During the 2023 Writers Strike, before the actors joined the picket lines, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE had to stop filming. Many fans questioned why this was necessary since the script was already complete. It’s a good question and director Shawn Levy had a good reason. It was Ryan Reynolds and his rampant adlibs. Reynolds’ gift for freestyling is so formative, so central to everything the franchise is, that his adlibs deserve a writer’s credit. But they’re only part of the mix.
No matter how profane, gory, or downright nasty the Deadpool franchise gets, it has a heart. Not just on the page, but in every aspect of making these movies, the quintessential core is Ryan Reynolds. We see it during pre-production but also in the acerbic quips, the infinity chain of Marvel in-jokes, and the brilliant marketing. Reynolds is the Deadpool engine. That’s why the movies work.
Here’s the twist. That’s not why DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE works. The third movie has transformed into a Time Lord. Some of you are smiling, but for those who don’t know what I mean: It has two hearts. The pairing of Reynolds, as the Merc with the Mouth, and Hugh Jackman, as Old Man Logan, is more than a co-headliner. It’s two katanas, a pair of claws, and two big bloody chest muscles pumping pure diesel (and I’m not talking about Hugh’s pecs). There are times when you’re laughing so hard from the steady infusion of nonsensical nonsense, coming at you like a malfunctioning batting cage, that you could go into cardiac arrest.
Here’s where I try to sidestep a minefield of spoilers and set the movie up for you. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE starts with Wade on a quest to prove he matters. As a person. Although he and Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) have broken up, he wants her to know his life has meaning. Clearly, it does. He feels this when his friends gather around him to celebrate his life. Aww, life is good. That’s when the Ambiguously Bad Guys show up. And because some M.F.s are always trying to ice skate uphill, they ruin the good vibes. Now, draped in a newly tailored costume, Deadpool goes out to find a Wolverine to help him save—um—lots of stuff. Or at least make an attempt, but “the saving” doesn’t work out so well. Basically, if Deadpool and Wolverine were making sacrifices to a god of blood and chaos, they’d be the favorites.
That’s all I can say without making you fight me for spoiling the experience. What you’ll get is everything that made you love Deadpool to begin with. But wait, there’s more. For the MCU faithful, the fan service is so juicy you won’t know whether to giggle or pretend you’re not crying (you are, you’re crying). Better than that, this team-up gives you ALL the Wolverine moments that FOX deprived you of. I mean, ALL OF THEM. Finally, if you love the X-Men, you may need to carry a tissue.
When I walked out of the theater I said two things. First, I called DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, “a big explosive ball of fan service and Marvel in-jokes—and I can’t wait to watch it again!” Second, I shouted, “The jokes. The feelings. The profanity. The action. The fan service. It’s GOOD but it’s not right.” When I say “not right,” I mean, you could be jailed for the actions in this movie on every planet in the multiverse.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE is a classic Deadpool movie, but the film cements itself in the MCU by connecting to what came before. Especially to another trickster character by featuring the TVA, while allowing the X-Men and more to ride shotgun.
If you’ve been watching the rollout, you’ve seen Emma Corrin talk about her character Cassandra Nova. Cassandra is an omega-level mutant who tried to kill Charles Xavier in the womb. Corrin is diabolical in this role, giving it the creepiness and sense of doom it needs.
Beyond all of that is an unrelenting chain of cameos that are so top-tier you would accuse Ryan Reynolds of showing off if you weren’t enjoying them so much. Beyond the beyond is something I mentioned in the third paragraph. The needle drops. Just kidding, although yeah the needle drops. The thing that makes DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE work is the pair of hearts at its center. The found family and bonds of friendship are so pure. You don’t need a fourth wall break to know they thrive both in front of and behind the camera.
As the song says, Hugh Jackman is having the time of his life. Because of that, so is Ryan Reynolds. Because of that, so are we.
Merci beaucoup, cher