As Marvel brings back Robert Downey Jr. and Star Wars refuses to step beyond the long shadows of the Skywalker family, major franchises are more prone than ever to mistaking Easter eggs and callbacks for plotting. This is confusing to anyone outside the hardcore fandom; Ahsoka was rather dull to those who hadn’t watched the old cartoon preceding it, and the pauses Deadpool & Wolverine built in so theater-goers could gasp at the brief cameos of characters last seen decades ago feel silly when you’re watching at home.
But this nostalgia-first, story-never strategy can have its perks. Despite middling reviews, Deadpool & Wolverine became the most profitable R-rated movie ever, while also fueling a metric petabyte of YouTube explainers to keep the buzz going. It makes you wonder if Star Trek Generations, released 20 years ago today, was ahead of its time.
