Deadpool & Wolverine Director Explains What ‘Marvel Jesus’ Joke Really Meant

Deadpool & Wolverine is continuing to impress at the worldwide box office, having broken multiple records already. Alongside its financial success, the movie has also proven to be the latest success story of the highly profitable MCU. One of the jokes from the film’s trailer that caught fans’ attention was one where Deadpool referred to himself as “Marvel Jesus.” Director Shawn Levy has since come out to clarify the meaning behind the dialogue, providing further context on the line.

Shawn Levy clears the air around ‘Marvel Jesus’ line in Deadpool & Wolverine

In a recent interview, director Shawn Levy disclosed that the “Marvel Jesus” joke was written long before the MCU experienced its recent string of duds.

Ever since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel Studios has seen itself grow with each new project. However, many commenters began to note a faltering in the MCU’s success following 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The blockbuster MCU sequel The Marvels was reported to be the largest flop of 2023, with Disney reportedly losing over $200 million on the movie. Consequently, Deadpool’s debut in the MCU was expected to mark the beginning of a new chapter in the franchise’s history. Considering that, the “Marvel Jesus” joke appeared to imply that a return to profitability would be a part of this.

However, Levy has now presented an opposing view, stating that the line wasn’t written to mock the MCU’s current state. “What I will say is that we wrote that line long before there was such a loud conversation about superhero fatigue,” the filmmaker said while talking to ComicBook.com. “And I think that was before [Ant-Man and the Wasp] Quantumania came out; before The Marvels came out. So the fact that it ended up fitting into this narrative and this cultural moment? That was coincidental.”

He then talked further about the meaning behind the Deadpool “Marvel Jesus” joke, clarifying the ideology behind it. “But this idea of Wade being given an opportunity to level up into the bigs, and the kind of delusional confidence that Wade would have in declaring himself a messiah that just made us laugh and felt very ‘Wade Wilson.’ And so that was early – that was an early one.”

Deadpool & Wolverine has reportedly collected $824.1 million at the global box office so far. That number is expected to increase even more over the coming weeks.