In a way it’s ironic that the future and fate of Marvel Studios relies on the two most indestructible heroes in the entire MCU, because the company has never taken more of a beating than in the last year. It’s gotten so bad that Deadpool & Wolverine is seen by some as a Hail Mary, an ammo bag full of fan service luring them back with promises of R-rated quips and lots of hacking of limbs. True Believers, you get A LOT of both! The Merc with a Mouth has never been funnier, Wolverine has never been clawier (is “clawier” a word?). Deadpool & Wolverine is so much more, though. It is, in its own irreverent way, a celebration of everything that makes the MCU great. But more than that, it’s the most twisted, hilarious, psychotic love letter to an entire cinematic universe that fans thought would be snapped into oblivion as if by Thanos himself.
Let’s be honest, we were never supposed to get Deadpool & Wolverine. This movie has been such a pipe dream for so long, that it’s almost unbelievable that it exists. And it’s clear that Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy recognize what a moment this is. There’s never a moment when they fail to give audiences exactly what they want: wild over-the-top violence, a demented sense of humor, and loads of cameos that will leave your jaw on the floor. Yes, a lot of the guest appearances have been spoiled by trailers, but trust me when I say that there are some cameos you are not ready for.
But this all begins with the Disney/20th Century Fox merger, and the end of Fox’s superhero cinematic universe. For more than two decades they were shepherds of the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, along with other heroes that you may or may not have forgotten about. When Disney acquired Fox, the fear, especially for a fan like me who adores the X-Men, was that these characters would simply vanish, never to be given their proper due. What Marvel has done is develop a story, ridiculous as it might be, that opens up all sorts of crazy doors. There are awesome bait-and-switches that can only be pulled off by this story. You get tons of fourth-wall-breaking jokes and sight gags, with no punches being pulled at the *ahem* relative quality of some of the Fox movies. However, don’t think that Marvel Studios has spared itself from criticism. There are some knockout shots taken at Marvel’s expense, and you can tell everyone is being a good sport about it.
Sharper than an adamantium katana to the gut are the shots taken at Reynolds and Jackman. Reynolds, the principal driver of making Deadpool & Wolverine a reality, never been one to shy away from jokes at his own expense. And poor Jackman, who said years ago that he had hung up his claws for good, is hilariously made to regret the decision to be part of the Marvel machine.
As for what passes for a story, it involves a bonkers quest by Deadpool and Wolverine to save the people that they love. This mad quest will run them afoul of the TVA, the Time Variance Authority first peeped in Loki, the bald telepathic villain Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), and a truckload of familiar faces some with good intentions, but most with bad ones. Both Wade and Logan share a lot in common. More than their quick healing factors and penchant for rabid violence, they are blindingly loyal to the people they love, and also feel like failures as heroes. The film plays into this common trait expertly, even if the actual details of their multiversal mission are fuzzy. The plot exists to get these two characters together, nothing more. And y’know what? They’re awesome for doing it.
Reynolds, Jackman, and Levy are all good friends. Levy is a filmmaker who makes easily accessible movies, usually for all ages such as Night at the Museum. He worked with Reynolds on Free Guy and The Adam Project, and with Jackman on Real Steel. These guys know one another very well and that chemistry is off the charts. Some of the shit they say to one another could only be said by a friend. Deadpool & Wolverine is very self-aware and that’s part of what makes it so damn great, and vastly different from any MCU movie that came before it.
If the first Deadpool movie felt like it was slapped together by folks who were just happy to be there, and the sequel was bigger but more unfocused, Deadpool & Wolverine is like a classic buddy action comedy with a Marvel twist. The levels of violence are nutty, especially when Wolverine and Deadpool slug it out. There’s a lot of time watching them fight, taking the violence to Looney Tunes levels of silliness. Because it’s played for laughs, and because neither hero can actually be killed, it can wear thin after a while.
It’s rare that you get two actors in the same movie, both playing the characters they were born to play. Reynolds slips easily back into the role of Deadpool, embracing the Merc’s many faults and relishing the chance to push the boundaries of good taste. Jackman had the perfect ending for Wolverine with Logan, so for him to come back it had to be for something a little bit different. And Deadpool & Wolverine is definitely different. You won’t see another Marvel movie quite like it ever again.
Thinking about Deadpool & Wolverine on the drive home, it struck me that Marvel didn’t have to make the movie in the way that they did. They could’ve pumped out Deadpool 3 or a total reboot and audiences still would’ve shown up, happy to have their favorite Merc with a Mouth back again. But they chose to use this film as a space to honor more than two decades of awesome movies, incredible characters, and wondrous stories that millions of fans still hold dear. I will say that the return of one such character had me hooping and hollering in the theater like I was a little kid again. Those kinds of moments are rare and really special, and we have Marvel Studios to thank for it.
Deadpool & Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26th.
