Despite audiences’ love of superhero movies, no one could have predicted Deadpool would become the massive success that it did. It’s one thing to make a hit movie using the fun, accessible formula of the MCU, or the iconic characters of the DCEU, but Deadpool went for something totally different, using an obscure character to craft an R-rated, fourth-wall-breaking crowd-pleaser. On a fairly minimal budget, Deadpool managed to rake in a ton of cash, leading to a not-so-surprising sequel being announced.

The first film did a wonderful job of marketing this movie as something new and Ryan Reynolds has finally reached that legitimate movie star status he’s been grasping at for so long. But despite having the right ingredients for an equally successful follow-up, the journey to Deadpool 2 hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

As much as we all want to see more greatness from the Merc With The Mouth, there have been aspects of the sequel that have us worried lightning might not strike twice. While these are not proof that the film will undoubtedly be a failure, these are the 15 Biggest Concerns About Deadpool 2.

15. The Shock Value Is Gone

Deadpool with Colossus and Negasonic

A lot of what made Deadpool seem like such a refreshing entry into the superhero genre was the very effective way its R-rating was used to shock audiences. While we’ve seen a handful of R-rated comic book movies, like Watchmen and Blade, that used the rating to show blood and guts, Deadpool used the rating to make people laugh. And as funny as the MCU can be, it would never get away with some of this stuff in a million years (at least not while it's owned by Disney).

The first film pushed boundaries, but all that shock will be gone in the sequel. Yes, Deadpool is funny, but a lot of those laughs come from the fact that we're seeing a man dressed like a superhero say and do filthy things. The novelty worked very well the first time around but now that's what audiences are expecting. They know he swears, they know he is sexually explicit, they know he kills in gruesome ways. The concept of a R-rated superhero is fun, but it's not enough to build a franchise on and if the filmmakers aren't careful, it will become a crutch they too often have to lean on.

14. Too Many Characters

Domino and Cable from Marvel Comics

If there is one superhero who could carry his own movie without any help, it would have to be Deadpool. He’s such a big character that you don’t even really need a supporting cast. But being as this is a superhero movie, the number of characters in the sequel is inevitably growing.

Now that Deadpool has proven to be a draw, the filmmakers have taken this as a sign that it’s time to start introducing a number of other popular characters. Before the first film was even over, they were promising Cable in the sequel. Not only that, but they’ve also added Domino to the roster. Fans are understandably excited to finally see these characters on the big screen, but it starts to get dangerously close to that "overstuffed" issue so many comic book sequels run into.

Not only do new characters need to be introduced, but much of the original cast is returning including Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and even Dopinder. With this crowded cast, it’s easy to start worrying if the filmmakers forgot that audiences originally showed up for Deadpool.

13. Tim Miller Is Gone

Ryan Reynolds and Tim Miller

As much as Ryan Reynolds put his blood, sweat, and tears into making the film a success, the real man responsible for the existence of a Deadpool movie is Tim Miller. Without creating that amazing test footage that ultimately leaked online, no one would have been convinced that this movie could work.

For his first film, it is remarkable how much Miller was able to balance the tricky tone, stage awesome action sequences, handle the non-linear story and still imprint his own unique style to it. Despite no one knowing who he was before the movie came out, he quickly showed that he was the perfect man for the job. That’s why his exit from the sequel was such a disappointment.

There were many rumors swirling about why Miller chose not to return to the franchise that made his name, including disagreements over casting and budget. Whatever the reason, it’s disheartening to see someone leave the project who had so much to do with making the first film a success.

12. David Leitch Directing Solo

David Leitch and Chad Stahelski Directors of John Wick 2 and The Coldest City

Just because Tim Miller is off the sequel doesn’t mean that there’s no director who can replace him. While there were plenty of great options bounded around, the studio decided to give the job to a somewhat unexpected choice; David Leitch.

Like Miller, Leitch is somewhat new to the directing game, but made a stellar debut with John Wick. That movie was fun and very stylized, which bodes well for the action scenes in Deadpool 2. However, that film was co-directed by Chad Stahelski, so we have yet to see what Leitch as the sole director. Stahelski went on to direct John Wick: Chapter 2 on his own and it was similarly awesome as the original. But there are still many questions about what Leitch can bring to the table. Is he as effective solo or will his partner be missed? Can he handle the humor elements?

Now before Deadpool 2, Leitch will be helming Atomic Blonde, for which early reviews out of SXSW are quite positive. However, it is always a bit worrying when such a big project is put in the hands of a new talent.

