Deadpool & Wolverine
A strong plot undone my constant meandering
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$441 – 537MM V $637MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
11.92 – 14.57%
Hidden potential
$720–780MM
In Deadpool & Wolverine, director Shawn Levy creates a great chemistry between two iconic characters of Wade & Logan. The movie is about Wade’s search for Logan, the only person who can save his universe. The story explores basic human desires of expedition, power & sacrifice. Mythosis extracts the plot structure of the movie with 4 mythological tales to estimate and unlock its potential.
1. The invisible plot structure of Deadpool & Wolverine
1A. The script of Deadpool & Wolverine borrows 91% of its events from 4 mythological tales
Wade’s quest is driven by the desire to find an elusive person/object and mirrors the tale of Jason from Greek mythology. Both Jason & Wade overcome multiple challenges to acquire and return with the coveted person/object.
Logan’s quest is driven by the desire to collect & own and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Logan repent being self-centred & transform.
Paradox’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others mirrors the tale of Circe from Greek mythology. Both Circe & Paradox create a façade of godliness to dupe others.
Every human desire has two quests - a fulfilled one and also an unfulfilled one. Deadpool & Wolverine uses both quests for the desire to dominate others. Paradox mirrors part of the fulfilled quest whereas Cassandra mirrors the unfulfilled quest.
Cassandra’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others mirrors the tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology. Both Ravan & Cassandra acquire unscrupulously with sheer disregard for the consequences.
Wade also has an underdeveloped quest driven by the desire to be accepted. And mirrors a few events from the tale of Theseus from Greek mythology. Both Theseus & Wade strive to get accepted by their loved ones.
Laura & team also have an underdeveloped quest of honour & loyalty.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 530,299
Tales interweaved
Jason, Circe, Valmiki & Ravan
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Deadpool & Wolverine's plot structure: $441-537MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Deadpool & Wolverine
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Deadpool & Wolverine uses 4 universal quests of Expedition, Power (both quests) and Accumulation.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Wade mirrors the quest of Expedition. Logan mirrors the universal quest of Accumulation. Paradox & Cassandra mirror the two universal quests of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Wade borrows 68% of events from the quest for Expedition. Logan borrows 36% from the quest of Accumulation. Paradox borrows 10% from the fulfilled quest of Power whereas Cassandra borrows 24% from the unfulfilled quest.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. The quest interweaving score of Deadpool & Wolverine is 0.50 and is at par.
An example of interweaving the quests of Wade & Paradox:
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Deadpool & Wolverine
The plot structure reveals unique universal quests deeply mirrored by 4 characters. There’s a minor inconsistency in Wade’s quest. Also, the quests could have been tightly interwoven.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.41
Audience appeal
11.92 – 14.57%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Deadpool & Wolverine
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Wade mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Wade’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Logan mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation
Logan’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 3: Paradox mirrors the universal quest for Power
Paradox’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Circe from Greek mythology is the universal fulfilled quest for Power.
Quest 4: Cassandra also mirrors the universal quest for Power
Cassandra’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal unfulfilled quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
The current plot structure of Deadpool & Wolverine relies on the quests of Wade & Logan while leaving the quests of both Paradox & Cassandra shallow.
Moreover, Wade has two quests. Besides, finding Logan to save his universe he also wants to be accepted by Vanessa. Characters with multiple quests are inconsistent and adversely impact the plot structure.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The ideal plot structure of Deadpool & Wolverine #530,299 is a blockbuster plot structure that interweaves 4 universal quests of Expedition, Accumulation & Power (both the quests).
However, the current plot structure of Deadpool & Wolverine borrows only a part of the ideal plot structure.
- The first intervention amends Wade’s quest by removing the quest of Acceptance.
- The second intervention builds the quest of Cassandra by borrowing from the tale of Ravan which improves the interweaving of quests thereby making the story cohesive.
Explore Mythosis Plot structure # 530,299 to enhance current revenues by ~1.5X!
Tags: Valmiki, Circe, Jason, Accumulation, Power, Expedition, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2024