Peacemaker Shows How Deadpool Can Have An MCU Future

Despite being a significant critical hit for the burgeoning DCEU, Peacemaker has inadvertently revealed how Deadpool can continue to be a success for Marvel. The John Cena vehicle, created by auteur and comic book agent-of-chaos James Gunn has proved popular on streaming service HBO Max and cemented the titular character’s status after his live-action debut in The Suicide Squad. Although comparisons between Peacemaker and Ryan Reynolds’ Merc-with-a-Mouth may seem superficial, the former’s success potentially provides a blueprint for one of Marvel Studio’s hitherto most controversial creations.

Unlike many of their more family-friendly counterparts, both Deadpool and Peacemaker revel in extreme onscreen violence, bad language, and almost anything else unlikely to appear in a run-of-the-mill Captain America movie. While Deadpool has probably been the most successful of the two properties – grossing over $1.5bn across two movies – it arguably faces a more challenging future, thanks to Marvel and Disney’s generally wholesome reputation. However, despite DC’s generally darker tone, Peacemaker is still significantly more gratuitous than studio tentpoles such as Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Therefore, while Deadpool has definitively proven that there is a substantial appetite for cinematic R-rated comic book action, Peacemaker‘s continuing success proves that there’s more than one way to keep this audience engaged.

In fact, even with Deadpool‘s impressive box office, it is Peacemaker‘s small screen triumph that really holds the key to Wade Wilson’s future. By expanding onto HBO Max, the show has not only been able to fully flesh out its main character, but also allow its developers greater creative freedom than ever. For a show that revels in the absurd and thrives off its ability to shock in ever more innovative ways in bite-sized installments, the move to TV has been instrumental in its success. Although Deadpool may not be finished with the cinema just yet, it is the shift to a similar series-style format that will ultimately guarantee the future of both the character and the franchise.

While the first two movies have been generally well-received, Deadpool‘s schtick relies on a fresh approach in order to remain engaging. Already by the end of Deadpool 2, the constant irreverence was beginning to grate for some viewers. Replacing feature-length riffing with more manageable episodic content, of the sort seen in Peacemaker, would help maintain audience interest and ensure the character doesn’t overstay his welcome. Furthermore, as Peacemaker has proven, the switch to TV could allow the franchise to incorporate more lesser-known characters while giving them due consideration. It is unlikely, for instance, that Peacemaker figures like Vigilante and Leota would have resonated as strongly with audiences had they been condensed into a more traditional 90-minute spin-off. Taking a similarly expansive approach with Deadpool‘s lore could allow the franchise to become even richer, while simultaneously finding ever more innovative ways to both offend and excite.

One potential difficulty for Deadpool is its association with Disney. On paper, this relationship presents a problem, as the studio has a reputation for focusing on mass-market appeal over riskier projects. Moving to the small screen could therefore be crucial in order to ensure that studio interference doesn’t dilute what makes the franchise so great. Series’ such as Pam & Tommy have already proven that the studio is more comfortable hosting risque content on Disney+ than in giving it a big-screen release. This, combined with the established success of Peacemaker, proves that there is substantial demand for unconventional content targeted at an adult audience on a streaming platform. While it may require some tweaks to the accepted Deadpool formula, it’s clear that a small-screen switch could see Marvel match DC in an area where the studio is arguably gaining the upper hand.

Episodes of Peacemaker air Thursdays on HBO Max