That simplicity allowed the film’s story to breathe more, and it offered Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds the opportunity to play to its offbeat, quirky strengths whenever possible.
The stakes weren’t even that high in Deadpool; Wade Wilson literally just wanted get his good looks back so Vanessa will love him; that’s a perfect example of heart over spectacle.
While the other superhero films of 2016 dealt with apocalyptic threats and bad guys with grand, dastardly schemes, Deadpool kept things simple and restrained, and it was all the better for it.
At its core, the film was nothing more than a romantic comedy/revenge tale with buckets of blood thrown in for good measure, and wasn’t trying to be anything more.