Deadpool & Wolverine's cameos also kept interest in the movie high, and it was the first R-rated and mutant-focused MCU film.

All of those elements paid off, as Deadpool & Wolverine went on to break several major records both before its release, with multiple trailer records broken, and after, as the film became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Deadpool & Wolverine was the only MCU movie of 2024, standing as a major source of excitement for Marvel fans in a year when the franchise slowed down. However, the MCU is set to have a handful of busy years ahead. Despite the greater number of Marvel movies coming soon, I'm convinced that only three can equal Deadpool & Wolverine's success.

Deadpool & Wolverine Continues To Show What Makes The MCU's Biggest Movies

The Marvel Film Had Many Elements Contributing To Its Success

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the MCU's most ambitious movies. While it has a pretty straightforward story, the film is one of the few to have truly used the MCU's Multiverse Saga to the best of its ability. Essentially a road trip shared between Deadpool and Wolverine in the Void, the MCU film became a resounding success by including climactic action set pieces, emotional moments, hilarious character dynamics, multiverse characters, and plenty of surprises along the way. As superhero movies are not a novelty anymore, those hoping to reach $1 billion will have to truly stand out.

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Josh Brolin's Thanos, and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in front of a blue space background

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Throughout the Multiverse Saga, the MCU has seen some very successful movies, though many others ended up underperforming. For instance, The Marvels became the MCU's lowest-grossing movie, even below many other films that I don't think are better than the Captain Marvel sequel in any way, like Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World. The message the MCU has received is that for a movie to the $1 billion mark, it has to be a major event or include fan-favorite characters/stars. Like the Avengers movies and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine understood the assignment.

The MCU's Movie History Teases 3 Big Candidates For Marvel's Next Film To Earn Over $1 Billion

The MCU's Biggest Franchise Is Coming Back Soon

Based on the lessons taken from Deadpool & Wolverine's success and the other MCU movies that managed to cross the coveted $1 billion mark, I see three of the franchise's projects being able to reach that same level of success. One of the biggest problems in the Multiverse Saga has been the absence of the Avengers. The team's absence is felt both story-wise, as characters have been scattered and many of them have gone years without appearing, and financially, as every Avengers movie managed to make at least $1 billion worldwide, with the latest two making over $2 billion.

Deadpool and Wolverine, Chris Evans' Captain America, and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch

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That is why I'm convinced the next two Avengers movies should have an easy time ing $1 billion. The films should have plenty of multiverse characters, interactions between heroes, and shocking twists, and with Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, now as Doctor Doom, they will be massive. Besides Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Endgame, the other MCU movie that I can see being able to reach at least $1 billion is Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4. Both of the latest Spider-Man movies reached that mark, and if the multiverse Spider-Men return, Spider-Man 4 reaching $2 billion is possible.

The MCU's Future Plans May Make Its 3 Next Chances To Break $1 Billion Even More Likely

Marvel Studios Has Shifted Its Focus

Tony Stark with the Infinity Stones in Avengers Endgame

The MCU has decided to make some changes after its Phase 4 woes. That includes Marvel Studios' TV side going through an overhaul, with projects having longer development pipelines and formal showrunners being hired, and a slowdown on the movie side. Marvel will now release fewer movies per year, and the focus of the studio going forward will rest on the MCU's most popular franchises and characters. Marvel's new approach to how it develops movies makes it easier for the franchise to have more films ing the coveted $1 billion mark.

After some MCU movies bombed at the box office during the Multiverse Saga, it seems like Marvel has understood what it needs to do to course-correct.

Like Deadpool & Wolverine, most of Marvel's movies are focused on the studio's biggest characters, including Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and Spider-Man. Recently, Kevin Feige teased the X-Men's MCU arrival, and the team already has a movie in development for after Avengers: Secret Wars. After some MCU movies bombed at the box office during the Multiverse Saga, it seems like Marvel has understood what it needs to do to course-correct, and so I believe that after the next two Avengers movies and Spider-Man 4, more MCU films can $1 billion, as Deadpool & Wolverine did.