Deadpool & Wolverine

Yet, I was slightly suspicious when it was finally announced, with the little, not so insignificant detail that Wolverine would be attached. Remember, Deadpool 2 was released in 2018 when Fox’s assets were in flux due to the Disney buyout. But an astonishing six years later, it finally happened.

It was a bumpy road for Deadpool & Wolverine, initially beginning as a third solo outing for the “Merc with a Mouth.” Rumors abound regarding the original plot, what characters might be included, and, more importantly, which actors would return. Save for T.J. Miller’s disgraceful conduct leading to his ouster from the film and essentially acting as a whole, everything was up in the air. Deadpool 2 undid its entire plot, begging the question as to where Deadpool 3 might even go. You could practically hear the collective shouts of glee and anticipation by taking a stab at a second Deadpool and Wolverine crossover. Then came news that this new entry would officially be a part of the MCU canon rather than continuing alongside it as an orphaned reference to a la Storm’s infamous one-liner against Toad in the first X-Men. The journey for this film series, as a whole, was a pipe dream until leaked footage forced Fox’s hand to actually drum up a film. Can you imagine if Warner Bros. had their hands in the pot? It would have been canned and incinerated for tax benefits before the editing process had even been completed.

Deadpool & Wolverine is stuffed to the brim with each of these, including countless additional Deadpools for good measure. Until the very release, questions abounded whether or not Lady Deadpool would be played by Blake Lively, another actress, or a CGI Ryan Reynolds atop a woman’s body. No spoilers; it’s just the opening weekend. Yet, with so many Deadpools to pick and choose from throughout his storied history, seeing even one of his many alternates for a brief moment is quite entertaining.

The central reason for this film is a do-over for Deadpool and Wolverine, who last officially crossed paths (in nonarchival footage) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This was supposed to be the jumping-off pad for a series of ‘Origins’ to refresh the X-Men film series after the admittedly not-so-awful X-Men: The Last Stand. A long slate of films was on the docket during a time when fans were willing to accept less-than-stellar forays into their favorite characters. This film put the final nail in the coffin for the original set of actors. The very next film that came out was First Class, which turned the clock back to tackle the origin of the X-men in an interesting way. Yet, Wolverine proved to be a critical player in the X-Men film series, and save for one (two, if we count the first Deadpool), he appears in each of them. His take on the character, controversial at first for his lack of similarity with the character, became iconic in short order. Is it any wonder that he was the one who got not one but three films to his name?

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have a legendary friendship going back to 2007 when they met to film Origins. Since then, the pair have roasted one another, spent time building each other up, and all but signposting their desire to reunite as their iconic characters for a proper go-around. True to form, the dynamic between Deadpool and Wolverine is central to the film. It is not so much a sequel to any particular Deadpool film or Wolverine outing as it is a culmination of their shared and individual storylines, mixed with a fantastic finale to Fox’s X-men film series ahead of its impending arrival into the MCU. As fans have seen in recent years, numerous Fox actors have reprised their characters in the MCU when appropriate to build a greater narrative. It’s why fans suspect Secret Wars will touch on the subject, too, as the Multiverse Saga closes itself out. Yet, Deadpool & Wolverine take multiple jabs at the concept in and of itself, all in good humor, I assure you.

There is a reason this is not referred to as Deadpool 3, though. In much the same vein that Logan was not The Wolverine 2, this film is focused on telling a self-contained story that touches upon previous events, characters, and details. It is not dependent on them, and audiences have been encouraged to go in blind if they prefer. Seeing as how one of the biggest criticisms of each individual MCU film is the usual inability to watch one without having sat through a long list of other projects to make sense of plot points that are continued from another movie or television show, it was a nice change of pace to be able to get into the theater and not feel like I had no idea what was going on. Mind you, I’ve seen every single entry, many of them multiple times. But there are those out there who like to follow a character rather than the franchise as a whole, and figuring out where Loki Season 2 fits into all of it would be a nuisance. The film solves this by touching on aspects from previous MCU fare without relying on their actual characters or plot points, just their plot devices. It explains them quickly and without fanfare, then gets to the meat of the story so that everything is done and dusted in about two hours.

The principal supporting characters, at least intentionally featured in the marketing, are Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova and Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox. While modern audiences will recognize both of them for their powerful performances as Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown, and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, I can safely attest that it was Pride & Prejudice where I first saw the latter performer. Matthew Macfadyen has rapidly joined the ranks of “That Guy.” Those actors who, when they finally, finally make it big, you realize that they’ve had a vast quantity of appearances and are always pleasantly surprised when you settle in for one of your old favorites and recognize them for the first time.

