A Deep Dive Into the 'Deadpool 2' Trailer

It’s the second coming of the Merc with the Mouth.

Fans were treated to a new trailer for Deadpool 2 on Thursday, and it’s the kind of internet event that must be talked about in depth. So the team at Heat Vision has assembled and is welcoming special guest Rob Liefeld — the comic book creator behind Deadpool, Cable and the X-Force — to take an uncomfortably close look at the footage.

Let the conversation begin.

Aaron Couch: Welcome Rob! The greatest line of the trailer has to be Deadpool announcing that his new superteam will be called X-Force, and Domino (Zazie Beetz) immediately responding with, “isn’t that a little derivative?” Was that especially funny to you, given that you brought that team into the world?

Rob Liefeld: I love it. It’s even funnier when so many people are like, “X-Force is the first derivative of X-Men?” I say, “Actually it was something like the fifth.” But in movies, it’s the first. My kids ask, “What came before X-Force, Dad?” Try X-Factor. Try X-Terminators. Yes, there was actually a Marvel series called X-Terminators.You can Google it. It’s a great line in the trailer. Zazie Beetz’s delivery was perfect. People can now see why she was the only person for that role. She can match Ryan line for line.

Graeme McMillan: I love that line, because I do remember the X-Terminators, and X-Factor. It’s such a great joke; for fans who aren’t familiar with the books, then, sure, there’s the “It is derivative!” laugh, and for those who read all the comics, there’s a moment of, “Oh, this is nothing, wait until you get to X-Corps.”

Ryan Parker: I think this looks amazing. It had me laughing out loud at the jokes and it seemed the action scenes were far more intense than those in the first film. I like the grit a lot. I loved the “pity dick” joke. Also loved Wade in the wheelchair as a gag on Professor X.

Kilkenny: I will admit to not being the first film’s No. 1 fan, but I was ready to embrace this one. However, the funniest parts here, to me, were when the trailer got meta — as in Zazie Beetz’s aforementioned comment and the placard informing viewers that the film was made by the same studio that created 27 Dresses and The Devil Wears Prada. The potty jokes might not be de rigueur in most comic book movies, but they were, well, pretty derivative of my kindergarten experience.

Patrick Shanley: Katie, I think your use of the term de rigueur puts you outside the target audience here. The thing with Deadpool is that the toilet humor is part of the package. The character wears his heart on his sleeve, at least in regards to his flamboyant nature and salty language. What surprised me most about this particular trailer, however, was how normal it was compared to past Deadpool marketing. It had meta moments, but overall it was a pretty straightforward movie trailer for an action flick, a far cry from the brilliant Cable teaser we were treated to last month.

Couch: Rob, unlike the rest of us, you were actually on set for some of the filming. This trailer has even more of director David Leitch’s signature style all over it — not just his action chops last seen in Atomic Blonde, but even the color palette. What’d you learn about how he works from being on set?

Liefeld: David has a distinct style and a palette. You can see it, whether it’s the lighting in the helicopter when Deadpool goes, “We’re X-Force!” and especially when Josh and Ryan are throwing down, both in this trailer and in the last one. When you’re on set, you go, “How’s he making everything look turquoise!?” “What’s up with the teal lighting?” “Where’d they hang those lights?” I was obsessed. The guy picks so many great shots and angles.

Parker: They made the right decision to go with Brolin as Cable. I already thought that, but finally seeing him in action just makes it so clear. What a badass. And I personally don’t mind him double-dipping in the Marvel world since the two characters are so different. You do you, Josh. If nothing else, this trailer tells me this movie is going to have to been seen multiple times to really get all the jokes and Easter eggs. They didn’t even scratch the surface here, I bet. It will be interesting to see if there is one more trailer or if the big show is next.

McMillan: I was on the fence about Brolin’s Cable, but he worked better than I was expecting here, in part because he really does feel like he’s coming in from an entirely different — and much more serious and intense — movie. I was worried that he’d feel like the butt of a million jokes, but instead, it feels as if he’s going to re-shape the movie around him, as opposed to vice versa.

Kilkenny: I’m also super excited to get some new characters in here, particularly Zazie Beetz’s Domino and Shiori Kutsuna’s unnamed new X-Force helper. One of the things that particularly irked me in the first film was how flat Morena Baccarin’s girlfriend character was; here it looks like we’re going to get some women in better roles, and that at the very least Beetz’s character will be a worthy match for Deadpool’s wit.

Shanley: No one is going to mention Terry Crews?! By far the person I’m most excited to see in this film, tied only with Leslie Uggam’s return as Blind Al.

Couch: Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Baby Driver deservedly get all the credit for their unique use of music, and people sometimes forget how fun Deadpool’s soundtrack was.

Liefeld: The secret weapon that Deadpool 2 has that nobody knew about until today is LL Cool J. “Mama Said Knock You Out!” You know you got up and started moving when “Don’t call it a comeback!” came on. But the one shot I’ve watched more than any in this trailer is that opening scene with my main man Karan Soni. The one moment when he chuckles, he is so good! I would watch Dopinder Drives Around in His Cab, the series. You open with that Air Supply. We have Air Supply and LL Cool J. Game. Set. Match. The thing about this trailer though, is Ryan got to strut his stuff. This is a very Ryan, very Deadpool-centric trailer, which everybody was looking forward to. It’s line after line. Just that swagger that he has as Deadpool. People love spending time with Ryan as Deadpool. They can’t get enough of it, and you see why.

Shanley: Can we also take a moment to appreciate a parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark in which a mutant in red spandex dives through the window of a taxi cab to the music of Air Supply? Loved it.

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Deadpool 2 opens May 18.