It’s hard to deny the idea of Superhero fatigue at the moment, but I don’t think it’s a general tiredness of all things superhero but rather a yearning for something different then what we’ve seen. Avengers: Endgame should have been the final installment in the type of superhero film we had seen up to that point with some new angle taking it’s place. Admittedly we should have been given a 2-3 year break to refresh our desire for the genre but when there’s money to be made that’s never going to happen.
It’s possible, however, that Deadpool, of all people, could be the one to reinvigorate us. Deadpool 3 is already soaked in fan service but, perhaps more importantly, seems poised to take the “multiverse” idea down a few pegs. It was a valiant effort but it’s just not something audiences are every going to latch onto long term. That’s not to say it hasn’t brought us some amazing moments, not the least of which was the entrance of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X looking exactly the way he did in the 90’s beloved X-Men animated series.
Thanks to a recent chat with ComicBookMovie.com, we now know with some level of certainty that Stewart hasn’t taken his last ride in that iconic yellow hoverchair. Honestly, thank God for that…if our last moment with him in that getup was him getting his neck broken by a grief stricken Scarlett Witch…well, that would just be criminal. Addressing Josh Horowitz the iconic actor said with regard to the mutant leader, “I do now have every confidence that he’s still around. [Deadpool 3] has come up. There’s been a process.”. Honestly I’d be amazed if Professor X wasn’t included given Deadpool’s proximity to the mutant team but it was always a toss up whether it would be Stewart or McAvoy.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows during their conversation. Stewart, a classically trained actor who’s been doing his thing for more then 4 decades, hasn’t had a great time with post-COVID set restrictions. Speaking of his time on Dr. Strange and the Multi-verse of Madness Stewart said that the last few years have been “frustrating and disappointing” due to the isolation required. While Stewart was sure to point out that the Sorcerer Supreme’s second outing was not to blame, but rather the pandemic, he did use his experience there as an example, saying “I was alone. I think that the big scene, each one of the leading actors had the same experience.”
It makes sense, a great actor, especially one as seasoned as Stewart, knows that your performance comes from both within and around you. You’re performance is fed by your scene partners and taking that away must leave some potential on the table.
In any event, and regardless of its effect on the genre as a whole I think we can all agree that Deadpool 3 is going to be one hell of a memorable ride.