11. Weak Villains Again

Ed Skrein as Ajax in a labcoat in Deadpool

While Deadpool brought a lot of new things to the superhero genre, it also fell into a lot of the similar issues of the genre. One of the biggest is the classic villain problem that plagues so many superhero films these days. The MCU is infamous for its poorly constructed villains and Deadpool didn’t do much better.

The baddies in the first film were stereotypically evil to the point of being dull, and they had little to do in the film besides a few evil deeds and being insulted by out hero. It’s somewhat understandable that the film chose to focus more on the unique origin of Wade Wilson/Deadpool but the sequel will have to do better.

While there have been rumors, so far we’ve heard no real news about who Deadpool will be facing off with in the sequel. Seeing as the sequel will be more focused on the new heroes, we could very well be in for another lame bad guy who is just there for Deadpool to lob insults at.

10. Who’s Playing Cable?

Cable

The big question on everyone's mind about the sequel is who will play Cable. There have been casting ideas thrown around since the character was name-dropped in the post-credit sequence of the first film. But while the Domino casting has been confirmed, we have yet to hear who will be playing the grey-haired, scar-faced badass.

With the start of production coming up fast, it’s beginning to become a bit of a concern that the role still remains vacated. There has been no shortage of names thrown around as possible choices, including Kyle Chandler, Pierce Brosnan, David Harbour, Michael Shannon, and Brad Pitt. Any of those men would be a solid choice, so why does the role remain uncast?

Of course, all of this is just speculation and the casting news could very well be announced tomorrow, but until we know for certain, it's a lingering worry that fans can't forget.

9. Sharing The Screen With Reynolds

Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus in Deadpool

Another possible reason the role of Cable could be so hard to fill is that actors are wary of who they will be sharing the screen with. That’s not to say that Ryan Reynolds is a bad co-star in any way, but as Deadpool, he's such a larger-than-life presence on screen that no one else can compete.

If you think about the first film, no character really made much of an impact besides our hero. You could argue that Negasonic was represented fairly well in the first film and had some memorable moments. However, if Cable's role is the size of Negasonic's, fans will be pretty dispapinted.

Introducing fan favorite characters like Cable and Domino might seem like a good idea, but there's a risk that they'll play the role of “straight men” for Deadpool to bounce his wacky antics off. In truth, as much as Fox may want it, Deadpool might be too big a character for team-ups.

8. The Love Interest

Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin as Deadpool and Vanessa in Deadpool

One of the more surprising aspects of the first film was how fully it embraced the romance plot. The relationship between Wade and Vanessa was one of the most essential elements of the film’s whole story. While a romantic relationship being so central isn’t so unusual for a superhero film, it’s surprising because it is so out of character for Deadpool.

Deadpool’s fluid sexuality in the comics is just one more interesting layer of the character. He’s been described as being pansexual, as he doesn't make much distinction between genders, or even species when selecting a partner. However, one consistent aspect is that he doesn’t stay with one partner for very long. He doesn’t grow attached or hold down relationships/

While it’s fine to change a comic book character for the big screen, this is a case of getting rid of an interesting character detail. Seeing Deadpool have to go save the damsel in distress wasn’t compelling and we fear it will be more of the same for the sequel.

7. World Building

X-Force Second Coming

World building seems to be one of the most common pitfalls for modern superhero sequels. Iron Man 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Batman V Superman—all these films stumbled trying to cram in too much foreshadowing and building to bigger storylines. Could Deadpool 2 be facing a similar fate?

While it’s too early to tell exactly what’s in store for the future of the franchise and the character of Deadpool, the writing on the wall seems to suggest Fox is eager to get the most out of him. Sadly that excitement could lead to some very bad choices in the sequel.

We already know that the studio is prepping an X-Force movie and seeing as Deadpool, Cable, and Domino have all been members of that team at one point or another, you can bet Deadpool 2 will start laying the ground work. It remains to be seen how much screen time will be used up with this worldbuilding but here’s hoping the studio isn’t taking the wrong lessons from the first film’s success.

6. Logan

Logan Hugh Jackman Blazer

It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that the success of Deadpool had a lot to do with the third Wolverine solo film turning out the way it did. Deadpool proved there is indeed an audience for smaller, more adult superhero movies and gave the studio the confidence to make Logan R-rated. Ironically, though, the success of Logan could make things difficult for Deadpool 2.

We certainly don’t want to diminish the significance of Deadpool, but while that film proved an R-rated superhero movie can work, Logan showed the heights of quality that are possible. Not hampered by setting up sequels or appealing to a wide audience, Logan delivered a thoughtful and moving superhero film.

