Donald Glover’s Canceled Deadpool Show: A Missed Opportunity For Marvel & FX

by

Donald Glover created an animated series based on Deadpool for FX, and I’m still disappointed Marvel canceled it before it even had a chance to air. Glover is a great fit for a Deadpool show because his work on Community showed his talent for clever, self-referential comedy. He also proved with Atlanta that he can blend different genres, challenge expectations, and keep viewers surprised.

Cartoons excel at both clever, self-aware humor and insightful social commentary, as demonstrated by shows like The Simpsons and South Park. Animation offers incredible creative freedom, allowing for visually stunning and imaginative worlds, like those in Big Mouth and BoJack Horseman. Plus, animated shows aren’t bound by traditional storytelling rules, which allows for unique approaches, like the unpredictable storylines in Family Guy.

Deadpool is a character perfectly suited for adult animation, which makes it incredibly disappointing that a promising animated series—created by the right person—was cancelled before even finishing a test episode.

Marvel Reportedly Pulled The Plug On Donald Glover’s Deadpool Show

When FX briefly partnered with Marvel Television, they commissioned a 10-episode animated series for Deadpool, even though no script or writer had been secured yet. They then approached Donald and Stephen Glover, who had a successful creative relationship from their work on Atlanta, and the brothers agreed to write, executive produce, and run the show.

In March 2018, FX canceled the series, as reported by Deadline. They explained the decision with general “creative differences.” In a statement, FX said that they, Marvel Television, and the Glovers had all agreed to end the project, using very careful and polite language.

Donald Glover’s Deadpool Would’ve Been The Second Marvel Show On FX

FX confirmed that their collaboration with Marvel Television will go on with the show Legion. While a Deadpool series could have opened the door for more Marvel shows on FX, currently Legion remains the only one that actually aired.

Noah Hawley is celebrated for his work on shows like Fargo and Alien, but he deserves more recognition for Legion, one of the most compelling X-Men series ever created. Unlike typical Marvel shows, Legion is unusually dark, unsettling, and doesn’t follow the established style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, it’s a uniquely strange and captivating journey.

The show Legion finished in 2019, coinciding with Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox. This acquisition let Disney combine Marvel Television with Marvel Studios, enabling the development of TV series for Disney+. While Disney technically could have brought back Donald Glover’s Deadpool series on FX, they ultimately chose not to, and the reasons are fairly clear.

FX’s Deadpool Show Would’ve “Given Rick & Morty A Run For Their Money”

Stephen Glover revealed that Marvel canceled the series because they disagreed with how Deadpool was being portrayed. He also mentioned that a planned episode featuring Taylor Swift was the final issue that led to the cancellation, according to TheWrap. Because Marvel has final say over how its characters are shown, they weren’t willing to let the Glovers’ creative vision for Deadpool move forward.

Glover explained that they aimed to create something as edgy and daring as Rick and Morty, and he believes they succeeded. While a superhero show pushing the limits of taste like Rick and Morty might not seem like a guaranteed hit, it would be perfectly fitting for Deadpool.

Glover Gave Us A Taste Of His Deadpool After The Show Was Axed

Okay, so this is wild. Just a week after FX cancelled the animated Deadpool series, Donald Glover dropped a full 15-page script online – basically the show’s finale! I saw it reported over at The Hollywood Reporter. The script had Deadpool jetting off to Kenya to try and save the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, who’d sadly just passed away. It was also a pretty meta commentary on why the show got axed. But get this – the whole thing was deleted from Twitter pretty quickly after he posted it. It was a bizarre and fascinating little moment, honestly.

Okay, so in the latest Deadpool outing, “Finale,” things get meta. He’s basically going through the script Marvel rejected and trying to figure out why. It’s pretty funny – and a little uncomfortable – because he points out a joke they nixed about Marvel’s target demographic – which, let’s just say, was a bit… edgy. But it’s not just about the jokes. He also really digs into whether it was a good idea to have a character who’s a violent, gun-loving white guy ranting on TV, especially back in 2018. It’s surprisingly thoughtful, and definitely pushes some boundaries.

He believes Marvel might have been unhappy with the show’s entirely Black writing team incorporating elements of Black culture into the storylines. The episode’s ending features a powerful line that highlights a major issue within the industry: “It just feels like everyone wants something different, but no one wants to do anything different to get it.”

This script, titled “Finale,” offers a glimpse into the comedic style Donald Glover had planned for his Deadpool series, and it’s incredibly well-done. It’s full of sharp satire, edgy jokes, and a lot of self-aware humor. Given Disney’s previous handling of Glover’s young Lando Calrissian, bringing back his Deadpool show could be a way to make things right.

Read More

2025-12-14 15:29