‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ dominates at Comic-Con ahead of panel with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman

SAN DIEGO (AP) — “Deadpool & Wolverine” has arrived — and Comic-Con, with its hordes of Marvel fans, is ready to celebrate the only superhero flick of the summer.

The sprawling convention celebrating all things pop culture kicked off Wednesday, and a panel celebrating the release of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” is the main attraction for Thursday. On the convention’s preview night, scores of fans were sporting clothing or costumes featuring the movie’s characters.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who play the titular superheroes, will join director Shawn Levy in the San Diego Convention Center’s famed Hall H Thursday. To prevent fans from camping out in lines all day to snag a seat, organizers created a lottery system for the chance to win tickets. The venue holds about 6,000 people.

Some fans, conditioned to expect surprise guests and never-before-seen footage from years of experience at the convention, are speculating the panel will be followed by a screening of the film, which hits theaters Friday.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” marks the debut of Reynolds and Jackman’s characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the subject of several jokes throughout the trailer. Both Deadpool and Wolverine’s characters existed in films previously under the 21st Century Fox banner.

The release comes at a time of increasing conversations about a general “superhero fatigue,” with audiences showing less enthusiasm for superhero movies both within the MCU and beyond. Part of that fatigue comes from a feeling that to understand a superhero movie today requires background research into the lore of the characters and comics, with much required viewing and reading.

Levy said in an April interview with The Associated Press that he wanted to make sure his movie didn’t require that intense level of preparation.

“I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies,” Levy said.

“I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world. But I didn’t want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research.”

Although Marvel is anxious for a hit following box-office underperformance in of “The Marvels” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in 2023, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is tracking to open in the $160 million range. That would unseat “Inside Out 2” for the biggest opening of the year— and quash any discussion of superhero fatigue.

With generally positive reviews, rousing enthusiasm at Comic-Con and an endorsement from Taylor Swift where she called the film a “joy portal,” Marvel’s latest movie is set to be a box-office hit.