Why Deadpool Is The Only Character Allowed To Break The Fourth Wall In His Movies
We're getting close to the release of "Deadpool & Wolverine," the only Marvel movie releasing in 2024, and arguably the biggest superhero film release since "Spider-Man: No Way Home." According to /Film's Ryan Scott, footage shown at this year's CinemaCon looked "funny, but not laugh-out-loud funny."
The film will see Deadpool taken out of the timeline by the Time Variance Authority and set out on a mission to change the history of the MCU. Along for the ride is one version of Hugh Jackman's Logan, aka Wolverine (just not necessarily one we've met before). One thing you should not expect this Wolverine to do is break the fourth wall like the Merc with a Mouth, because only Deadpool can break the fourth wall in a "Deadpool" movie.
Indeed, as director Shawn Levy told Vanity Fair, "There actually is a system here."
"There are rules. Very specific rules," Ryan Reynolds added. "You would diminish stakes in the film if everyone — or even anyone else — was also aware of the fourth wall or any kind of meta aspect. Deadpool is the only character who has that ability to do that. If everyone did that, then you would no longer invest in that character as much. You really want to believe that the villain is a villain. You really want to believe that your costar's character is true as well. Deadpool can undermine that — and does undermine that — because you don't want the audience to take him as seriously."
For Jackman — who jokes about making the mistake of suggesting having Logan break the fourth wall on his first day — Deadpool's antics, be it breaking the fourth wall or just doing lame jokes, are "just another layer of annoying crap that I've got to put up with" and "another excuse to punch him in the face."
Fourth wall-breaking Marvel characters
Deadpool may be the only character who is allowed to break the fourth wall in his own film, but he is far from the only Marvel character we've seen do the same. Of course, there's the many fourth wall-breaking scenes in "She-Hulk," including a joke about Disney+ that was as hilarious as it was an effective jab against the streaming era. But even before Jennifer Walters, there were meta jokes in "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Loki," and who can forget Baby Groot breaking the fourth wall by touching the camera during the opening sequence of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"?
The question now is, how will Deadpool interact with the rest of the MCU, particularly characters like She-Hulk? Will they remove Jennifer's self-awareness, or will the two of the break the fourth wall together? Will we even see them together at all? It's possible Marvel would rather keep them separated so as to not diminish the uniqueness of each character. In the meantime, we now know no one can wink at the camera in "Deadpool & Wolverine" except the former. "Deadpool & Wolverine" opens on July 26, 2024.