Ask ten different X-Men fans who their favourite character is, and you’ll get ten different answers. That’s the beauty of the X-Men franchise— since it relies on an ensemble cast, no single character can claim to be the face of the entire brand. This means that even popular characters like Wolverine can die, as he did in “Logan” (and also in the comics) (but then, he came back to life in the comics).
But this means that sequels and subsequent instalments of “X-Men” film franchises almost always suffer from the same mistake. Too many characters are shoved in ( possibly to appeal to as many fans as possible) without proper development, good reason, or memorable moments.
Look at the first “X-Men” films (both original and reboot)— they had a smaller cast, which afforded them tighter focus on characterisation. Then look at the subsequent films, which attempt to cram in so many characters that it comes off as a bloated mess. Some may say that the inclusion serves as homages to their comic book origins, but a homage should be either a short cameo or an integral part of the story, rather than a oddly inserted character that overstays his or her welcome.
Watch “X-Men: Apocalypse” and the titular character’s Four Horsemen, who were as good as well-arranged cardboard cutouts. Or the sheer number of characters in “X-Men: The Last Stand” and the unceremonious death of many of them. More characters do not a grander story make.
“Deadpool” was a film that surprisingly, lived up to its hype. It chose its characters sparingly, giving each of them time to shine and prove their worth. We got to know each of the flawed protagonists a little better, thanks to the screentime they each got. Character were valued and utilised well. Even the titular character himself, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), was developed well beyond what you would have expected from such an anti-hero.
“Deadpool 2” takes the opposite approach to characters — some are dumped in for jokes, even the slightest semblance of backstory is omitted for most of them, and then the finale attempts to shoehorn all these myriad, conflicting, shallow characters together as a “family”.
Voiceovers or grand speeches stating that characters have strong bonds doesn’t automatically create strong bonds. Actual relationships and interactions between characters do. The problem is that only a few characters are actually that important. However, they’re all introduced in the same way, and unless you’re a fan of the comics, you’re going to be struggling to remember each of their names and powers. And this struggle will ultimately prove to be for nothing.
Even the returning characters for “Deadpool 2” were not all that well developed. The film ends with you knowing as much as you did about Weasel (T.J. Miller), Colossus (Stefan Kapičić), and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) as you did at the end of “Deadpool”.
“Deadpool 2” has higher stakes and a broader scope than its predecessor, but that is a result of the story rather than an escalating number of characters. It may have been fun to see more esoteric characters from X-Force (the team that Deadpool assembles in the film), but ultimately, the large cast was more of disservice than fan service to the movie.
Here’s hoping that the upcoming X-Men film, “Dark Phoenix”, doesn’t repeat this mistake too.
“Deadpool 2” opens in cinemas:
– 17 May, 2018 (Singapore)
– 17 May, 2018 (Malaysia)
– 16 May, 2018 (Philippines)
This article was first written for and published on Yahoo Singapore.
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I’m a television scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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