For what it’s worth, and despite the clear bias of the trailers, Wolverine is the draw to Deadpool & Wolverine, a film with real implications for the MCU.
When Deadpool made his first appearance in New Mutants #98, he was a sinister figure. Fast-forward to an image of Ryan Reynolds staple-gunning a toupee to his scarred and wrinkled scalp. That’s the evolution of this character in a nutsack. Sorry, I mean nutshell. Expect plenty of similar lowbrow humour in this film.
The character of Deadpool in this franchise has evolved in the same direction that he has evolved in the comics. If that isn’t paying homage and giving loyalty to this comic character, then I don’t know what is.
But what about Wolverine?
Wolverine is a holier figure in the Marvel pantheon. Not only is he older with a more established history, he also encompasses a wider reach generationally among fans. If there’s a character who needs to be taken care of, it’s him.
The story here: Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool is not the man he used to be. Hanging up the Deadpool cowl to learn where he fits in the universe, he is tapped by the TVA (Temporal Variance Authority, remember them?) to be the hero he always wanted to be. The catch? Everyone in his universe must die, including his small pocket of friends.
He needs a real hero to show him how to save the universe and that is the script device that begins his search for him and, yeah, it’s the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Cue cinematic scale music now.
Given that Wolverine was killed in not just another universe but another film company, that’s the two-pronged tactic of how Logan is brought back to the loving embrace of the MCU where fans argued he should have belonged in the first place.
Narratively, it's a bumpy start, but once Reynolds and Jackman are united the plot smooths out, becoming a quest to get home, and lets their bickering chemistry take centre stage. They are a dream together, both immensely comfortable in their respective characters and apparently willing to do just about anything to give the audience a laugh. Reynolds delivers gags at a mile a minute, affectionately poking fun at everything on screen, and frequently off, and pushing at both the fourth wall and Marvel’s boundaries. For Jackman, bringing his career-defining character back for a comedy encore could have been a mistake. After some real stinkers, he ended his Wolverine journey with Logan, as effective a superhero sign-off as we’ve ever seen. Thankfully, this is a triumph. While the film is ridiculous, Jackman plays Wolverine just as he always has: brimming with hurt and self-disgust. In a film with a million dick jokes, he manages to deliver a character arc that’s genuinely moving, achieving the greedy honour of a second worthy bow-out.
Suck it, Fox.
Granted, it’s an obvious deus ex machina, but it’s one that fans are so willing to accept because it’s Wolverine! Deadpool & Wolverine is a celebratory film loaded to the gills with fan service, fourth wall–breaking, and jokes galore.
While the story itself is a bit predictable, nobody cares. Superhero battles happens on both individual and mass levels, myriad Easter eggs leap from the corners, and more than anything, there’s Reynolds’ famous, incessant quipping.
Cameos abound and are both surprising and contextual. There’s no chance to pause and relax in this film. Even the human moments are still punctuated by Deadpool’s irreverent humour. The focus rests with Wolverine but this is Deadpool’s film.
Deadpool & Wolverine is enjoyable on its merits: R-rated, horribly violent juvenile fantasy loaded with nostalgic references from the glory days of comic reading that fans, new and old, will thoroughly enjoy as it drags you down to its irreverently funny level.
Wolverine’s home, right? Thanks, Deadpool.
Deadpool & Wolverine. Directed by Shawn Levy. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. In theatres July 26.
