Hugh Jackman as Wolverine prepares to fight Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool in front of the Deadpool Corps

Deadpool & Wolverine is a massive win for Marvel at the box office, but it isn’t the best test of how audiences feel about the MCU. After The Marvels‘ disastrous box office performance, Marvel desperately needed another success story. Fortunately, that story was found in Deadpool’s obscene sense of humor and the return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Deadpool & Wolverine had a huge opening weekend, garnering $211 million domestically, the highest opening for any R-rated movie. Deadpool & Wolverine recently crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, becoming the first MCU film to cross that milestone since Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Deadpool 3‘s success comes at a time when Marvel needed it. The franchise is nearing the end of its Multiverse Saga, and the MCU needs to get audiences reinvested in the universe before Avengers: Doomsday. While it shows that audiences are willing to turn up for characters they love, it doesn’t prove they’re committed to the Marvel brand. After recent missteps, the MCU timeline needs to regain the audience’s confidence, and another test is coming up that will better indicate audiences’ faith.

Deadpool And Wolverine Had Success Before They Joined The MCU

Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool doing the Spider-Man webshooting action while Hugh Jackman's Wolverine drives.

Marvel’s decision to make Deadpool & Wolverine was a smart one, as both characters already have built-in audience support. The previous two Deadpool movies did well at the box office, with the first grossing $782.6 million and Deadpool 2 grossing $785.8 million. Jackman’s Wolverine has had over two decades of success, with his appearances in the X-Men films and his solo films. Wolverine’s last movie, Logan, didn’t gross as much as the Deadpool films, but it still had a solid performance with $619.2 million worldwide.

Deadpool & Wolverine is the first MCU film featuring the two characters, but the movie would have done well regardless of whether Disney or Fox released it. Reynolds’ Deadpool and Jackman’s Wolverine are fan-favorite characters with pre-established box office success. It’s also a team-up that audiences have wanted to see for a long time, and Marvel did an excellent job at teasing Deadpool & Wolverine‘s surprise cameos. The titular heroes are proven moneymakers, so it’s no surprise how well the movie’s box office is doing.

Captain America: Brave New World Will Be The First Real Test For How The MCU Is Doing

Sam Wilson in his blue costume in Captain America Brave New World

Marvel should enjoy its recent win with Deadpool & Wolverine, but their mission to get back on track is just beginning. Captain America: Brave New World is the first film after Deadpool 3, and it will be an intriguing test for the MCU. While audiences are aware of the Captain America brand, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson doesn’t have the same established audience that Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers had. It also doesn’t have any other major MCU heroes attached to it, like Thor or Doctor Strange, who could boost the film’s box office with their presence.

If Brave New World is a great film and performs well, it will be a sign that Marvel is heading in the right direction following Deadpool & Wolverine. However, if it’s another dud, then more pressure will be put on Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps to generate excitement before the next Avengers movie. Captain America 4 does look similar in tone to the previous Cap films, so that could be a sign that Marvel is getting back to what worked.