Morena Baccarin has discussed her role in Marvel’sDeadpool & Wolverine, outlining its only true downside.Deadpool & Wolverine’s Marvel cameoswere a big selling point of the film, given its new MCU setting. This meant that, by the time ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s ending, some of the characters from its two predecessors appeared in smaller roles.
One such character was Baccarin’s Vanessa, the girlfriend of Wade Wilson, with the actor commenting on her experience on theInside of Youpodcast. Baccarin insisted that her experience onDeadpool & Wolverinewas"good" and"short and sweet," and that she liked being able to meet new actors like Hugh Jackman.
That said, Baccarin also explored how Vanessa’s role was drastically reduced:
“I think it’s really unfortunate that, you know, once again, the female character that is, in the beginning of the story, so much a part of the story then gets sort of like put as the crux of it, the reason, the emotional arc, but doesn’t have the screentime, or the journey.”
Baccarin is referring to how important Vanessa was to Wade’s character inDeadpoolandDeadpool 2. While this is true enough forDeadpool & Wolverine,too, given her safety is Wade’s reasoning for venturing into the multiverse, Baccarin is right that her screentime was shortened.
What Morena Baccarin’s Comments Mean For Deadpool & Wolverine
The Film Tried To Keep The Same Emotional Core, But Its Scale Didn’t Allow For This
Baccarin’s comments are interesting, as they mean thatDeadpool & Wolverinecould not manage its scale as well as first thought. The film tried to take the basic premise of the first two movies, that being Wade’s love for Vanessa, and tried to do the same again. This time, though, Deadpool became part of the MCU multiverse, massively increasing the film’s scale.
From the various cameos and action sequences to universe-trekking sequences,Deadpool & Wolverinewas much bigger than the previous two installments. Although Vanessa was still important to Wade’s character, the film’s scale meant the story could not focus as intently on this, reducing Baccarin’s role. This meant thatDeadpool & Wolverineprioritized its MCU setting over past characters from theX-Mentimeline.
Our Take On Morena Baccarin’s Deadpool & Wolverine Comments
Overall, I think Baccarin has a point. I believe she is right to feel somewhat slighted byDeadpool & Wolverine,as characters like Vanessa, Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Deadpool’s other friends fell secondary to Jackman’s Wolverine and the likes of Gambit, X-23, Elektra, Blade, and the Deadpool variants. Of course, I still like the film, but its balance was off.
Deadpool & Wolverinesimply could not balance the new MCU playground with old elements. Although Vanessa is not front and center inDeadpoolandDeadpool 2, her character is the driving force of both.Deadpool & Wolverinetried to replicate this, but had much more on its plate.
This meant that, as Baccarin points out, the female love interest of the hero was sadly sidelined. This is emblematic of a wider problem with some superhero movies, and I hope any futureDeadpoolinstallments can rectify that. Until then, though,Deadpool & Wolverinemay be the last time we see Baccarin as Vanessa, which is an admittedly unfortunate reality.
