Epic Comic-Conclusion: 'Deadpool,' 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' and the World’s Greatest Superhero Selfie
Stan Lee and Channing Tatum join Fox’s Marvel movie stars at Comic-Con for superhero team-up photo (AP)
Leave it to a bunch of mutants — and a certain Merc with a Mouth — to put an exclamation point on Comic-Con.
Twentieth Century Fox presented its superhero slate on Saturday night, highlighted by a rousing, rowdy, R-rated Deadpool trailer, a sneak peek at X-Men: Apocalypse with its cast of bajillions, and Hugh Jackman vowing that his next Wolverine solo film would be his last — and “the best one yet.”
Of them all, it was Deadpool that rocked the house. Making a movie about the profane killing machine has been a pet project for Ryan Reynolds for more than a decade. “This is my first proper superhero movie,” Reynolds said, getting a jab in at his reviled Green Lantern to knowing hoots from fans. After discussing the film (including Reynolds touting “the most faithful movie version of a supersuit ever”), they rolled a red-band trailer — make that a blood red. Laden with sarcasm, F-bombs, and head splatter, the trailer tells the origin story of Wade Wilson (Reynolds), a cancer-ridden former soldier who undergoes an experimental procedure to give him superpowers (“as long as my costume isn’t green and animated,” Wilson says, another dig at Green Lantern). The procedure also makes him a little unhinged. The rest of the trailer has Wilson don the supersuit as Deadpool, cracking wise as he blows apart bad guys in gory detail. Immediately after it ended, the crowd erupted with chants of “One more time! One more time!” And Fox obliged with an encore.
Ryan Reynolds joins Deadpool cosplayers at Yahoo’s Comic-Con HQ
Watch Reynolds get surprised by Deadpool cosplayers at Comic-Con:
It was a hard act to follow, but Fox tried, unspooling an X-Men reel of highlights and behind-the-scenes footage spanning all the films and spinoffs. The money moment: clips of Hugh Jackman’s audition and him being offered the Wolverine role, his first U.S. film part, by director Bryan Singer. “Up until two days ago I had no idea this footage existed,“ Jackman admitted. Singer also said he had never offered an actor a job on the spot before, but Jackman was so impressive, Singer got special permission.
The finale was X-Men: Apocalypse. With a sprawling cast that necessitated an extra-long table, Singer held court accompanied by a shorn James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique/Raven), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Lucas Till (Havok), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Olivia Munn (Psylocke), Lana Condor (Jubilee), Tie Sheridan (Cyclops), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), Ben Hardy (Angel), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), and Oscar Isaac as the film’s titular baddie.
Bryan Singer, Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, and Michael Fassbender at Comic-Con (AP)
At one point, Hoult stumbled while answering a question and said, “Sorry, I can’t concentrate because I’m still psyched about that Deadpool trailer.”
Watch Jennifer Lawrence talk about her future with the ‘X-Men’ movies:
Singer presented a scintillating sneak peek that introduces Apocalypse, the world’s first mutant, a near-omnipotent being who holds other mutants under his sway. Notably, he has four “horseman” at his side — the trailer reveals who they are: Magneto, Angel, Storm, and Psyclocke. The kicker to the trailer is the unveiling of McAvoy as a bald, Patrick Stewart-esque Professor X. As with Deadpool, fans got an second helping.
The studio also unveiled the final trailer for Fantastic Four, with an extended focus on the team’s superpowers, as well as new looks at Victor Frankenstein with James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe and the sequel Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.
The Hall H presentation was capped by moderator Chris Hardwick calling all the various X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the cast of Deadpool back onstage for “the world’s largest superhero selfie.” He asked for volunteers to snap the photo and out wobbled Stan Lee, who co-created many of the characters at Marvel.
“These are my kind of people,” Lee said. Then another volunteer stepped forward: Channing Tatum, who will play the mutant Gambit in a stand-alone film (and who’s rumored to appear in Apocalypse).
Stan Lee and the team (AP)
As Lee would say, Excelsior!
Fantastic Four is due out Aug. 7. Deadpool is slated for Feb. 12, 2016. X-Men: Apocalypse arrives May 27, 2016. Tatum’s Gambit will hit theaters Oct. 7, 2016. And the final Wolverine has targeted a March 3, 2017 release.
