The early beginnings of the Deadpool character-wise-cracking his way through the fourth wall into the live-action space started way back in 2004. Through an appearance in a maligned Wolverine spinoff, two highly successful standalone films, and a merger where Disney acquired the assets of 21st Century Fox, like Alioth’s insatiable appetite in The Void, we have arrived at “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The merch-with-a-mouth comes with an acute awareness of the ebbs and flows of the direction of the MCU (he acknowledges Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is joining at a low point) but doesn’t necessarily position itself as the project that will cure the ails of this ever-extensive universe. If anything, the third installment of these Deadpool stories makes for an enjoyable but perplexing set of contradictory motivations trying to rip, tear, and joke at one another.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” comes when the Marvel Cinematic Universe is trying to keep your attention on the various branching timelines of its multiversal saga while acknowledging that part of the population is experiencing homework fatigue. Writer-director Shawn Levy and the writing team comprised of Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells are trying to attack all those sensibilities from different angles. This isn’t a story consequential to the stakes of the multiverse – it almost acts as a whole rejection of it entirely. It self-awareness hits you over the head that the character of Deadpool and its R-rated flavor sticks out like the eccentric sibling who adds some color to rather mundane family holiday parties. It seems to me that Levy is trying to answer the burning question some Marvel fans have, considering the many variants of characters and the potential undoing those things can bring. If there are a varying amount of these characters in existence, then why should I care about one over another when I know things could be flipped when the temperature gets a little hot?
Deadpool & Wolverine
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios
Well, this is where “Deadpool & Wolverine’s” focus narrows to the nostalgic feeling of the superhero films of yesterday—specifically the Fox universe. If you’ve been rooting for Deadpool’s long-anticipated inclusion in the main timeline, the film lets you know it from the beginning. See, Deadpool longs to be a part of a team, and the specific wish has hit some potential roadblocks. The Avengers isn’t interested in him joining, and the rejection sends him into a tailspin of despair and a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). Could you imagine Deadpool wearing a fake hairpiece and moonlighting as a used car insurance salesman? Well, that’s what he’s up to until Wade Wilson gets a faithful visit from the Time Variance Authority and de facto agent in charge, Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen). It just so happens Deadpool’s universe is due to be on the chopping block unless he goes on a mission to find the one person who could help him save it. 2017’s ‘Logan’ was the gritty and emotional epitaph of the long story of Wolverine, but endings are never so simple, right?
To confront those feelings of being upset about those events being undone, “Deadpool & Wolverine” runs all over those remains right from the start. Within that is a furious fight sequence complete with Wolverine’s old bones used as weapons to the tune of NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye.” It’s a bold choice that pays off at first but also gives way to the problems those types of needle drops present throughout the film. At some points, the jokes go on a little too long, and it feels like the film is trying to elevate its song budget as much as possible with needle drops. But when the going gets good, it’s quick, sharp, and naturally introduced within the story, invoking a chuckle in you. Going through an extensive montage of Deadpool cascading through alternate timelines, sifting through various amounts of comic-accurate and other Wolverines, he settles on one down on his luck. Dawning the classic yellow costume, Logan draws himself into alcohol and is otherwise known as the hero who lets down his entire timeline. (It’s something you don’t get to see, but it is told throughout the exposition).
Deadpool & Wolverine
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios
The two unlikely heroes set off on a journey where they often fight each other brutally, curse at one another and get along in an unlikely ally sort of way. That’s the crux of the whole Deadpool & Wolverine” storyline without introducing the villain. Levy is aware people have come to see this film mostly to see Reynolds and Jackman finally together after it seemingly wasn’t going to happen. To that part, the film is successful in the balancing act both actors play off each other. Reynolds is almost a mile-a-minute with jokes ranging from eluding to his and Jackman’s personal lives, 20th Century Fox itself, and nearly any pop culture phrase. Jackman brings the emotional gravitas the film is trying to invoke amongst all the other stuff and is able to then ground Reynolds within that. Amongst the heavy nostalgia play, there’s a story of having another chance to make things right after a massive screw-up.
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Our main heroes hit a snag when they are catapulted into The Void (complete with the old 20th Century Fox logo), where Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), Professor Xavier’s homicidal psychic twin, rules supreme and hopes to drag every universe to her feet. Much credit to Corrin; they play this character with a menacing energy to make Cassandra feel like a threat. However, Cassandra’s inclusion will ultimately be remembered as a villain you wish would have been saved for a slightly bigger and better story arc.
For a film universe constantly moving and looking forward to the future, “Deadpool & Wolverine” reaches back to the past like a “remember me” rebuke of its history, including various cameos from its film past. (You have to know the backstory to get the main effect). For a studio looking for the next North Star to chase down, it’s interesting how it harkens back to a time when shared universes weren’t so plentiful, didn’t have massive budgets, and, in some cases, not so successful. While their inclusions don’t help move the plot along, you’ll smile and remember if you have taken this long journey. It’s a thank you to those portrayals that will be erased by the grand plan, sooner or later. The Void is an endless desert filled with the broken parts of Marvel stories locked away in another dimension.
I find it fascinating that “Deadpool & Wolverine” used its “Marvel Jesus” to reach inside this toybox and grab a varying degree of its acquisitional IP before it trudges into an uncertain future. This film feels like an apology for the universe’s recent missteps, hoping fans will look fondly upon this time with distance.
