Even though Deadpool is a Marvel comic book, the recent movie is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The rights to the character fall into the mutant realm that is currently under the control of 20th Century Fox (that’s why there are no X-Men or their ilk in the MCU). Still, though the comic book giant didn’t have any creative control over Deadpool, there was one thing Deadpool needed Marvel’s approval to do, to change Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s powers.
Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have been all over the place following Deadpool’s substantial box office windfall. The two stopped by The Q & A podcast (tune in to about the 29-minute mark), and over the course of their conversation, the subject of which characters they included, and why, came up. There are only really two other X-Men involved, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who Reese said they included because of her name. They didn’t even know what her powers were, and changed them drastically. This alteration, however, was the one thing they needed Marvel to sign off on. According to Wernick:
It was the one thing we needed Marvel’s actual approval on, that they had to reach out for…Tim [Miller, the director] has a relationship with [Marvel President] Kevin Feige and I think he went straight to Kevin because all the lawyers, you know, it gets messy with the lawyers.
Named after a Monster Magnet song, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, the mutant alter ego of teenager Ellie Phimister, has telepathic and precognitive powers, and can see the future in haunting dreams. If you’ve seen Deadpool, you’re well aware that the cinematic incarnation of the character, portrayed by Brianna Hildebrand, has a very different set of skills.
According to Rhett Reese, they "changed her into a literal warhead because we thought it was funnier." Not only that, but in the grand scheme of the movie, the ability to telekinetically explode came in much more handy for the Merc with the Mouth and his goals than having a sidekick who can see the future. That’s useful and all, but in a knock down drag out brawl the likes you find in Deadpool, blowing shit up is way more valuable in the present tense.
Though it was expected to be popular, very few people anticipated Deadpool being as massively successful as it has already been. In just two weeks of release, it is already nearing the $500 million mark worldwide, and it’s broken records in the process. There is even the very real possibility that it could wind up the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, both domestically and globally, though it has some ground to cover on that front. The Passion of the Christ hit $370 million in the U.S., and The Matrix Reloaded brought in $742 globally. Still, the way Deadpool has been performing both at home and abroad it’s within the realm of possibility.
Do you think they made right choice changing Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s powers in Deadpool? Let us know in the comments.
