SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for both the Deadpool & Wolverine SDCC event and the movie itself. So be warned, bubs!
The San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is notorious for the surprises it brings every year in late July. There is plenty to be found on the program, but you just never know what will happen – what will be unveiled, who will pop up randomly, which planned event will turn itself on its head…As Marvel returned to Hall H – which has a capacity of over 6,000 – they made good use of their time at SDCC, surprising attendees with a special screening of Deadpool & Wolverine.
Our own Mike Conway was on the scene for the Deadpool & Wolverine SDCC event (yes, he had the Wolverine popcorn bucket), sharing a few pics below. The night also came with a post-screening Q&A panel where the team celebrated the movie coming out. By most accounts, fans really dug the movie, which shouldn’t be a surprise by any means, considering how it has been tracking with audiences.
As you can see from the second pic, the SDCC panel featured Marvel president Kevin Feige, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, and stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Emma Corrin (Cassandra Nova). Hugh Jackman – whose return as Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine is undoubtedly one of the biggest draws of an already hyped movie – told the SDCC attendees, “We’ve been all around the world with this movie, but the icing on the cake is right here, right now.”
But if you think Deadpool & Wolverine Fivesome would be left hanging without any special guests, you clearly don’t know how SDCC operates! As it turns out, the movie made room for a lot of cameos (some more subtle than others), so if you thought everything was spoiled in the trailers and set leaks, you were still in for plenty of treats…After the screening, Chris Evans (Johnny Storm), Jennifer Garner (Elektra), Wesley Snipes (Blade), Dafne Keen (Laura), and Channing Tatum (a failed Gambit solo movie) all turned up.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Feige told the SDCC audience that screening Deadpool & Wolverine at SDCC was “the best movie experience in my life.” Feige has indeed been one of the movie’s biggest hypemen – of course, it would be a bad look if he wasn’t, but he comes off genuinely pleased with how the entire project came to be. He, too, hopes that Marvel can help get people into theaters. Right now, that shouldn’t be an issue, as Deadpool & Wolverine is currently tracking around a $170 million opening, which would easily surpass those currently at the top: yes, they are the first two Deadpool movies.
Judging by box office projections, post-SDCC screenings, and your own thoughts on the movie, Deadpool & Wolverine is looking to be just what Marvel fans and the summer needs.