Deadpool & Wolverine

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Successful in his attempt to resurrect the people he loves through Cable’s time travel device, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) claims that he is now happy with his life even though he is shy to admit that he sometimes feels empty as though his existence had no meaning. His perspective drastically changes when he is abducted by TVA agents at the behest of Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), a rogue agent supervising Earth-10005 and aiming to expedite its destruction through the use of an illegal Time Ripper that can euthanize entire timelines. Upon knowing that his timeline is dying soon because of the death of its anchor being, who happens to be Logan, Deadpool steals Paradox’s tempad to find a suitable Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as a replacement, bringing him to one who is considered a loser in his own world. When things go awry back at the TVA, the duo gets pruned and sent to the Void where they come face to face with a tyrannical telekinetic maniac named Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).

I counted around 10 more cameos on top of the four already revealed in the trailer. Add another half a dozen or so for characters who only appear in photos and footage as well as those who couldn’t be verified whether they are still being played by their original actors. Around half of them should not really be referred to as cameo appearances for the mere reason that they all have a vital contribution to plot development. In short, this isn’t mere fan service. In this regard, Reynolds deserves some kudos for managing to convince at least one representative from each and every Marvel property previously held by Fox to reprise their roles.

In terms of storyline, Deadpool & Wolverine is basically just Wade Wilson’s own big screen rendition of Loki’s first season. This can pose some comprehension problems for those who are fans of the first two Deadpool movies but not the MCU as well as those who only watch the MCU’s feature films but not the Disney+ series. While there is a short introduction to the TVA and its purpose when the main antagonist, Paradox, is introduced, it feels too short and rushed for the pedestrian moviegoer to bother with the concept at all. Thing is, that’s the only thing connecting this movie to the greater MCU and nothing more.

For every promising trust-me-bro article churned out by the online rumor mill hailing Deadpool & Wolverine as some sort of bridge between the Marvel universes of Fox and Disney, there really isn’t anything in the finished product that is indicative of such a leap. In fact, when you think about it, there are no hints at all for such a connection to be made. The only scene with relevance to Earth-616 here is one of the first few set pieces where Wade Wilson is being interviewed in the Sacred Timeline to be an Avenger, the identity of the cameo we will not spoil for you. Presumably he got there and back using Cable’s time travel device. That’s about it.

Plot holes also abound. One of the extended cameos openly refers to Cassandra Nova as an omega-level mutant, and yet she doesn’t survive what Deadpool and Wolverine manage to do so together, with the only explanation being a one-liner saying that when a Deadpool and a Wolverine hold hands together while listening to Madonna, they are unstoppable. Perhaps it’s because of their regenerative capabilities? Yet again, another character touted to be so powerful gets the one-off villain treatment in the MCU. She isn’t the first and, considering Disney’s track record, she won’t be the last. It has simply become a recurring trend by now.

As a Deadpool movie, Deadpool & Wolverine works because the signature gore, comedy, and jaw-dropping fight choreography still deliver. That bloody opening fight sequence to the tune of Nsync's Bye Bye Bye will be replayed ad nauseam when this appears on Disney+, I swear. As a sendoff for Fox’s ex-Marvel properties, this film doesn’t quite reach the nostalgic and emotional heights accomplished by Spider-Man: No Way Home, despite the generous cameos to match. As a bridge to the MCU, this doesn’t really establish anything, to be honest. In the end, this is just an MCU-flavored Deadpool sequel operating within the multiversal norms set by Loki on Disney+. It’s fun, though, I’ll give it that. But Marvel Jesus? I beg to differ. But that’s Disney’s problem, not ours.