The Internet has been divided over the “constant gay jokes” in Deadpool and Wolverine, with some calling them “relentless and annoying” and others coming to the Marvel film’s defense.
Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters on Friday and the superhero film grossed a whopping $211 million at the box office in its opening weekend.
But viewers seemed divided about the film on social media, particularly with the number of jokes Ryan Reynolds’ character Deadpool made about wanting to get intimate with Hugh Jackman’s character Wolverine.
Immediately, X, formerly Twitter, was flooded with posts on the topic, with some people criticizing the continued jokes about Deadpool and Wolverine’s sexualities.
“POV: You’re watching Deadpool and Wolverine and they make another unfunny gay joke,” one person wrote alongside a GIF showing someone looking unamused in a movie theater.
The Internet is divided over the “constant gay jokes” in Deadpool and Wolverine, with some calling them “relentless and annoying” and others coming to the film’s defense.
The Marvel film hit theaters on Friday and grossed a whopping $211 million at the box office in its opening weekend.
“Me when Deadpool makes the fifth joke in a row where the punchline is ‘being gay,'” another user added along with a GIF showing someone drinking bleach.
“It was a really interesting choice on Marvel’s part to fill Deadpool and Wolverine with relentless, exhausting gay jokes,” read a third tweet.
“The same joke repeated over and over again eventually gets boring,” added a fourth person.
‘Deadpool and Wolverine were good, but damn, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many gay jokes in a movie in my life,’ another user confessed.
“I kept waiting for them to stop making stupid gay jokes and find new material,” someone else said.
Others, however, came to the film’s defense, saying they enjoyed its humorous approach to the subject.
“There are plenty of jokes, of course, but they’re not the kind that make fun of homosexuals or the subject matter at hand,” one person argued.
“I actually found them funny because it never seemed like they were making fun of Deadpool for being gay,” another agreed. “I just thought that’s who he is, which is cool.”
But viewers seemed divided on social media, particularly with the number of jokes Ryan Reynold’s character made about wanting to get intimate with Hugh Jackman’s character.
Immediately, X, formerly Twitter, was flooded with posts on the topic, with some people criticizing the continued jokes about Deadpool and Wolverine’s sexualities.
Others, however, came to the film’s defense, saying they enjoyed its humorous approach to the subject.
While promoting the film, Marvel released a series of posters that seemed to hint that Deadpool and Wolverine would be romantically involved.
One featured her hands forming a heart shape with the letters ‘D + W’ etched into the background, similar to what lovers carve into a tree.
Another showed Deadpool rubbing his finger along one of Wolverine’s claws, while a third showed the character slow dancing, similar to the Beauty and the Beast poster.
They also sold a bucket of popcorn that featured Wolverine’s mouth open in a very provocative pose.
In Marvel comics, Deadpool is depicted as pansexual; Wolverine’s sexuality is not revealed, but there is a storyline in the comics that explores an alternate universe in which he is in a same-sex relationship.
It was also hinted that he was involved in a relationship with Jean Grey and Cyclops.
Some people weren’t unhappy with the jokes themselves, but with the fact that the movie included so many gay jokes but didn’t actually show Deadpool and Wolverine together at the end.
“I was really upset that Deadpool referred to homosexuals as ‘the gays’ in the new movie, as if he himself wasn’t gay,” another person said.
“I hate how her weirdness is only used as a joke and never with sincerity.”
“I had a discussion today with a stranger about Deadpool’s sexuality. I thought it would be interesting if it was an actual plot element rather than a comedic prop in the new movie,” another tweet read.
While promoting the film, Marvel released a series of posters that seemed to hint that Deadpool and Wolverine would become romantically involved.
One showed their hands forming a heart with the letters “D + W” carved into the background, similar to those that lovers carve into a tree. Another showed them dancing slowly.
They also sold a bucket of popcorn that featured Wolverine’s mouth wide open in a very provocative pose.
In Marvel comics, Deadpool is depicted as pansexual; Wolverine’s sexuality is not revealed, but it is hinted that he was involved in a three-way relationship with Jean Grey and Cyclops.
A reviewer for The Guardian He even accused Marvel of “queerbaiting” in their marketing.
“That the film’s pansexual overtones don’t go much further is neither surprising nor particularly detrimental to its sad functionality as multiplex fodder,” the publication’s review reads.
‘The film’s caution on this front, however, underscores the queerbaiting cynicism of its marketing, which places far more emphasis on Deadpool’s sexuality than the final product does.’
The outlet criticized the film for treating “same-sex attraction” as “little more than a joke.”
“The possibility of the two characters having sex is such an extreme possibility that it falls into the realm of promotional satire: it’s hilarious to joke about, but too shocking to contemplate,” he continued.
“It’s a mockery akin to schoolyard homophobia, which is hardly remedied when Deadpool himself identifies as gay.”
Digital Spy He also criticized the film for “playing up” the characters’ sexuality on its posters, then turning it into a “joke.”
“The allusions to (their sexualities) in advertising were nothing more than a joke, a tedious and homophobic joke,” he said.
“It’s very ’90s, this notion that men loving other men is a joke, regardless of the intentions behind it.”
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