Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine made their joint Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut on July 26 in the aptly titled “Deadpool and Wolverine.” The film follows the duo on a multiversal journey to prevent the destruction of Deadpool’s universe.
One of the most exciting prospects to come out of the 2019 20th Century Fox/Disney merger was the idea of the X-Men joining the MCU. Although both franchises released films concurrently, the Marvel universes of Fox’s “X-Men” and Disney’s “The Avengers” were legally and narratively distinct. The merger equipped Disney with the rights to Fox’s X-Men films, enabling crossovers between Disney and Fox’s Marvel universes, as seen in “Deadpool and Wolverine.”
“Deadpool and Wolverine” comes at a critical time for the MCU. 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” were critical and financial disasters, prompting a statement by Disney CEO Bob Iger that the studio would “focus more on quality.” “Deadpool and Wolverine” is the only MCU film yet to release in 2024, a stark change for the studio that’s released three films every year since 2021.
Set six years after “Deadpool 2,” Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, has given up his mercenary career. Despite that, Wade is forced to put the suit on one more time after being informed by the Time Variance Authority — an organization that manages the multiverse and its multiple timelines — that his universe is dying. What follows is a road-trip-style buddy comedy as Deadpool enlists the help of Logan, aka Wolverine.
Deadpool is a character known for his R-rated antics — with Disney’s wholesome reputation, many were understandably skeptical of the studio continuing the series. Fans of the franchise can rest assured that Disney has pulled no punches with “Deadpool and Wolverine.” The film is just as vulgar, bloody and graphic as its previous two entries.
The main attraction of “Deadpool and Wolverine” is witnessing Jackman and Reynolds share the screen. The pair have an undeniable chemistry that fits seamlessly with the tone of the Deadpool movies. Jackman’s grizzled and irate Wolverine is the perfect foil to Reynolds’ eccentric and irreverent Deadpool. Whether they’re bickering or beating each other to a pulp, every moment they share on screen is endlessly entertaining.
As fun as the movie is, mileage may vary on its comprehensibility.
Novices to the Marvel series may have some difficulty keeping up with the plot. Though prerequisite knowledge is not entirely necessary, the film only briefly describes the information audiences need to know. To be fully caught up, viewers would need to be familiar with the convoluted continuity of the X-Men film series, both seasons of the Disney Plus show “Loki” and a slew of Marvel films from the past 20-plus years.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” takes full advantage of the Marvel multiverse, which allows for essentially infinite possibilities.
In this case, it means heaps of shameless fan service.
The film has an excess of references and inside jokes, which may test the patience of casual audiences. These take the form of callbacks to the comic source material, cameos by various famous actors and even references to real-life events. On one hand, there’s no better Marvel property to tackle these subjects than Deadpool, a character known for his fourth-wall-breaking sense of humor. But for as many creative uses of the multiverse as there are in the film, there are just as many eye-roll-inducing moments of pandering. Some cameos are so obscure one wonders who, if anyone, was even asking for them. Moments like these can become tiring and disruptive to the viewing experience.
The writing in “Deadpool and Wolverine” is a bit of a mixed bag. The rules set by the movie are frequently disregarded in favor of propelling the story. This often makes actions by the characters feel retroactively pointless. On a positive note, the film delivers satisfying emotional arcs for Deadpool and Wolverine. Unlike “Deadpool 2,” which felt more like a series of funny scenes than a cohesive story, this film is an engaging and complete experience.
At the box office, “Deadpool and Wolverine” is set to become one of the biggest movies of the summer. The film grossed $211 million domestically in its opening weekend, the highest-ever domestic opening weekend for an R-rated movie. It’s even projected to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” simultaneously represents the best and worst qualities of the superhero genre and franchise filmmaking at large. There is a sense that somewhere within the massive machine of Marvel Studios, the creatives behind this film genuinely care about these characters and this story. Marvel may have had a rough 2023, but as long as it continues to make creative and crowd-pleasing films like “Deadpool and Wolverine,” it’s unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Drew Askeland is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. He can be reached at daskelan@uci.edu.
Edited by Lillian Dunn, Jaheem Conley and Jacob Ramos.
