Few films present as immediate and resonant a symbol for their own problems as Deadpool & Wolverine. The latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first live-action film to ever realize one of the brand’s most beloved pairings, the film’s opening sequence wastes no time addressing the elephant in the room – that Wolverine, after the events of Logan, is dead. Upon the film’s initial announcement, fans of James Mangold’s eponymous swan song were quick to bemoan the character’s resurrection at the hands of cinema’s most maligned franchise. Though stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman were quick to assure fans that the events of their film would not conflict with the Logan canon, the question still remained: is nothing sacred? Well, according to Deadpool 3, which begins with Deadpool unabashedly digging a very-much-still-dead Logan’s bones out of his X-marked grave, the answer is a cheeky “f**k no.”
As Deadpool proceeds to fight off a swath of agents from the Time Variance Authority (an organization first introduced in the television series Loki) with Logan’s adamantium bones, all while dancing to NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” with the original music video’s choreography, it becomes painfully clear that Deadpool & Wolverine not only has zero qualms in opening old wounds but, in fact, is ready to revel in them. This moment’s self-aware humor, the very fabric of Deadpool’s existence as a character, would have you believe that this moment is nothing more than a jest at the expense of high-and-mighty film snobs. However, anybody who understands the context in which the film is presented knows what this moment really is: an entertainment conglomerate lampshading its own self-flagellating corporate interests as self-aware mockery and, beneath the surface, loving tribute.

As much fun as one can have with Deadpool’s third installment, which features Reynolds at the top of his one-liner game as the titular Merc with a Mouth, one simply cannot escape the deeper, seedier intentions at the heart of its very conception. Disney’s buyout of 20th Century Fox promised that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would find some way to incorporate the latter company’s half-beloved, half-reviled lineup of Marvel adaptations into their ever-expanding canon carnival, but you cannot prepare yourself for what they’ve conjured up: a fan-fueled, thinly-plotted reference-fest that doesn’t examine its characters beyond overplayed emotional beats. The film’s sense of giddiness is admittedly infectious, but it’s not enough to distract you from the reality that the film stands as a totem for puppeting recognizable characters as cash flow.
And the worst part? The concept behind its conceit is kinda brilliant. The film begins shortly after the events of its predecessor, in which Wade Wilson used Cable’s time machine to fix past mistakes and make a new life for himself. However, things get complicated when the TVA comes knocking at his door and seeks to purge his new timeline. In order to set things right, Deadpool finds a variant Wolverine (the “anchor being” of his timeline, just go with it), this one a washed-up drunk following a series of detrimental mistakes in his universe. Some plot beats later, and the two find themselves purged to The Void, aka the island of misfit cameos, a wasteland of Marvel detritus reigned by the telekinetic Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), herself tangentially attached to Marvel’s canonical hip. It’s a land where anything goes, allowing the film’s five (5!) credited writers to play with just about any and every action figure in the set.
As one can expect, The Void promises a slew of surprises that shan’t be spoiled here. The bottom line is that this device is nakedly designed to reap nostalgia, yet the film featuring comics’ most meta superhero fails to attach the proper context along with it. As a result, Deadpool & Wolverine is so deeply metatextual and masturbatory that it harkens back to Avengers: Infinity War’s similar point of no return, that anyone not already on the Marvel train will simply be unable to form a coherent understanding of what is going on. Forget reading between the lines – here, they won’t even be able to form syllables.
However, for those in the know, director Shawn Levy has thematically framed each character’s inclusion around the film’s central emotional arc: that Deadpool and Wolverine, despite all the mistakes they’ve made, can still be heroes. One of the film’s few resonant scenes features Deadpool applying to be an Avenger and being swiftly, if regrettably, rejected. “I want to matter,” Wade says. It’s a telling moment that speaks to the character’s larger immature reputation, a lucid moment of meta-narrative that works. However, when extrapolated to include characters who are not characterized beyond existing in prior films, the resonance wears thin. Levy wants his inclusion of Fox’s legacy to be a galvanizing homage to a collection of films that now pale in the shadow of the MCU, a recognition that just because something isn’t MCU canon proper, doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable as a story. Though that is a refreshing metanarrative for a superhero film, Levy’s bastardizing of those very characters (in some cases further than they were already) in service of corporate pandering makes it all feel hollow. Don’t worry, Levy, Logan is still better than about half of the MCU’s entries put together and time will never change that.

There’s plenty more to unpack – the film’s horrid realization of Wolverine’s iconic costume, its abundance of needle drops to the point of parody, its washed-out color palette – but not all is amiss in Reynolds’ world. The film sports enough merits to make it an entertaining movie, most of which is the film’s freshly comedic script (including one genuinely brash joke about Jackman’s recent divorce) and Reynolds’ glee in ripping holes in the MCU from the inside. Many may malign the Canadian comedian for saturating his filmography with Deadpool-adjacent caricatures, but the shtick works in the suit and, even if still in service of suits, his jabs at the MCU feel validating for fans who have had to sit through its current nadir. Additionally, while Levy is not an action director by any means, the setpieces in this film are filled with plenty of fun, violent kills in what feels like one of the few times (if maybe the first time) that a Marvel film has been willing to land some nasty, bloody hits – even if over half of the blood is clearly CGI.
However, the film’s biggest merit is, of course, Jackman’s return as Wolverine. The Aussie is a naturally gifted actor who can play this role in his sleep, so it’s no surprise he elevates the film’s loose dramatic material into another notch in his dramatic belt. He may never top the heights reached in Logan, but Jackman never fails to provide the character’s signature blend of extreme physical exertion with quiet, gruff moments of reflection. Amidst a wave of forgettable supporting turns from Corrin and Succession fan-favorite Matthew Macfadyen as sleazy TVA agent Paradox, Jackman is the anchor that keeps the film grounded in a consistent sense of pathos, even in moments where it feels just barely earned.

That said, none of these things can excuse Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiversal shark-jumping and the potential ramifications of such exploits. Similar to how Death and Return of Superman arc set a new and dangerous precedent for comic books, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, and Kevin Feige have resurrected one of the long-thought-dead characters in comic book cinema, swinging the doors open for just about any character to appear in the MCU. Any story can be retroactively deemed unfinished, a Pandora’s Box of intertextual canon play that could rip the very foundation of the genre apart. For some, this is an exciting moment that can right wrongs. For others, such as this critic, it is the signaling of a snake devouring its own tail, a black hole of creative liberties, an unending spiral staircase in which finality is an afterthought and every meal is regurgitated from what came before. Deadpool & Wolverine is a fun time at the movies, but that fun may prove to come at a cost.
Deadpool and Wolverine is now playing in theaters everywhere courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.

Deadpool & Wolverine is plenty of fun for fans in the know about 20th Century’s legacy, but it’s unclear how long the fun will last, as the film’s story and characters are too thin to uphold a lack of substantial context.
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GVN Rating 6
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Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.