Are you Deadpool the Fourth-Wall Breaker or Wolverine the Anchor Being?A Dive into MCU’s "Deadpool and Wolverine" using George Berkeley’s Philosophy

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿: #𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a hot topic among my friends, whom we affectionately call the "Marvel Titos," we make it a point to stay current with every MCU release. We recently caught the opening of "Deadpool and Wolverine" (2024) on July 25th. After watching, I was inspired to dive into post-movie research, linking it to philosophical ideas, particularly George Berkeley's.

For starters, who is George Berkeley? He was an 18th-century philosopher who famously asserted that "to be is to be perceived" (𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯: 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘪).

According to Berkeley, objects only exist when they are being observed. It ceases to exist without looking at or thinking about an object. This challenges the common understanding of a physical reality existing independently of our perceptions. He posed the famous question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Berkeley would say no. However, he argued that objects seem to exist even without the majority of their perceivers because there is an "Ultimate Perceiver," God, who ensures the existence of all things.

In the movie “Deadpool and Wolverine” (2024), the movie follows Deadpool, “whose peaceful existence is existence is disrupted when the Time Variance Authority (TVA) recruits him to help safeguard the multiverse. He teams up with Wolverine to save his world from an existential threat (cf. Google Search).”

Deadpool is known for breaking the fourth wall, a trait highlighted in his previous films. This self-awareness aligns remarkably with Berkeley's philosophy. Plausibly or technically speaking, he can do that because “Deadpool's condition makes him so insane is due to the voices. He hears in his head he thinks he's a comic book character” (cf. Youtube Search). By acknowledging the audience, Deadpool ensures his own existence. His antics remind us that his reality is shaped by being perceived by viewers like us.

Deadpool belongs to Earth-616, the main continuity of the Marvel Universe. His time-altering actions in “Deadpool 2” (2018) caught the attention of the Time Variance Authority. However, instead of being pruned, Deadpool could hop to different universes because his universe is on the brink of destruction.

The TVA, through Mister Paradox, explains that "anchor beings" are vital individuals who hold their reality together. If an anchor being is removed, their reality degrades. Earth-616’s anchor being is Wolverine from the movie "Logan" (2017), who dies at the end of the movie.

Throughout the movie, Deadpool searches for Wolverine from different universes to replace his universe's anchor being. However, the Wolverine he partners with is not from the familiar 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films but from Earth-10005, a universe where he failed to save his friends.

Wolverine’s role as an anchor signifies that his existence is fundamental to the continuity of his reality, making his presence crucial regardless of whether he is being perceived. Though anchor being is primarily about metaphysics, the relationship of Berkeley’s philosophy is that the perceiver is the reality itself. If a reality cannot perceive its anchor being, that reality ceases to exist.

The relationship between Deadpool and Wolverine uniquely explores George Berkeley's philosophy. Deadpool thrives on audience perception, embodying the idea that existence is intertwined with being perceived. His self-awareness and direct engagement with the audience create a meta-narrative in which perception is essential to his existence.

Meanwhile, Wolverine, as an anchor being, thrives on reality perception. His presence is vital to the stability of his universe, though this indicates that his being is fundamental and not merely dependent on perception. If we relate it to Berkeley’s “esse est percipi,” Wolverine must be perceived by reality to exist.

As human beings, we can be one of two: Are we Deadpool, the fourth-wall breaker, wherein the perception of our own audiences defines our existence, personality, or capability, or are we Wolverine, the anchor being, wherein other people perceive us, and if we are not on their perception or radar, they may cease to exist?

Photo Courtesy: Google Images

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