While pretty much all recent superhero movies will have to operate in the shadow of Logan, Deadpool 2 in particular will face an uphill climb. The Deadpool franchise has explicitly linked itself to the character of Wolverine. While audiences certainly love Deadpool, the powerful nature of Logan will still be fresh in everyone’s mind, so by comparison, Deadpool 2 might seem too childish.

5. The Sequel Problem

Deadpool stinger

Of course, the most obvious concern of any sequel is that it will fail to live up to the original. It’s a common problem with follow-ups that they fail to recapture what made the first film so great. Superhero movies have sometimes avoided the sequel curse with film like The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, and Captain America: The Winter Solider building on their first films. However, the Deadpool franchise is in a difficult position as it presents itself as an a-typical superhero movie.

Despite poking fun at the genre throughout, Deadpool very much fits into the structure of a typical superhero origin story. Other than the bloodletting and bad words, it doesn’t do much to break the mold for the genre. This makes addressing the sequel extra difficult. Do they try to make a comment on the diminishing returns often associated with sequels? Do they try to recreate what worked in the first film? Or do they just follow the formula of other superhero films? We can only hope they'll do something entirely original.

4. How Can They It Make New?

Deadpool 2 Teaser with Ryan Reynolds

Relating to the challenges Deadpool 2 has due to being a sequel, there’s also a big question of what they can do to make a second film feel fresh. Adding some new characters is fine and a bit expected, but beyond that, what will they have to offer audiences that feels new?

Sequels work best when they allow their main character to grow and face new challenges. But is Deadpool a character who can really grow? Do audiences want him to learn lessons? He’s a tricky character because so much of his personality is deconstructing what’s happening around him. It can be hard to build drama or tension, or to introduce new challenges if your main character is constantly undercutting it all with jokes.

That’s not to say that a movie can’t work if it’s mostly focused on jokes - the first film worked best when it stuck to its joke-a-minute style. But trying to keep that up for a second film is no easy task and it can seem repetitive. The sequel has to give audiences a reason to want to see more Deadpool movies and not feel like they just rewatched the first film.

3. Ryan Reynolds' Spotty Record

Green Lantern Power City Press Pic

Ryan Reynolds seems born to play Deadpool. Deadpool seems designed to be played by Reynolds. Rarely do we see such a perfect pairing of actor and character. Certainly the film was lucky to have Reynolds, but Reynolds was also lucky for a role like this to come around.

Though he has always been a recognizable name since early in his career, Reynolds hasn’t been very successful at picking quality material over the years. Of course, the most infamous misfire is Green Lantern, but his filmography is quite up and down. There’s the lackluster genre films like Blade: Trinity, Safe House, and R.I.P.D., the lame-but-profitable romantic comedies like The Proposal and Just Friends, and even his first outing as Wade Wilson was a failure.

Of course, there have been stronger outings as well, like Buried, The Voices, and Mississippi Grind. With Deadpool, Reynolds absolutely had the best role of his career, but looking at his filmography, there's no consistency in quality.

2. It Will Be Held To A Higher Standard

Wade Wilson as he appeared in Deadpool (film)

Deadpool's reception was a surprise to everyone. On a relatively modest budget, it far outperformed expectations, received rave reviews from most critics, and even scored some awards love. However, Deadpool 2 will have a much higher bar to clear.

As with any sequel, people will be going into Deadpool 2 with high expectations, much higher than they were with the first film. The first Deadpool, despite the impressive marketing campaign, was still a very big question mark when it was released. Now they have proven that they can make a successful movie with the character. The second film can’t just be as good as the first, it needs to be a step up.

There are a lot of wonderful things about Deadpool, but if we had seen that character done right on screen before, the quality of the film would have been a lot less impressive. The first film was almost like a proof of concept, now the second film has to show why it should continue.

1. Deadpool’s Schtick Could Get Old

Deadpool IMAX TV Spot, poster and clip

Deadpool is certainly one of the most unique superheroes ever. His elevated personality and over-the-top nature is something totally new for the superhero genre. However, his personality might just be too big.

Such a large and loud character is not easy to maintain. While it can be fun for a while (and it certainly was fun in the first film), but the whole act can become tiresome and even grating if it outstays its welcome. There was a similar complaint with Avengers: Age of Ultron, as Joss Whedon’s signature quips worked so well the first time around but then seemed a little forced in the follow-up.

It’s doubtful the sequel will tone down Deadpool’s antics and, in fact, they are more likely to lean even harder on his wackiness. But at what point will the pop culture references, cartoonish personality, and winks to the audience get too much for audiences to handle?

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What are your biggest worries about Deadpool 2? Let us know in the comments!