Deadpool & Wolverine
Breathing life into The Marvel Machine
Welcome back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Deadpool & Wolverine is finally in theatres, marking the first MCU release of the year. Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds (Waiting…, Just Friends, Free Guy), and Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (X-Men, The Greatest Showman, Australia) have traded 20th Century Fox for Disney and upgraded their status to be official MCU players. The X-Men franchise (including Deadpool) has been with Fox since 1994, but in 2019 Disney absorbed Fox for a cool $71.3 billion and allowed Marvel Studios to bring in fan-favorite characters from Fox to their post Endgame phases. This was exquisitely executed in Spiderman: No Way Home, enjoyable in WandaVision, and fell a little flat in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. Now, with Deadpool & Wolverine, we’ve got our main characters officially integrated into the MCU, along with several cameos from our superheroes of yesteryear.
Deadpool & Wolverine plays by the Deadpool rules we love, the mouse didn’t stop us from having an R-rating, the 4th wall is flimsier than ever before, and the charm from the first Deadpool(2016) film has been reignited, something I think was missing from Deadpool 2(2018). Deadpool 2 didn’t bring anything new to the table, it was the same schtick and lacked a bit of character. They attempted to load the movie with more characters, but it distracted from what we wanted to see and fell flat. As a fan, I was fine with the movie, but I haven’t rewatched it since its release, it was a box I checked and I moved on. I went into Deadpool & Wolverine with the same mindset, I would be checking off a box and moving on. Ryan Reynolds is Ryan Reynolds in almost any movie he is in, from his early days as a wise-cracking server to a wise-cracking assistant, time-traveler, and of course, wise-cracking mercenary mutant. Aside from his sunny and sweet disposition in Free Guy, his performance is steady, enjoyable, and fun, but predictable. His persona is perfect for Deadpool, but without a fresh take, a third Deadpool movie would be redundant and boring.
Enter: Wolverine.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine has been gracing our screens and hearts since 2000, in 9 different films, and cinching the title of the longest MCU career. Jackman’s Wolverine is the straight man to Reynolds’ Deadpool balancing out the Deadpool schtick beautifully. The opening sequence of the movie makes sure to address the fact that we lost Wolverine in Logan(2017), and does so in a fun and charm-filled way. The movie had me at the opening sequence, and it didn’t let go until after the final after-credit scene. The entire film is a giggle-inducing, action-packed, foul-mouthed, gorefest, and I ate up every moment. The 4th wall breaking was fresh and delightful with enough references for pop culture and superhero nerds to feel seen and understood. The fan service in this film is 10/10, the only thing missing from this, or any MCU movie post Endgame is Iron Man. There are cheesy moments, but even those are executed perfectly, it’s a non-stop romp and has just enough heart to keep you emotionally invested in our hero’s journey.
The film has plenty of show-stopping cameos, but the core duo carries this movie. The MCU is vast and far-reaching, and now that Deadpool and Wolverine are a part of the MCU they can participate in the established institutions that have been built, primarily the TVA (Time Variance Authority). The TVA was introduced in Loki(2021) season one, and the TVA story continued in season two. This means that if you have not seen Loki season two you may be a little confused, if you haven’t seen Loki at all you should brush up on what the TVA is.
Our movie TVA member is new to us, Mr. Paradox, who is played by Matthew Macfadyen. Macfadyen famously played Tom Wambsgans on HBO’s hit Succession and Mr.Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Paradox is an ill-tempered, powerless, power-hungry, upper-management simpering buffoon, a character archetype that Macfadyen has perfected through Wambsgans, and revived through Mr. Paradox, the only difference is that Mr. Paradox is British. Mr. Paradox is a B-level baddie, he’s fodder to get the story moving, but our A-level baddie is Emma Corrins’(The Crown, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, My Policeman) Cassandra Nova. Cassandra Nova is Charles Xaviers’ twin sister, pruned at birth and thriving in the Void feeding pruned individuals to Aliath. Nova has the same mind-reading powers Professor X does, but she has to physically touch, and I mean really get into a person to read their minds. She’s telekinetic, heals incredibly quickly, and a classic megalomaniac. Cassandra Nova is such a powerful villain that only two heroes with regenerative abilities could go against her.
Deadpool 2 had too many side characters, we added so many characters that the story was muddied and no one had enough screen time to matter. Deadpool & Wolverine added a lead and cut down on many of the side characters, completely cutting out TJ Millers’(Silicon Valley, Office Christmas Party, How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy) Weasel. Weasel was a bigger character in Deadpool, was in Deadpool 2, and was not missed in Deadpool & Wolverine. His role of best friend was replaced by Rob Delaneys’ (Catastrophe, Bombshell, The Bubble) Peter, who reprised his role from Deadpool 2 and stole our hearts with his goofy charm and sweetness. The only character I wish had more lines was Karan Sonis’(7 Days, Superintelligence, Office Christmas Party) Dopinder. Aside from that the ensemble was perfectly balanced and well done.
This movie is better than I expected it to be, made fun of itself in the best way, and gave the MCU the hit it’s been desperately needing. I love the MCU, and bringing in our old Fox favorites to the glamour and budget of the Marvel machine is a promising revamp to the current MCU phase. Go see Deadpool & Wolverine in theatres, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the show.
