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Spoilers: The following article contains minor references to plot points in Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine”
Almost halfway through Deadpool & Wolverine’s two-hour and seven-minute run time, something historic happens. The film’s lead characters, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, journey through a Mad Max-inspired playa with an unexpected stowaway in the form of a big name celebrity in tow. (Don’t expect us to reveal any of the fantastic cameos this early on in the movie’s release!)
Flanked by acerbic quips that break the fourth wall, and a jukebox score any Millennial woman would delight in downloading (as Blake Lively attested on social media), the crucial mid-way point between the movie’s first and second act introduces its first-ever non-binary actor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): Emma Corrin.
At a time when superhero fatigue has set in and box office sales are in decline, representation in these spheres is more crucial than ever. That’s why when I met with Corrin, the film’s antagonist, I was curious if they considered this, too. As someone who has been very vocal about the “vitriol” they received since first identifying as LGBTQIA+, did they worry about how the MCU fanbase might view their gender expression?
I connect with Corrin, who uses they/them pronouns and identifies as queer, over Zoom.
“[Being a part of this film] is a huge honour,” they begin with a smile. “But [my gender identity] is not something I think about, really.
“At the end of the day, it’s an amazing honour to be joining the MCU and it was such a fun production to be a part of.”
Removed by time and space—a prominent theme within the film and recurring motif within the wider context of the MCU—Corrin plays Cassandra Nova, the dominating telekinetic alien and twin sister to beloved X-Men Charles Xavier.
Deadpool & Wolverine marks the first time these characters joined the MCU in a starring role after Disney (Marvel’s parent company) purchased the screen rights to the series from 20th Century Fox. This allowed director Shawn Levy and producer Kevin Feige to mine a 61-year-old MCU catalogue in search of the perfect personalities with mutant abilities to complement the highly-anticipated (and comic-book-accurate) team-up.
One of which they landed on was Nova, who, like Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow or Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, never broke through the zeitgeist until rendered on the silver screen. The character might be bald and dressed like Indiana Jones, but when Corrin steps into frame, they’re as captivating as the actor’s previously hypnotic work as Princess Diana in The Crown.
The film also gave Australia’s Jackman the creative vulnerability to step back into a role he hasn’t embodied since 2017. As it turns out, this openness was most profound for Corrin.
“Hugh’s incredible,” they offer with a warmth that reveals just how impactful the artistic collaboration between the pair was. “It’s been a real ‘pinch me’ moment,” they note.
“There were some scenes where I sort of had to pick myself off the ground and remember that I had to keep acting because I was so mesmerised [by Hugh Jackman].”
“The thing about Hugh, particularly with playing Wolverine, is you can just tell that he’s been playing this character for 24 years,” they continue. “It’s so in his bones. It’s so in his DNA. There’s a real rawness and realness that comes through when an actor has been playing that character for that amount of time. It was such a privilege to watch.”
Jackman’s sensitivity to the character, the comic book genre and the fanbase (read: the real cornerstone of the franchise’s success) offers the most emotional through-line in the movie. We see Jackman play Logan and his ferocious alter-ego Wolverine, but more importantly, we also see the humanity and tenderness of a centuries-old quasi-immortal struggling with shame, self-doubt and disappointment.
It could be argued that audiences wouldn’t see this without Corrin’s coaxing. The actor, more so than the character, has an inimitable ability to draw out guttural and deeply cathartic performances from their scene partners. (See: Josh O’Conner’s “I care about her!” tirade as Prince Charles.) It’s Corrin’s soft lilt and equally poised and expressive countenance that makes for an explosive viewing experience for audiences.
This is a quality they share with Elizabeth Debicki, who took over from Corrin as the late Lady Spencer in the penultimate and final seasons of Netflix’s award-winning historical drama The Crown. Similarly (and deservingly) they both took home a Golden Globe for their specific interpretations of the People’s Princess.
The Crown Season 4, Elizabeth Debicki appears as Diana, Princess of Wales. Credit: Netflix.
Corrin tells me that watching our homegrown Hollywood star in the sixth season “moved me so much.”
“I just think she’s such a phenomenal actor,” they say. “We had an amazing conversation for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ recently and that was the first time we sort of properly got down and had a chance to actually talk together,” Corrin recalled.
“We decided to give ourselves space when [Elizabeth Debicki] was creating her own version of Diana, which was right.”
“The wonderful thing about The Crown is that every few seasons you get a fresh take and a completely original version of this character,” they continue. “Like a rebirth in a way. She did such a gorgeous job. It was nice because enough time had passed that we could both reminisce about our experiences; what had been similar and what would have been different.”
This evolution isn’t vastly different to how the MCU operates, with a new actor stepping into a suit or picking up the mantle where another left off. It’s been a successful formula, with Deadpool & Wolverine projected to shatter the box office’s R-rated record with US$170 million-plus (AU$260 million-plus) opening.
The franchise is the highest-grossing of all time having raked in over US$29.8 billion (AU$45.5 billion) at the global box office across its 33 instalments—well, 34 now including the latest edition in the Deadpool trilogy. (Sale figures from Deadpool & Wolverine have not been included in this sum).
Across streamers and cinema screens, it’s important to recognise just how impactful and influential the MCU is in a wider cultural context. Australia’s Zoe Terakes is set to be the first openly transgender actor to join the MCU in the upcoming series Ironheart. RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Shea Couleé will also appear in the show in an unspecified role. Iman Vellani became the first Muslim and Southeast Asian superhero as the titular Ms. Marvel.
It’s not a victory lap. Rather, proof that inclusivity is becoming progressively normalised in one of Hollywood’s biggest success stories. Emma Corrin might not “think about it” too much, but we’re sure the actors who come after them, and every queer viewer watching themselves on screen, will.
Deadpool & Wolverine launches in Australian theatres on July 25.
