If you’re like me, you’ve been struggling to keep up with what new collaborations, resurrections and heroes are going to make their way into a post-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Now that the Avengers we all know and love have undergone some changes, Marvel is making more room to highlight newer characters like Echo, the Eternals, Werewolf by Night, Ms. Marvel and Shang Chi. While these newer characters are awesome, Marvel‘s latest film, Deadpool & Wolverine, outshines with its resurrection of the nostalgic X-Men leader, Wolverine.
The first two Deadpool films established a unique pivot from Marvel’s raunchy yet relatively tame humor, incorporating lewd jokes so naughty the films are rated R. Every guy’s male celebrity crush, Ryan Reynolds, made his Marvel debut. He previously played the D.C. character Green Lantern 13 years ago. That movie was a flop, so it makes Reynolds’ comeback as a snarky hero even more satisfying.
In this movie, Deadpool and Wolverine save Deadpool’s universe from deteriorating by destroying the Time Ripper, a machine that is able to speed up the ending of their universe. Of course, some villains get in the way like Mr. Paradox (Matthew McFadyen), who wants to use the machine to destroy Deadpool’s universe quicker and Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), X-Men father Xavier Nova’s sister, who has her own sadistic reasons for wanting the Time Ripper.
Like the other two Deadpool movies, Reynolds serves hilarious lines and breaks the fourth wall, making borderline-offensive yet clever jabs at various film studios and truly embracing his anti-hero arc. Unlike other comic book heroes, Deadpool remains sarcastic and shockingly inappropriate yet charming. Even better is the introduction of Dogpool, a scraggly pup who runs off with Deadpool throughout the film. Marvel really outdid themselves with this one.
Balancing this rambunctious chatterbox is the stoic, bitter and alcoholic Wolverine who must redeem himself of past mistakes he made in his universe. A ripped Hugh Jackman returns with a nostalgic flair and powerhouse claws that X-Men fans all know and love. This movie is not only a fun comeback for him, but a character arc that re-establishes himself as a hero rather than a failure.
I will say, though, that Deadpool & Wolverine should be titled Deadpool feat. Wolverine, as the film’s plotline revolves around Deadpool. We don’t get enough introspection and character depth from Wolverine despite his redemption as an iconic hero for humanity. It would have been nice to see how Wolverine exactly “failed” his universe on screen the way viewers see Deadpool’s demise in monotony.
Aside from that tidbit, the film compensates for some of its flaws via the re-introduction of more characters brought back from Marvel’s vault of forgotten heroes. Badasses like Elektra (reprised by a stunning Jennifer Garner), Gambit (Channing Tatum) and Blade (Wesley Snipes) make appearances along with the Fantastic Four‘s Johnny Storm (Chris Evans).
Though Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine falls short of highlighting Wolverine’s individuality and story, it certainly makes for a comedic, feel-good film. As someone who casually watches Marvel films (sometimes falling asleep during all those fight scenes), this one kept me awake the entire two hours, even gasping at some of Reynolds’ out-of-pocket jokes.
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