trying to make the movie. We always understood it’s rated R, you know. It isn’t a blank check, and part of our responsibility is to return the investment that they’re making in us. So I never want a budget that I don’t feel like I can make good on. And the more kind of toys you start asking for and the more kind of characters you start wanting to license, the deeper in that sort of point of no return becomes.”
The Future of ‘The Fantastic Four’ Looks Brighter With ‘First Steps’
None of theFantastic Fourfilms to this point have been critical darlings, necessarily, but the MCU is looking to buck that trend withTheFantastic Four: First Steps. Releasing next year, the new film will see the team enjoy a proper return to the big screen for the first time in ten yearswith a star-studded castled byPedro Pascal,Vanessa Kirby,Joseph Quinn, andEbon Moss-Bachrach. It’ll shake the formula up for Marvel’s first family,as it takes place in the 1960s, and will feature the fearsome Galactus (Ralph Ineson) as its big bad. Filminghas begun on the filmwithWandaVision’sMatt Shakmanat the helm, setting the stage for an intriguing new adventure that willlead into 2026’s big team-up movieAvengers: Doomsdayfrom thereturning Russo Bros.and featuringa returningRobert Downey Jr.as Doctor Doom.
Deadpool & Wolverineis now playing in theaters. Check the link below to see how to get tickets.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.
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