Summary

Kevin Feige reveals an awkward conversation he had with Marvel and Disney execs about a joke in
Deadpool & Wolverine
.
The redband trailer for
Deadpool & Wolverine
includes one joke that some of Feige’s colleagues didn’t get.
Director Shawn Levy previously discussed Disney’s limitations on NSFW content in the film and where the studio draws the line.

The marketing for Deadpool & Wolverine has produced some amazing moments, but here’s one we didn’t expect: Kevin Feige having to explain the movie’s more mature jokes to executives at Marvel Studios. Deadpool & Wolverine is the MCU’s first foray into R-rated territory and, in true Deadpool fashion, the first redband trailer was filled with crass jokes and crude humor that has earned the film its rating.

Speaking to Variety, Feige revealed an awkward conversation he had with some executives at Marvel Studios and Disney about a joke in the first trailer. After Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is apprehended by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and threatened with their batons, the foul-mouthed character jokes that “pegging isn’t new for me friendo, but it is for Disney.” The line is one of the funniest in the trailer and kickstarts a cavalcade of R-rated jokes. But Feige revealed that some of his colleagues didn’t know what the NSFW term meant. Not wanting to relive the conversation too vividly, Feige said:

“I know what pegging is — it’s in the first Deadpool movie. But there were people I work with who didn’t know what it was. I had to explain it to them.”

Marvel Studios Is Embracing Deadpool & Wolverine’s R Rating

Across numerous presentations and interviews over the last decade, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige comes across as a very professional individual. However, Deadpool & Wolverine’s R rating seems to have a hold over him. During the film’s presentation at Cinema Con 2024, Feige took to the stage to present the film and seemed to be lost in the moment, saying:

“Deadpool & Wolverine is f*cking awesome! And the reason I can say that… is that it’s an R-rated movie.”

Related Kevin Feige Teases Deadpool & Wolverine’s Tone: ‘We Were Playing on Ryan’s Turf’ Kevin Feige reflects on the creative process for Deadpool & Wolverine and looks back on his first Marvel movie.

While a joke about pegging in the very first trailer might lead audiences to think that anything goes in Deadpool & Wolverine, there were still limitations on the content Disney would and wouldn’t accept. Director Shawn Levy has addressed these restrictions, saying that, while crude NSFW jokes were absolutely fine, Disney drew the line at hard drugs:

“I’m so wary of what I can say but certainly there were early conversations about overt drug use. And we thought that was an interesting conversation. Let’s actually write a dialogue scene about having had it.”

That conversation will have a major effect on one of the franchise’s most beloved characters. Deadpool’s roommate, Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), was a cocaine addict in the first two Deadpool movies, and was constantly searching for Deadpool’s stash. However, Wade Wilson had to have a serious conversation with her at the end of the trailer, telling her that cocaine is a no-go in the House of Mouse.

Deadpool & Wolverine is looking to breathe new life into the MCU. While Phase 5 has had some successes — most notably James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — it has also been fraught with underwhelming movies and shows like Secret Invasion and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Deadpool & Wolverine
hits theaters on July 26. Check out the offending trailer below: