Deadpool and Wolverine Is the Toy Story 2 of Superhero Movies

"Deadpool & Wolverine: Sarcastic Yet Touching?"

Summer's Superhero Hit Pays Tribute To Failures

The Deadpool movies are criticized not for their constant sarcasm or their attempt to seem rebellious, but because Ryan Reynolds can't stop making improper jokes and winking at the camera. The movies shift from irony to cliched phrases like "Family is important" and "Illness affects loved ones too." Despite being a ruthless killer, Wade Wilson is portrayed as a sentimental person at heart.

I was surprised to feel real emotions in the midst of watching Deadpool & Wolverine. The movie itself is clearly a money-making venture, the third installment in a successful franchise being brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to sort out the mess of property rights after Disney acquired Fox. The first two Deadpool movies poked fun at the hero's lower status and inability to share the screen with more popular X-Men characters. In Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson sees the core X-Men team but they quickly close the door on him, highlighting his outsider status.

However, here he is, appearing on screen alongside Wolverine, a character he has been fascinated with and criticized for a long time. He is even convincing Hugh Jackman to reprise a role he had previously said he was done with after 2017's Logan, a film that appeared to have definitively concluded his role as the nearly invincible superhero. But nothing is set in stone in the multiverse, and Disney didn't acquire the rights to Fox's Marvel characters just to have someone else take over the role. Therefore, Jackman is back, working on building up his muscles and cashing in a hefty paycheck. (Deadpool even mentions Jackman's recent divorce as a joke.) A battle to the death between characters with incredible healing abilities is a comic book fan's dream, but it can only be brought to life in a series where gore is used humorously and blood is thrown around like kids playing with water guns.

There are reasons why Deadpool and Wolverine fight in the movie, and it mostly comes down to their personalities. Wolverine is easily angered, while Deadpool can't stop talking. Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool and goes through a lot of pain in the movie. The movie also shows the struggle Ryan Reynolds went through to become a successful actor, especially in superhero movies. Reynolds previously played a different version of Deadpool in a different movie but did not find success. In a humorous scene during the end credits, Deadpool uses a time-travel device to joke about Reynolds' past roles by shooting his own character in the head.

Reynolds dedicated himself completely to the first Deadpool movie, even sacrificing his own salary to ensure the writers were present on set to enhance the film's dialogue. (Deadpool & Wolverine credited five writers, including Reynolds and director Shawn Levy, and at times it felt like they were all trying to outdo each other with the funniest, most vulgar one-liners.) This risk paid off immensely: the first two movies each made over $700 million, a level of success that recent MCU films have only sporadically reached. The new film is expected to have the biggest opening weekend of the year. However, Reynolds understands better than most how fame can slip through your fingers, despite numerous opportunities. In a strange way, this is what Deadpool & Wolverine is all about.

With Deadpool now part of the Marvel universe after signing contracts, the series has shifted from personal to universal conflicts. The stakes are higher due to the MCU facing challenges like box-office failures and casting changes. In the midst of this crisis, Deadpool meets with Logan and remarks on the MCU's current struggles. The Time Variance Authority informs Deadpool that his world is unstable without its crucial "anchor entity," which turns out to be Logan. This revelation clarifies that Deadpool's world consists of Marvel characters previously owned by Fox, with Wolverine being a crucial component. Without Wolverine, the X-Men lose their significance in the universe, similar to owning Spider-Man's universe without Spider-Man himself.

Wade's goal to protect his timeline also includes helping characters who were left behind, the heroes whose stories were cut short by poor box office performances or corporate changes. Sent to the Void by the Time Variance Authority, where obsolete things end up, including a faded 20th Century Fox logo, Wade and Logan come across a lineup of Marvel's forgotten and neglected characters. Portrayed by actors who bring a comedic twist to their roles, these characters range from former stars to those who never had a chance to shine. They have all disappeared from the spotlight in one way or another, their stories left to gather dust on the shelves. (Spoiler alert: I will now reveal some of these appearances, so if you want to be surprised, feel free to skip the next paragraph.)

It’s exciting to see Wesley Snipes back as Blade and amusing to finally see Channing Tatum portray Gambit, the character from a solo movie that never happened. Even though their appearances bring nostalgia, there is also sadness attached. Snipes’ Blade boasts about being unique, not realizing that Mahershala Ali will take over the role in 2025. When Logan offers his condolences on the death of Daredevil to Elektra, she dismisses it with a curt response. They all seem worn out but grateful to be out of character limbo, with Blade facing legal issues and Elektra having a box office flop. They are hesitant to hope for a better outcome this time.

Deadpool & Wolverine gives a conclusion to these outcasts, even if it's not the one they hoped for. There's something strangely emotional about it, even in a movie that proudly embraces crude humor while also celebrating commercial success. The contrast is just as deliberate as when Deadpool jokes about sex toys and then shifts to discussing love, but for better or worse, it all comes together this time. As I watched these characters whose stories were cut short by the harshness of the entertainment industry, I couldn't help but think of all the letdowns that fans experience: the shows canceled without resolution, the beloved tales mishandled on their way to the big screen, the anticipated releases that never materialize. Amidst the witty remarks and hidden references is the superhero equivalent of Toy Story 2, a melancholic farewell to the things we once cherished, even if some of those things weren't that great to begin with.