Shawn Levy Likens Deadpool & Wolverine to Early MCU Movies… Despite Its Multiverse Plot

Deadpool & Wolverine may be the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it has the soul of a Phase One film, according to its director. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shawn Levy discussed his approach to the film, which has generated the most positive buzz for an MCU film since Spider-Man, No Way Home. Levy says he is diverting from the current MCU formula and returning to the approach of early MCU films, focusing on character development over franchise building.

In the film, which opens July 26, the multiverse brings together two of the most popular Marvel icons in Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, along with characters in and out of the MCU. The third film in the Deadpool series will feature the adventure that fans have been hoping for since 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine botched their first team-up. Levy says that the film’s focus will be on the characters and their story, and not the advancement of the MCU storyline. He told EW:

For Levy, his priority is to ensure that the characters get a film worthy of their iconic status. He told EW:

Certain details of the plot are being kept largely under wraps, but based on the trailers, we know Deadpool calls on Wolverine to help him save the universe. The TVA and a “who’s who” of Marvel character cameos are also involved, promising a nostalgia-filled, R-rated adventure the likes of which the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t seen before. The film couldn’t have come at a better time, with a number of recent Marvel releases flopping at the box office and among fans. Deadpool & Wolverine may be the cure for all of those post-Endgame blues.

Deadpool & Wolverine Boasts an Impressive Cast

We don’t have a full list of characters who will appear in the film (yet), but the confirmed cast so far includes a number of returning Deadpool actors. They include Morena Baccarin (as Vanessa), Stefan Kapičić (as Colossus/Piotr Rasputin), Karan Soni (as Dopinder), Leslie Uggams (as Blind Al), Brianna Hildebrand (as Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Rob Delaney (as Peter), Lewis Tan (as Shatterstar), and Shioli Kutsuna (as Yukio). Most of these actors appear in the trailer, but whether they are just cameos or central characters remains to be seen.

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New to the cast are Emma Corrin (as Cassandra Nova, the genetic twin of Professor X), Matthew Macfadyen (as Paradox) and Britain’s Ugliest Dog, Peggy (as Dogpool). Cassandra Nova is reportedly the main villain, while Paradox will appear as a TVA official that introduces the multiverse plot device. Among the Marvel actors from non-MCU movies appearing are Tyler Mane (as Sabretooth from the Bryan Singer X-Men films), Aaron Stanford (as Pyro, also from the X-Men films), and Jennifer Garner (as Elektra from Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, a surprising addition).

The list of actors rumored to be in the film could fill an entire separate film itself. Dafne Keen (as X-23/Laura) and Patrick Stewart (as Professor X) are the most likely rumored actors to appear, and we know from the trailer that the character Toad appears in the film, though actor Ray Park has denied on his social media that he was playing the character. Just about every actor that appeared alongside Jackman’s Wolverine in the Fox-era X-Men films have been rumored at some point.