As many fans have been waiting for, Deadpool & Wolverine, which stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is finally out, and people absolutely love it. Many have been expecting a long time to see these two iconic characters together, and now they are on screen. Finally.
Namely, our colleague Richard Fink from MovieWeb, wrote an interesting opinion piece in which he stated, more or less, the following: “Everything Deadpool & Wolverine Did, She-Hulk Did Better“. In this interesting article, Richard provides us with an alternative take on the movie in which he assumes that Deadpool & Wolverine used the same formula as She-Hulk, but did better because… well, you’re going to read it for yourselves!
The main thesis, as presented in the above-linked article, is that Deadpool & Wolverine is not that original and that it simply builds on the same formula as She-Hulk, also implying that the series was better in that aspect:
“Deadpool & Wolverine is treading a lot of familiar ground, and a large portion of the praise that fans have given it seems to be ignoring that the MCU already did something similar in tone and format and did it better. That is, of course, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law ran for nine episodes in 2022 and, despite getting reviewed and bombed, garnered praise from critics and some high-profile fans. She-Hulk, both the character and the series, was criticized for a lot of the same things Deadpool & Wolverine is doing and getting a lot of praise. Is it as simple as Deadpool & Wolverine doing a bit better, or is there something else at work here?”
In his analysis, Fink states that both Deadpool and She-Hulk did absolutely the same things in the series, but where Deadpool is praised, She-Hulk was criticized, as it divided fans:
“She-Hulk’s ability to break the fourth wall, particularly in the season finale where she changes the ending, was said to “break” the MCU and not make sense. It divided fans. Yet, nobody seems to have an issue with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall within the MCU. Nobody even took umbrage with Deadpool breaking the fourth wall in the Fox X-Men universe, and instead, the film and character were praised for breaking the reality of those films.”
The same thing goes for the character’s sexuality. Namely, both of them are open about it, but whereas Deadpool is wacky and funny, She-Hulk was shamed, which seems to be an obvious double standard:
“Both Deadpool and She-Hulk are also characters who are open about their sexuality. The first Deadpool establishes that he is open and free with his sexuality; constantly flirting with Wolverine and various other male characters. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law addresses the character’s alter ego, Jennifer Walters, who struggles with dating. She has three partners in the series, leading a vocal minority to slut-shame her. In a way, the series got ahead of it by making those people essentially the villains of the series, yet Deadpool is warmly embraced as being a wacky, silly hero. It does feel like Deadpool is given more passes than She-Hulk.”
Fink further thinks that She-Hulk managed to make her jokes both relevant and on point, whereas Deadpool is simply using the same formula all over again; at the same time, She-Hulk’s humor was not lauded, while Deadpool is considered a genius: “Where She-Hulk: Attorney at Law poked fun at the MCU formula and gave a new type of ending, Deadpool & Wolverine comments on the MCU conventions and thinks that is enough to excuse it for indulging in those same tropes.”
Ultimately, Fink also comments on the dance scenes from both works. She-Hulk’s dance scene remains as one of the most controversial moments from the series. The fans hate it, and it has since become a meme representing everything wrong with the show. At the same time, Deadpool’s dance scene is lauded and praised as a great moment.
Fink ultimately concludes that there is no difference between the dance scenes in She-Hulk and Deadpool & Wolverine and that the former is criticized because it focuses on a female character, while the latter is praised because it’s about a man:
“If one is being genuinely honest, there is no difference on the surface between Deadpool and She-Hulk dancing. Both are fun little scenes that give insight into the character’s more comedic nature that fits with their characterization in the comics and in films. If there is no good reason, the disdain for She-Hulk must be more depressing. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law gets labeled cringeworthy, whereas Deadpool & Wolverine gets to be funny. The boys are allowed to make jokes, but a woman does the same, and they are unfairly criticized.”
What do you think? Is Richard Fink right, or is his view on things wrong? Let us know in the comments below!
