Summary

• Deadpool and Wolverine
  Expertly explore the multiverse and learn how it might connect to characters from previous Marvel films.
• Cameos like Elektra and Blade made sense, and that was mainly because of the story and the look, something that
  Spider-Man: No Way Home
  not mastered.
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
  Villains have always been iconic, but their appearance undoubtedly raised questions about which reality they really came from.

Deadpool and Wolverine came out at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was struggling to balance strong stories with its overarching multiverse narrative, so the film wasn’t expected to be as popular beyond the cameos from variants, including Elektra, Blade, and of course Wolverine. Still, the 2024 film proved that there’s still room for multiverse stories, as long as the past is honored and there’s a high level of consistency in the narrative. The same could be said, albeit to a lesser extent, about a similar MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Both films focus on the story of the title characters, and both films do so by interacting with beings connected to the characters’ real-life heritage. Spider-Man: No Way Home used his variations to advance the narrative with either villains or his heroes. Deadpool and Wolverine decided to focus primarily on the two heroes, while at the same time variants came and went to honor the legacy and give longtime fans something new to think about. While this worked exceptionally well for both films, Deadpool and Wolverine prevented a simple but confusing scenario that No way home Unfortunately, I fell for it because of its variations.

Deadpool & Wolverine makes its connections to the past clear

• Each character shows aspects of their personality that prove they are connected to their previous films.
• The variants shown prove that although the story came to an end for the fans, the legacy of each hero lived on off-screen.
• Gambit was the only unique variant, as there was never a movie based on his character, despite being explored extensively in the past.

One of the biggest surprises for fans in Deadpool and Wolverine was the sheer number of cameos and variants that appeared. From the Deadpool Corps to the many Wolverines, Deadpool seemed to be able to do anything early on. But what made fans especially happy was the fact that Elektra, Blade, Laura, and Chris Evans’ Human Torch all appeared. Not only was this entertaining to watch, but it was clear that these were the characters from the films released in the 2000s. For example, the Human Torch’s stance was a direct replica of how Johnny Storm acted in 2005’s The Human Torch. Fantastic 4and although this may seem universal, Fantastic 4 definitely featured a hot-headed Johnny, but he was far less sarcastic. The connections were obvious and welcome, and only got better when the rest of the Resistance showed up in the Void. While it wasn’t explicitly stated that Blade and Elektra were from the same universe, the name Daredevil and the fact that Wesley Snipes is the most well-known version of Blade helped solidify them as the same variants. More subtle is Elektra’s Sai in 2003’s Daredevil and 2005 Electra were always unique and had Japanese characters engraved on the blades, which helped to link them more closely to the previous franchise.

Even the characters’ costumes help define the connection between past and present. For example, Blade did not have his classic sword, but still wore his iconic black vest and glasses, as well as an undershirt with red trim that Blade: Trinity than anything else. Elektra appeared in a darker red outfit than in the film, but it was still more tactically inspired as she had worn in the past, complete with a belt reminiscent of the belt Daredevil wore in his film. Finally, even Laura, although older, still wore the glasses she bought from the supermarket in Logan. All this to say that there was a non-verbal history between these characters that proved that they were all connected to the past versions, which was something that Spider-Man: No Way Home missed.

The villains of Spider-Man: No Way Home may not come from the same worlds as the other Spider-Men

• From the same reality: Norman Osborn died shortly after being cured by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
• The Amazing Spider-Man Lizard only appeared in one movie.
• There is no explanation why the Sandman appears as a sand creature in No way home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home was unprecedented in how it not only required the MCU’s Peter Parker to fight five of the deadliest villains from Sony’s previous Spidey films, but also in how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man characters were integrated. Not only did this combine over two decades of history for an entertaining story to conclude Holland’s trilogy, but it also managed to develop the MCU’s Peter and learn that he is truly capable of amazing things, even when he feels like he isn’t. While it’s clear that Garfield and Maguire’s Peters are from the reality of the films, the same can’t necessarily be said of the villains, and the reason for this is because, as in Deadpool and Wolverinebecause of their appearance.

The first villain from the multiverse, Doc Ock, appeared wearing a turtleneck sweater, a darker coat, a different hairstyle and glasses. At first glance, this was not an outfit that Ock wore in Spider Man 2and to make matters even more confusing, it was stated that during the completion of Spider Man 2 when one of its tentacles choked Peter. The same could be said about the lizard, which, although similar to his Amazing Spider-Man version, looked very different in design. While this could be explained as he evolved since he was in the final scene, it is never explained and is only made stranger since they were all close to death in some way. This raises the question of whether these villains are from the same realities as the films or are just another variant that happens to be more similar than the previous ones.

If in doubt, you could argue that liberties were taken, as many of these actors are older and therefore look different. However, there is also Green Goblin and Electro, who could be the only two from the cinematic universes based on their explanation of when they were brought into the MCU. But even so, these updated looks only raised more questions and probably could have been avoided if the story had allowed the costumes to evolve over time, as in Deadpool and Wolverine. However, since the story depends on these villains potentially dying when they return to their reality, it ties them to a specific point in time and the change of clothing is unnecessarily confusing for the audience.

Deadpool and Wolverine avoided confusion by relying on the multiverse

• Cassandra Nova captured variants that resembled characters from the Fox universe.
• This allowed many well-known faces like Juggernaut from X-Men: The Last Stand.
• Loki previously the idea of ​​variants of the same character was established.

In a multiverse that is both expansive and limitless, the idea that characters have to look exactly like their past versions isn’t necessary. While it may seem cheap, it’s actually a fantastic way to reference past characters without having to have the same actor return for the role. There are some obvious examples of the opposite, like the return of Aaron Stanford’s Pyro, but there are also characters like Azazel, Lady Deathstrike, and Psylocke who aren’t the movie versions but look similar enough. Some clothing may be different, but it’s more than clear that these aren’t the same people.

In the case of No way homeThe story had no choice but to remove these recurring characters from the films. But the changes in their design raised questions that Deadpool and Wolverine and unfortunately made their return even more mysterious. The obvious understanding is that the villains in No way home are the same as in the movie, but thanks to how Deadpool and Wolverine The multiverse was expertly handled, and it was made clear how odd it is that No Way Home villains like Lizard and Doc Ock look different. Sure, the multiverse may have its issues, but it’s clear that anything can be accepted if explained properly, and that if not explored properly, it can create some really confusing elements that may never get an answer.