‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ on course to surpass a controversial threequel that blew a hole in the Sacred Timeline at the box office

In a surprise to no one, the new Deadpool sequel is on the fast track to making Marvel history. After being officially inducted into the MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine has blazed past other comic book movies of its ilk.

The film accomplishes what was once thought possible in luring Hugh Jackman back into the role of Wolverine. Decades after his big screen debut as the ferocious Canadian character, he returns as a Wolverine variant who agrees to help Wade (Ryan Reynolds) save his world — albeit reluctantly. The third Deadpool film seamlessly integrated the Merc With the Mouth into this reality, as well as providing a love letter to a Marvel era that is no more. Deadpool 3 was a return to form for many fans as the brand has faltered in recent years in the court of public opinion. But it shows no signs of slowing down at the box office as it approaches one of the less beloved features of Marvel canon.

Deadpool & Wolverine will soon pass Iron Man 3 at the box office

Deadpool & Wolverine continues to climb box office charts as it boasts the title of 7th highest-grossing MCU movie of all time. This means it will be supplanting former chart holder, Iron Man 3. As many noted on X, this is an odd milestone, considering how the film is remembered in pop culture.

The film has always been divisive with fans, particularly with how comic villain, The Mandarin is adapted. Providing a twist on how the character is portrayed in the comics, Iron Man 3 casts Guy Pearce in the role. Well, sort of. The L.A. Confidential star plays Aldrich Killian, CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics. Similar to the Winter Solider program, he uses an experiment called Extremis to make super soldiers which he uses for terrorist activities. To hide his plans, he casts actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) to act as a known extremist, The Mandarin, taking credit for these activities.

In intervening years, this concept became a little controversial, particularly after the premiere of Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings. In the film, it surmises that Killian was not in fact The Mandarin. This character is actually Shang-Chi’s (Simu Liu) father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai). Trevor even makes an appearance in the film to reinforce the idea that many have been taking on the moniker because they are inspired by Wenwu’s activities. Iron Man 3 certainly won’t be considered one of the best films in the franchise — or even in the Iron Man pantheon — but it seemed to do well enough at the box office.

This result is most likely thanks to Shane Black, who holds a lot of weight in the entertainment industry. After Robert Downey Jr. collaborated with the director in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, the actor suggested Black to helm the new Iron Man film. What it does, it does well. Like any Black venture, it takes place at Christmas and takes on internal struggles, such as Tony grappling with PTSD post-Chitauri attack. And of course, it has the humor fans are used to. Fans may not have connected to it as a good Marvel film, but it was a great Shane Black movie. Deadpool and Wolverine admittedly has more crossover appeal, making it no surprise that the new film is climbing its way to the top.