The whole point of “Once Upon a Deadpool” was to take the R-rated, foul-mouthed, adults-only superhero and package “Deadpool 2” in a PG-13, family-friendly way, right? Well, apparently that’s not completely going according to plan. You see, the good folks at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) are pretty upset by the new film, particularly with a new poster depicting Deadpool in a very…religious way.
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The controversy surrounds a new poster (seen below) for “Once Upon a Deadpool” that depicts the murderous superhero in what can only be described as a Jesus-like pose, surrounded by angels which include Fred Savage. According to a new petition on Change.org, this image is a homage (or sacrilegious abomination, you decide) to a classic painting showing the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And the folks behind the petition would like Fox to remove the poster and apologize.
The petition states:
“It is unknown if the picture was used to intentionally mock the Church of Jesus Christ, but it is clear it was copied from the original picture. This is a form a religious discrimination. We ask that the picture be not used or posted in any manner. That they find another poster to represent their movie.”
Now, you may just chalk this up to one person angrily typing away, outraged that Fox and Ryan Reynolds would dare mock their holy painting, but the petition is actually gaining steam and has been signed by almost 40,000 people. Even still, it’s highly unlikely anything will come of this. The toothpaste is out of the tube, so to speak, and attempting to stop people from using or posting the image is going to be damn near impossible.
If anything, perhaps this could be some fodder for a future advertisement for the film, as we all know that Deadpool loves to poke fun at those who are offended by his antics. And honestly, if the person who created the petition is upset over the poster, they clearly haven’t watched the R-rated version of the film, which is full of jokes that are far more controversial.
“Once Upon a Deadpool” is in theaters now.
