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Deadpool’s perfect partner for another movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the only hero of the franchise that beats it when it comes to the box office, and a joint project with the duo could break several records. Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool has just arrived in the MCU, but the character is already one of Marvel Studios’ most successful. Reynolds’ Deadpool franchise received its most exciting chapter yet this year, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, the MCU, and plenty of multiverse characters and events making Deadpool & Wolverine an enormous hit.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the MCU’s first R-rated movie. Breaking records since the film’s first trailer was released, Deadpool & Wolverine would go on to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The project is the 7th best at the box office for Marvel Studios at the time of writing, showing just how much success Reynolds has found in the role of the Merc With a Mouth. However, Deadpool is only the second-best MCU hero at the box office despite the success of his trilogy, and the hero who beats him would be perfect for an MCU Deadpool sequel.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Is The Only Hero To Out-Perform Deadpool At The Box Office
The MCU Spider-Man Franchise Is Also A Record-Breaker
While Reynolds’ Deadpool is breaking box office records left and right, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man still stands a step above him when it comes to box office success. Including Deadpool & Wolverine’s numbers, Reynolds’ movies as the Marvel mutant add up to $2,855,547,801. The hefty number makes Deadpool a bigger box office draw than pretty much every MCU character, standing at $100 million in front of Chris Hemsworth’s four Thor movies, and a little over $400 million over Wolverine and Iron Man. However, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies total $3,920,121,775, making Spidey the MCU’s most successful hero at the box office.
| Total Marvel Character | Total MCU Box Office |
|---|---|
| Spider-Man | $3,920,121,775 |
| Deadpool | $2,855,547,801 |
| Thor | $2,705,339,993 |
| Wolverine | $2,435,016,309 |
| Iron Man | $2,421,720,208 |
| Captain America | $2,236,871,251 |
| Black Panther | $2,188,142,628 |
| Doctor Strange | $1,628,568,160 |
| Ant-Man | $1,605,638,412 |
| Captain Marvel | $1,329,282,344 |
| The Wasp | $1,086,779,963 |
| Hulk | $510,605,538 |
Like Reynolds’ Deadpool, Holland’s Spider-Man has also broken multiple records. 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home has become the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie and solo superhero film of all time. The movie nearly broke the $2 billion mark and was only not able to do it due to Spider-Man: No Way Home not being released in China. Reynolds’ Deadpool and Holland’s Spider-Man movies combine for nearly $7 billion. A team-up film that pairs their MCU characters has the potential to top even Spider-Man: No Way Home, becoming a fierce competitor to Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame’s box office numbers.
Spider-Man & Deadpool Is The Perfect Next MCU Team-Up For Ryan Reynolds
The Box Office Potential The MCU Duo Has Is Immense
Besides the box office potential that such a project has, a film that unites Spider-Man and Deadpool would make sense for the MCU in many ways. Fans have been asking for that interaction ever since Reynolds’ return to the role in the MCU was announced. Deadpool and Spider-Man have a hilarious relationship in the comics, which skews mostly towards friendship with some heated moments spread over the years. The characters have even had a joint comic book run, Spider-Man/Deadpool, which was released in 2016 and lasted for 50 issues of chaotic adventures shared by the duo.
Note: The Spider-Man/Deadpool comic book run presents many stories that would make for interesting team-up movies in the MCU, such as the heroes fighting Life Model Decoys (LMDs) for a better Secret Invasion-like story, or the duo exploring Weirdworld, a fantasy realm full of magic and exotic creatures.
After Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel could be looking at options for which MCU character to pair Reynolds’ Wade Wilson with, and the wide breadth of Deadpool & Spider-Man comic book stories to pull from, as well as their similarities, makes it an easy decision. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Reynolds revealed that he would love to work with Holland’s Spider-Man, saying, “If I could pick one, I’d love to play with Spider-Man.” Likewise, Holland told Forbes that he has thought about interacting with Deadpool and Wolverine, saying, “Yeah, of course I have. I’m a big fan of both of those guys.”
Could A Spider-Man & Deadpool Movie Happen?
Some Complications Would Make It Quite The Effort
A Deadpool & Spider-Man movie in the same mold as Deadpool & Wolverine is unlikely to happen. There are a couple of reasons for that, with the biggest being the studios involved. With Fox folding into Marvel’s parent company Disney, the MCU is free to do as it pleases with the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and other Marvel characters whose rights were with Fox. However, Spider-Man is a different situation, as the hero’s movie rights belong to Sony, who has made a deal with Marvel to share Holland’s Peter Parker with the MCU.
Sony might not want to see Spider-Man share the spotlight with Deadpool or have to share most of the movie’s profits with Marvel. However, the two studios have a deal that an MCU character has to be featured in each of Holland’s Spider-Man movies, so Reynolds’ Deadpool could have a sizable role in a Spidey flick without co-starring in it. Another factor that complicates a full-on team-up movie is that Reynolds’ Deadpool has always appeared in R-rated films, which Holland’s Spider-Man never has, and there is a slim chance Spidey would co-star in an R-rated film.
Spider-Man
Movie
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
| Created By | Stan Lee , Steve Ditko |
| First Appearance | Amazing Fantasy |
| Alias | Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner |
| Alliance | Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors |
| Race | Human |
| Franchise | Marvel , Spider-Man |