In a world where everyone claims to be triggered and everyone is offended by something, it’s clear that the glorious, unfiltered masterpiece that the 2024 film ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ could never survive the fragile sensibilities of today’s “woke” culture. This cinematic tour de force, where two antiheroes carve up baddies while exchanging black-humored quips sharper than their weapons, would undoubtedly face the wrath of a hyper-sensitive public, leading to a box office flop and all those involved to be canceled.
There is no ‘safe space’ when it comes to Deadpool’s humor – something today’s snowflakes couldn’t handle. The Merc with a Mouth is known for his no-holds-barred approach to comedy, much of which would be immediately flagged as problematic by the internet. Deadpool doesn’t care about your feelings when it comes to his humor; profanity-laced dialogue, gay jokes, promoting drug use, and taking aim at the disabled. Audiences would riot and demand a more “empathetic” Deadpool. No studio would be willing to even take a chance on such an offensive movie like this anymore, except maybe NEON or A24.
And then there’s Wolverine. The gritty, cigar-chomping mutant with claws to match his gruff demeanor. His very existence is an affront to modern sensibilities. Once the epitome of rugged, take-no-prisoners masculinity, Wolverine embodies a now-endangered species… the alpha male. A man with a past so tortured, he’s become the poster child for toxic masculinity. Today’s culture warriors would argue that Logan needs to put down the claws and pick up a glass of soy milk on his way to yoga. Or perhaps he could channel his rage into a community garden, because heaven forbid he actually confronts his problems by slicing through them.
Remember that scene where Deadpool fights Wolverine in the minivan? That would be nixed immediately. The violence, they’d say, is glorified. The bloodshed, excessive. Not to mention the weird undertone that I can’t quite put my finger on but made me feel both titillated and confused. Today’s woke filmmakers would insist on a heartfelt conversation instead. Maybe a seminar on conflict resolution, where Deadpool and Wolverine could talk out their differences over a cup of fair-trade coffee.
In this brave new world, there’s no room for the likes of Deadpool and Wolverine—unless, of course, they’re willing to trade in their bravado for a subscription to a meditation app. This film represents a bygone era where shock and irreverence were celebrated, not censored. A time when heroes could be flawed and unfiltered without having to attend a sensitivity workshop. But alas, in today’s cinematic climate, such a film would never make it past the MPAA, let alone the millennial Tweetstorm.
So, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ will have to be kept safe in the vault with other classics like “Blazing Saddles,” “Airplane!,” and “Song of the South.” Here’s to the good old days, when sarcasm reigned supreme, people had thicker skin, and the only thing getting canceled was the villain’s plan for world domination.