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Marvel Slammed For Adding “Most Hated” Writer to ‘Deadpool 3’s Creative Team

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Posted on by Averyl Fong
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) with hands on face, She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) and Megan Thee Stallion, edit

Credit: Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios/Fox

This controversial decision is getting a huge reaction.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool
Credit: Alasdair Mclellan

Related: Ryan Reynolds Would Like a SMALLER Budget For ‘Deadpool 3’

A while back, Marvel Studios made an announcement that the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise, Deadpool 3, will be released under their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) banner, after they acquired 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios). This Deadpool update broke via actor Ryan Reynolds (Adam Project, Free Guy), who portrays the character Deadpool/Wade Wilson in the films, who made this revelation along with his “frenemy” Hugh Jackman, known for his role as Wolverine/Logan in the X-Men Universe.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool
Credit: Marvel Studios

The first Deadpool movie debuted in 2016 to much critical acclaim and box office success, following a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary who gains accelerated healing powers after undergoing experimental treatment for his terminal cancer — becoming a masked vigilante seeking revenge. The film received critical acclaim for its humor, action, and performance by Reynolds, and became the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. The sequel Deadpool 2 saw the same irreverent and foul-mouthed superhero form a team of mutants to protect a young boy from a time-traveling cyborg. Over the years, the Deadpool films have starred Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, TJ Miller as Weasel, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Stefan Kapičić as Colossus, Josh Brolin as Cable, and Zazie Beetz as Domino.

deadpool on blind al' shoulder
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Reportedly Cast Wolverine Actor Steps Away, Wants Nothing to Do With MCU

Deadpool 3 is indeed returning under the direction of Shawn Levy, and now as part of The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Cinematic Universe instead of Fox’s X-Men one, but this new instalment of the Merc with a Mouth may have some troubling new changes — if the furor from the reported Marvel announcement is to be believed.

Why is Marvel getting slammed for this Deadpool 3 decision?

Deadpool 3 Ryan Reynolds Hugh Jackman Update
Credit: Ryan Reynolds on YouTube

Recently, it was announced that Deadpool 3 is reportedly adding writer Zeb Wells to its team of writers and creatives, as The Direct states in this Twitter update. The internet immediately exploded — and not out of excitement or enthusiasm.

All of this upset is somewhat warranted — but before we get into the real reasons fans have for being upset, some of the initial, visceral reactions were quite extreme to what most would think to be a somewhat benign announcement.

dopinder driving deadpool
Credit: 20th Century Studios

When the instant uproar broke out, where one of the top replies to the announcement tweet is of a single image of Breaking Bad‘s (2008) Walter White (Bryan Cranston) screaming in anguish posted by @wee_jofff, that garnered nearly 2K likes.:

The commotion also saw Will Lashley commenting drily:

aprils fools was yesterday wasn’t it?

While @robbie1878 expressed disdain at Marvel Studios for giving the former She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) writer another Marvel job, instead of showing them to “the unemployment line”:

who ever made the decision to add a she hulk writer to anything but the unemployment line ……..

But where is a lot of the hate truly founded for Marvel and MCU fans? Well, it’s no surprise that She-Hulk was very much disliked by a majority of the Marvel-loving crowd due to its overuse of “cringy” humor and writing clichés and cop-outs (that the writers actually acknowledged in the series itself), in an attempt at “meta”-style humor not unlike that of Deadpool. Of course, there are also several fans who believe that the series was shoe-horning in “female representation”, calling the series and its writers “woke” (in a derogatory sense). However, beyond the fan hatred for She-Hulk, lies a more Marvel Comics-based dislike — as Wells, not just scheduled for upcoming Captain Marvel (2019) sequel The Marvels (2023) but now Deadpool 3 — has a history of writing several dislike comic book adaptations, including those of the modern “Amazing Spider-Man”:

I’m so worried for Deadpool 3 and now even The Marvels. Y’all, that man gave us this💀💀:

On top of being a Robot Chicken, She-Hulk, “Venom” and “Carnage” writer, as well as “two of the arguably most hated shows in the MCU”, Wells is also the man responsible for “the current Amazing Spider-Man run”, as @Spider_1963 puts it:

He’s not just the writer for two of the arguably most hated shows in the MCU, he’s also the writer of the current Amazing Spider-Man run, that guy is a terrible writer.

@Mr_Red18k summarizes much of the ensuing fan response, with a sheepish:

Well in that case gonna go ahead and lower my expectations for The Marvels and Deadpool 3

Meanwhile, there’s still some hope, as @theR5archives puts it despite mixed feelings — “the writing needs to be A1 on this one” as Deadpool 3 is “easily the most anticipated phase 5 project”:

Judging by how he writes some modern Spider Man comics, I have mixed feelings about this. Deadpool 3 is easily the most anticipated phase 5 project, and the writing needs to be A1 on this one. I still have faith that it’ll be amazing, but still.

Well, regardless of fan reactions, the Marvel Machine keeps chugging along — with a ton of projects on the schedule in the near future, despite reports of superhero fatigue and recent assault allegations pertaining to its stars. Kevin Feige and Company likely have some idea what people will be willing to watch — and we can all hope, a genuine vision with how the next parts of the Multiverse Saga and Avengers films will play out, with everyone coming back for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2026). Maybe we’ll finally see these X-Men world characters, like Patrick Stewart’s Professor X/Charles Xavier fighting alongside Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson, with a brand new iteration of Fantastic Four, to take down Doctor Doom in the same Marvel universe. We’ll still get to see the epic crossover between Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in the same Marvel movie, at least. Shoddy writing or not.

Do you agree with the backlash to the reported new Deadpool 3 writer announcement? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Averyl Fong

Averyl is a freelance writer and general nerd about entertainment, food, theatre, D&D - and of course, theme parks. Based in Singapore, she could wax poetic about the immersive genius of the Haunted Mansion, or regale you with her undying love for the campy beauty of Sindbad's Storybook Voyage - but she won't, because she has some compassion.

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