Why Deadpool's Marketing is Better Than His Movies

Once Upon a Deadpool

Today marks the release of yet another superhero movie. For those whose minds immediately jumped to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, I want to personally apologize. That wasn't the one that I was talking about. That comes out on Friday. The film that I'm referring to is Once Upon a Deadpool, which should seem a bit odd given that Deadpool 2 was released less than six months ago. How could there be another film ALREADY? Well, for those who don't know the tomfoolery of director David Leitch and crew, what has happened is that the sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated original has a novelty structure, cutting down The Merc with the Mouth's iconic R-Rated nature into a PG-13 box with similar structure design to that of The Princess Bride. It's a concept that seems cute and silly, but as reviews will be quick to point out, there's still the question of why. Why does this need to exist? It gets to the heart of my complaint about the Deadpool movie franchise writ large. In one sense, it's the greatest franchise of modern superhero lore. However, that's not because of the movies. 

On one hand, Deadpool is the quintessential 2010's superhero character. Sure, he may lack the finesse of Wolverine or the iconic leadership of Iron Man and Captain America, but there's something inherently modern about Deadpool despite being almost 30 years old. He's the one character who KNOWS he's a character and has treated every appearance no matter what form as one grand joke about life. He may not be existentially deep given that most of his humor comes from poking fun at tropes and defying the laws of natural physics, but it only adds to the wonder of this character who exists outside of the known logic. Everyone knows that Avengers: Infinity War was a movie made with green screens and special effects. Everyone knows that content is curated towards certain markets. And yet there's Deadpool, who exists as a social commentator and in 2017 presented a trailer for Deadpool 2 by dressing up as Toy Story's Woody doll in what was likely a nod to the Fox/Disney merger. Deadpool is a clever character, but he's oddly better outside of conventions.

This isn't to say that the films are bad. The first Deadpool may have been contrived and formulaic, but Deadpool 2 played into a more gleeful delusion of what his character has meant to comics for decades. He even brought along Celine Dion to make a heartfelt ballad. In some ways, it was made better when you realize it was almost a note-for-note parody of Logan. However, it does feel wrong to limit Deadpool to a two hour running time and a plot whose conventions must be wrapped up before the audience loses interest. Sure, there's magic in seeing him mass murder his enemies over the closing credits. He's definitely playing with the form in ways that most mainstream superhero movies wouldn't dare. It's fun and edgy, but it's still satire that can be recognized, playing on trendy jokes that are likely to become dated in less than 10 years - even if the battling opinions of dubstep are timeless.

But honestly, he's been more interesting outside of the form. Everyone expects Deadpool to make movies that are ribald, insanely violent, and have juvenile humor. There's nothing wrong with that, though it does diffuse his creativity a bit. Where Deadpool really shines is in the marketing of Deadpool, or any product in general. Knowing that he's a character in the 21st century gives him a lot of perks, most notably in being able to satirize the insane environment of self-promotion. That's how things are these days. YouTube celebrities have to rely on their personal accounts to get clicks, and the ability to make news is more difficult than ever, relying more on stunts than substance. It's all key to what has made Deadpool endure for the past few years. It isn't his movies, but more that he has finally reached a point in time where the idea of self-promotion is a crazy concept where everyone knows they're promoting themselves for personal gain. So, why not have Deadpool do that since he's always been looking out for numero uno?

Be honest. How memorable is the Deadpool marketing branch? Even their knowingly dumb Oscar campaign in 2016 had a little humor involved that could be enjoyed. Beyond that, Deadpool 2 upped the ante by having Thanksgiving posters imitating Norman Rockwell, trailers commenting on Fox/Disney mergers, a Good Housekeeping magazine, and even Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool appearing on the YouTube channel Honest Trailers commenting on the commentors. The level of meta goes deep, and it's totally fun to see audiences inundated with ads to be surprised by the expectations of Deadpool. True, some of it is mostly zeitgeist-capturing moments that will fade out of relevancy, but it's the type of marketing that any film would strive for: a strong understanding of brand and an ability to play with it in ways that aren't just fun trailers or billboards. Basically, you can navigate the past few years of marketing design simply by what Deadpool has released.

Which is why Once Upon a Deadpool is both the most brilliant thing that the franchise has done and the least essential. It knows that it's cutting out vulgarity for a PG-13 rating, and it's going to comment on the entire experience. It's transcendent in that way. However, it's still repackaging the film and once again questioning Deadpool's relevance. As an existential question, it has profound layers about cynical mass marketing and repackaging of films for profit. However, it's still paying to see the same film again, but with Fred Savage giving dual commentary at points. It is fine and may be worth a laugh, but it does feel like the film isn't invested enough in pointing out how inessential it is, if just because it has nothing to gain from this experiment. In a time of year packed with movie releases (and yet another superhero movie coming out two days later), it's likely that this will fade quickly. It's funny that anyone thought this was a good idea, though maybe... that's the joke. It will exist as a morbid curiosity and ode to cynical consumerism while commenting on it. Who knows.

Deadpool is a fun character because he seemingly has no master. Even if the Fox/Merger deal means that he could appear in whatever comes after Avengers: Endgame, there's still the reality that he is best used as a character out of context and place, being forced to find meaning in a world that takes itself too seriously. He would be best used as a gag opposite the X-Men than a central figure. It's why it's best to see where he winds up on the marketing side, where he can push boundaries within good taste. He's a provocative figure and one who definitely raises a lot of questions about the consumption of media, which is what his films aren't about. They're about being wild and edgy. That's fine, but you can't help but feel more entertained by the idea of him being a cog in the machine instead.