On May 18, everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth returns to the big screen in the highly anticipated sequel, Deadpool 2. However, as successful as the original 2016 blockbuster was – much to the surprise of both fans and critics – there are those of us who have our doubts about whether 20th Century Fox will be able to leave moviegoers with the same sense of satisfaction the second time around.
We here at Epicstream certainly wish the film the best of luck, but, for the sake of playing devil’s advocate, here are 5 reasons Deadpool 2 will probably disappoint fans:
It’s Missing Tim Miller
It’s no secret that Ryan Reynolds, who stuck it out through years of development hell, was a huge driving force behind the overall success of Deadpool. However, as the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and director Tim Miller was no second-rate dance partner. After Deadpool became such a global hit, Fox decided to give Reynolds more creative control for the sequel, leading to clashes with Miller that culminated with his departure. While David Leitch seems like a suitable replacement, without Miller, Deadpool 2 is missing a key piece of the equation that worked so well the first time.
Comedy Sequels Have a Poor Track Record
We’ll keep this one short and sweet: as a general rule, comedy sequels tend to underperform and underwhelm audiences. After all, just look at such films as Zoolander 2, Anchorman 2, Bad Santa 2, The Hangover Parts II and III, Son of the Mask, etc. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but it’s certainly a strike against Deadpool 2’s odds of success.
It Will Likely Suffer From ‘Iron Man 2’ Syndrome
After Iron Man set the stage for the now infamous Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 2 was met with heavy criticism for serving primarily as a set-up for The Avengers. With Deadpool 2, Fox doesn’t appear to be shying away from the fact that it’s going to help set up the inevitable X-Force movie, so who’s to say it won’t suffer the same fate? In fact, given the fourth-wall-breaking nature of Deadpool as a character, it’s more likely than not that this will be done as heavy-handedly as possible, which could go horribly wrong.
There’s Too Much Ground to Cover in Just One Film
Similar to the previous entry, not only does Deadpool 2 have to set up X-Force but it also has the daunting task of introducing several new and complex characters. Fans aren’t going to be satisfied if mainstays such as Cable and Domino aren’t given the time to be fully fleshed out, either (including Cable’s massive backstory), which means Deadpool 2 has an enormous amount of ground to cover in its runtime. This, of course, means that the film runs the risk of either becoming over or under-stuffed, neither of which will sit well with fans.
It Can’t Live up to Its Predecessor
The original Deadpool was lightning in a bottle. Everything was working against it, from its limited budget to its hard R rating to the way the character was butchered in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Nevertheless, the film managed to exceed every single expectation, becoming a runaway critical and box office success. The problem with lightning in a bottle, though, is that it rarely strikes twice. In general, sequels don’t tend to live up to their predecessors, but when it’s something like Deadpool, which was an anomaly in and of itself, the chances are even higher that it will ultimately leave audiences disappointed.