Deadpool & Wolverine

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
2024 | Dir. Shawn Levy | 128 Minutes

"Suck it, Fox! I'm going to Disneyland! Get fucked!"


Wade Wilson once again suits up as Deadpool when a rogue Time Variance Authority agent threatens to mercy kill his branch of the multiverse and spare it from inevitable gradual decay following the death of its anchor being, the heroic X-Man Wolverine. Desperate to save his loved ones from destruction, Deadpool unwittingly recruits the worst Wolverine in the multiverse as a replacement. At odds with TVA forces and the chaotic whims of an evil Omega level mutant, the duo must work together to preserve Deadpool's doomed world.

A direct sequel to the 20th Century Fox Deadpool movies by way of MCU multiverse shenanigans, Deadpool & Wolverine is as inaccessible to the uninitiated as it is a bawdy unpredictable treat for both fans and detractors of the various non-MCU Marvel superhero movie franchises orphaned since the film studio's acquisition by Disney. The plot messily mashes together elements from various MCU and non-MCU Marvel films and television shows, offering virtually nothing to fill newcomers in on the characters and overarching story points, but its eager target audience, on board through thick and thin since 1998's Blade, will most assuredly revel in the pandemonium of it all. While the overall narrative can be boiled down to nothing more than a simplistic tandem redemption story for its titular pair of homicidal frenemies, it serves its purpose as a vehicle for the hyper-violent action sequences, juvenile comedy, and fourth-wall-breaking gags that made the previous Deadpool features so much fun. What sets this third Deadpool picture apart as a unique delight is its access to the wealth of genuinely surprising cameo players from across the Marvel movie multiverse. Very funny metatextual jabs at both erstwhile non-MCU Marvel superhero movies and the MCU's Multiverse Saga aside, it is an unabashed celebration of Marvel cinema past and present, and the love its leading men and the filmmakers have for material translates straight onto screen.

The set pieces for Deadpool & Wolverine are, in a word, bonkers. The laughs from Deadpool's multiverse-traversing montage to find a replacement Wolverine is worth the price of admission alone. Standout action sequences include the Logan-desecrating opening bloodbath, the knock-down drag-out one-on-one fights between the movie's leads, the epic battle between the "Others" of the Void and Cassandra Nova's army of exiled supervillains, and Deadpool and Wolverine's anything-goes one-shot street fight against the massive Deadpool Corps. If there's one aspect that's slightly disappointing, it's a bit of a letdown that so much of the story takes place in the dreary wasteland of the Void.

His public persona inextricably linked to the Merc with a Mouth, Ryan Reynolds is as charming as ever, proving once again that he is the perfect actor to play Deadpool. It goes without saying that if anyone other than Reynolds were in the role, the character would quickly become totally insufferable. Hugh Jackman's deeply depressed perpetually drunk worst Wolverine makes for the very best foil, bringing the same level of gravitas he brought to his past portrayals of Logan, but this time with so much more humor. The chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman is buddy comedy dynamite. As the overambitious TVA agent Paradox, Matthew Macfadyen is convincingly petty and conniving. Emma Corrin is amusingly menacing as the casually cruel Cassandra Nova, particularly when their fingers are protruding out of someone's face.

The supporting cast is rather expansive with some prominent players that really stand out. Rob Delaney reprises his Deadpool 2 role as the ordinary but curiously influential Paul, his unfathomable clout somehow extending into the multiverse. Aaron Stanford returns as Pyro from X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand to give a scummier take on the wayward mutant. Back in their signature superhero roles are Jennifer Garner as Elektra Natchios from 2003's Daredevil and its Elektra spinoff, Wesley Snipes as the titular Daywalker from New Line Cinema's Blade movie trilogy, and Dafne Keen as the Wolverine clone Laura from Logan, characters stranded in liminal space wanting nothing more than a fitting ending. Finally afforded the opportunity to play the cardslinging X-Man Gambit after his spinoff superhero vehicle never left development hell, Channing Tatum puts on a hilariously ridiculous accent while actually looking pretty cool charging things hot pink until they explode. One of the funniest assets of the movie is the mind-blowing fake-out return of Chris Evans not as the MCU's beloved Steve Rogers, but as Johnny Storm the Human Torch from Fox's Fantastic Four movies, allowing him to curse like a pirate and lean hard into his comedy chops.

An irreverent romp through the ashes of defunct Marvel movie worlds, Deadpool & Wolverine is a bloody, foul-mouthed, and all-around hilarious tribute to a bygone brand of superhero films. The picture delivers an overabundance of joy and reverence for the movies that paved the way for and eventually rivaled Marvel Studios' shared universe, though it isn't above making dirty jokes and nearly everything is fair game. It's first and foremost a Deadpool story after all, but one that's presented on the biggest, most extravagant canvas available.


POST-CREDITS STINGER
Deadpool reviews the footage to prove that Johnny lied after all.


STAN LEE CAMEO
Stan the Man appears in an ad for Stanlee Steamer on the side of a bus.


FRAGMENTS
- The movie really goes out of its way to highlight how James Mangold's Logan is just such a great film

- It was stupidly confounding to me at first to learn that Deadpool traveled to the MCU's Earth-616 at one point for a job interview with Happy Hogan, but I realized the practical implications don't really matter because his fourth-wall-breaking antics would naturally allow him to do anything, much less jump across timelines using Cable's time travel device he acquired at the end of Deadpool 2

- While there isn't quite enough dramatic build-up for it to make a strong emotional impact when viewed as a stand-alone film, when viewed as the concluding third installment of the Deadpool movie trilogy it's a decent payoff for Deadpool to finally feel like he accomplished something that matters in saving his timeline from both imminent and eventual destruction

- The sight of the short comics-accurate Wolverine made me laugh so very hard

- My favorite Wolverine variant from the replacement Wolverine montage has got to be Weapon X from Age of Apocalypse, but Cavillrine is a close second

- It's kind of neat that the ragtag team of "Others" more or less represents the beginning (Blade), the bad (Elektra), the good (Laura), and the never-was (Gambit) of the non-MCU Marvel movies

- Seeing Wunmi Mosaku again as B-15 from Loki now leading the TVA is incredibly gratifying

- We never did find out why Thor was holding Deadpool and crying


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