Joey Magidson
With Deadpool & Wolverine about to hit theaters (in mere hours), I have 20th Century Fox on my mind. Not just because I really enjoyed the film, but because of the way the Marvel picture works in Fox heroes. It’s more than simply cameos, too, but a vibe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has swallowed up the Fox of it all, but they’ve paid tribute in the process. So, today I’m going to (sort of) return the favor.
As a reminder, my Deadpool & Wolverine review here starts out like so:
Marvel has been trying to recapture the magic lately. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken some hits recently, leading to changes in how the films will be coming out, as well as potentially what they will be about. So, there’s been a lot riding on Deadpool & Wolverine this year, as a chance for the MCU to, if not start fresh, but to get back on track. The introduction of Deadpool into the Marvel world was always going to be a different look for the franchise. Well, I’m here to tell you that not just is this a really fun Deadpool sequel, by adding in Wolverine, we have a full on Fox tribute. Lo and behold, it works even better than I was expecting/hoping for.
Deadpool & Wolverine is a love letter to the Fox era of superheroes, far beyond the two title characters. I wouldn’t dream of revealing the cameos here, but they’re not just huge crowdpleasers, they’re better fits than you might assume. They don’t feel crammed in or just meant to get a reaction. They fit a narrative purpose, which I very much appreciated. Fans are in for a treat, that much is pretty certain.
Below, you’ll see not just which of the Marvel efforts from 20th Century Fox are the best, I’ve gone ahead and ranked them all. It gets pretty dicey after the top eight or so, to be sure, but it was worth considering. The top two for me are, unsurprisingly, Logan and Deadpool. After that? Well, some of the X-Men films are good, as is The Wolverine? The rest? Well, they now exist as a moment in time. Take a gander as you get set for Deadpool & Wolverine…
Here now is how I would rank the Fox superhero movies:
18. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
17. Dark Phoenix
16. Fantastic Four (2015)
15. Elektra
14. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
13. X-Men: Apocalypse
12. The New Mutants
11. Fantastic Four
10. X-Men: The Last Stand
9. Daredevil
8. X-Men: First Class
7. X-Men
6. The Wolverine
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
4. Deadpool 2
3. X2: X-Men United
2. Deadpool
1. Logan
Which of the Fox movies were your favorites? Let us know!
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[…] billion in 2019. Fox was the first studio to take a chance on making superhero movies a massive brand of intellectual property. From appearances by Wesley Snipes as Blade to Evans as Johnny Storm, […]
Great read! I’ve always loved how the 20th Century Fox Marvel films had a unique vibe compared to the newer ones.