A long-since believed to be challenging to adapt character, Deadpool & Wolverine captured a visage of the character rather than a direct analog to her. Something similar occurred with X-Men ’97, which adapted a portion of her introductory storyline with Bastion taking Cassandra’s role. The marketing went all out to paint her as a fun and entertaining villain, causing numerous cries of “ruined.” Yet, her performance was one of the most intensely exciting pieces of the film. I felt they could have utilized Emma Corrin more than they did; they took a complicated and assuredly complex character and made them their own.

I can tell you that Macfadyen was at the top of his game in his portrayal, once again proving his ability as a top-tier actor who should continue getting major play in the coming years.

One of the strengths of Deadpool as a concept is its ability to draw on everything, from the canon to the real world, and throw it into a blender with its safety mechanisms yanked out. Whether delighting in mistakes espoused in Reynold’s wife’s most famous credit (sorry, Gossip Girl, but the number of bones in a body is finite) or ribbing Fox mercilessly for their decisions and practices, seemingly nothing is off-limits. Granted, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some restrictions. Still, their presence or lack thereof is so immaterial as to go unnoticed. This is the kind of film where you can expect hours’ worth of footage that are simply different jokes or line deliveries.

This lends itself to the array of cameos; whether they were blink-and-you-miss-it appearances or extended cameos, there was a dearth of characters to pull from. So many, in fact, that despite the late reveal that Dafne Keen was reprising her iconic role as Laura “X-23” Kinney just so that she could formally attend the premiere, there are several that were not hinted at in the least. After all, while we knew Aaron Stanford, Ray Park, and Tyler Mane were reprising their roles as Pyro, Toad, and Sabertooth respectively, others were less clear on if it was the actor or the character – such as Lady Deathstrike and Juggernaut. Very few of the cameos were spoiled, and I have no intention on delving into them further as of yet – perhaps I’ll do a deep dive further down the line on that. They truly make the most of fan-casting, nostalgia, and whatever budget they were granted. If it could happen and made sense, it would happen one way or another. On the other hand, the vast majority of the supporting cast from Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are treated as little more than prop pieces to better drive home the point that the films are not required viewing. Considering how Morena Baccarin’s Vannessa was treated in the latter, a lack of screen time was not necessarily a bad thing.

Those characters feature prominently during the opening minutes, reminding us that Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) and Peter (Rob Delaney) were resurrected alongside Vanessa. Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) also returns for an extended series of jokes regarding whether or not they can still do cocaine. Taxi driver Dopinder (Karan Soni), as well as Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), her adorably bubbly girlfriend Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna), and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) are also back, though in vastly reduced capacities. Even Buck (Randal Reeder) is back, though he is quickly quieted for budgetary reasons. They may not have much screen time, but their presence is a friendly reminder of why Deadpool is adamant about saving his universe.

As a superhero film (okay, anti-hero), there is an expectation regarding the fight scenes, and we are treated to numerous battles, duels, and cheap knockouts to make one’s head spin. Perhaps as an ode to typical crossovers like Godzilla vs. Kong and Freddy vs. Jason, the pair do not start out as allies and thus are thrown into more than one fight throughout the film. It’s to be expected. Like The Wolverine and the previous two Deadpool films, this entry takes full advantage of its hard-R rating. Blood, guts, and gore to make a slasher film blush are strewn throughout, but always in good taste. If it can elicit a laugh, they’ll go for it.

One of the many parts of the film I enjoyed was seeing Laura and Wolverine interact. After so long, regardless of circumstances as they are presented in the film, their relationship is still a major touchstone for me. Seeing Laura return was fascinating, especially with how they weaved her organically into the story without undermining the ending from Logan. Beyond this, her function in the film was left unrevealed, and so I shall not touch on it in this review.

All in all Deadpool & Wolverine is precisely what I expected it to be, and so much more. It was exhilarating to be able to see Wolverine appear in a comic’s accurate costume – more than one, I might add. It was also just fun to see them enjoy bringing these characters to life despite the dire stakes involved. It’s often said that superhero fatigue is setting in, but I disagree. Quite firmly. Lackluster films will always slip through for one reason or another, but harsh words for specific entries were unwarranted. When it comes to this particular film, it was an entertaining movie with a likable, energetic storyline and a well-developed cast of characters. So, too, was The Marvels.

Whether or not they will be immediately recasting Wolverine for their upcoming X-Men film is up for debate. The team is supposed to be announced in the coming days during SDCC. While there are fan favorites galore, it has to be said that Wolverine has become more than just an integral character in the mythos; he’s become their brand for good or for bad. The same can most assuredly be said for Deadpool now. However, I highly doubt he’ll be on Charles Xavier’s roster anytime soon. Here’s hoping that another Deadpool film is on the way in the near future. Six years is just too long to wait.