Tag Archives: Deadpool & Wolverine

Aug 9 2026

Top Ten Most Wanted MCU Spider-Man Team-Ups

One of the main features of the Spider-Man films that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are that many MCU characters interact with Spider-Man. This made the MCU Spider-Man films unique since the previous films took place in their own universes because Sony Pictures, which owns the rights to live-action Spider-Man films, were not able to feature other Marvel Comics characters not associated with Spider-Man.

The meetings Spider-Man had with MCU characters were something of a mixed bag. On some films, the MCU references and character appearances felt intrusive and did not mesh well with Spider-Man. Other times, as seen with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the appearances of MCU characters and their interactions with Spider-Man were natural and added to the story. Here are ten other Marvel characters that the MCU Spider-Man should team up with; keep in mind that this list is geared towards characters Spider-Man has not met yet and characters that are currently alive in the MCU,,,or in another universe.

10. Cloak and Dagger

The young runaway duo made their debut in the comic book Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64 and quickly gained a cult following. Eventually they had their own TV show that was not connected to the MCU, but the characters crossed over with another non-MCU Marvel TV show, Runaways. Aside from that the TV show was quickly cancelled and forgotten.

However, the characters are compelling enough to return and become part of the MCU, but recast with younger actors because the actors from the original TV show are aged out. Since they are closely associated with Spider-Man in the comics, they should be featured in a future Spider-Man film where he would serve as kind of a mentor and try to help them.

9. Rocket and Groot

Some of the most memorable moments from Avengers: Infinity War were the interactions of Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the film, Spider-Man met, briefly fought and ultimately teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Except he did not meet the full roster. Rocket Raccoon and Groot by that point in the film were off on their own separate adventure. So a story where Spider-Man properly meets and teams up with Rocket and Groot is warranted. For that matter, he may as well team up with the new Guardians of the Galaxy in an outer space adventure.

Actually, Spider-Man’s experiences in space demonstrated his ability to adapt to different environments. Sure he is better suited to operating in cityscapes but he held his own in outer space. It would also be amusing to see Spidey and Rocket trading insults with each other as they use their superior engineering skills to build new devices to help them fight the bad guys. Plus, Groot would be a perfect tree for Spidey to swing from.

8. Wolverine

This is one of the most popular team-ups in comics and for good reason. Wolverine is a savage and caustic character who liked to pick fights with Spider-Man, who proved that he was quite a match to Wolverine’s fighting skills. Once they stopped fighting, the duo turned out to have an engaging buddy-cop dynamic with their opposing personalities.

This kind of opposites-attract chemistry would be perfect for a bromance road film featuring these two heroes. It would be similar to Deadpool & Wolverine where Deadpool’s non-stop banter drove Wolverine insane. The same thing could happen in a Spider-Man/Wolverine team-up where Spidey’s quips and running mouth would be enough to drive Wolverine into a berserker rage. This would be perfect if they’re facing off against an army of disposable henchmen.

7. Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan would be a great team-up opportunity for Spidey. He represents New York while she represents New Jersey, so the two neignboring superheroes would have a lot in common when it comes to their locales. As seen in her comics and TV show, Ms. Marvel is a huuuge fan of superheroes and while Captain Marvel is her favorite it would be easy to see her relating to Spidey since he’s from across the river.

It should be considered that both heroes are young, eager and have unique powers that would work well in a film. The intense banter would be hilarious to watch especially connsidering that she probably outdoes him when it comes to running her mouth. Who knows, they could even develop unrequited crushes for one another to make things interesting, though we know Peter’s heart belongs to MJ.

6. Deadpool

Another popular team up in comics is Spidey with the Merc with a Mouth. The two superheroes vaguely look similar although one is a deranged and violent killer while the other is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Given Deadpool’s penchant for violence and profanity, such a meeting would land Spider-Man in his first R-rated film!

This team-up would give Deadpool great material to break the fourth wall and quip non-stop about Spider-Man and his complicated live-action film and TV rights. It should be as hilarious as his commentary on the MCU and Marvel Studios in Deadpool & Wolverine. Also, as with Ms. Marvel, despite his gift for gabbing, Spider-Man would have a hard time keeping up with Deadpool’s mouth.

5. Miles Morales

This is so obvious. Marvel Studios and current Spider-Man actor, Tom Holland, are eager to introduce the next generation of Spider-Man to the MCU, But Sony Pictures has so far refused to allow this to happen (aside for a couple of vague references) and prefer to keep Miles Morales in his own animated film series. This is regrettable since Miles played a major role in the Secret Wars comic books and it is hard to see how the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars would proceed without him.

Still, we can always hold out hope that the ultimate team-up of these two Spider-Men can happen in live action. Sure the animated films are genuine classics but it would be so satisfying to finally seeing Miles Morales in a live-action film. Such a team-up would be a guaranteed box-office hit and a win for fans everywhere.

4. Thor

Aside from Black Widow and Hawkeye, Thor is the only OG Avenger who has not met Spider-Man (he most likely met Black Widow and Hawkeye off screen during the events of Captain America: Civil War). Thor would introduce Spider-Man to the epic cosmic scale of the MCU with outlandish worlds where Spider-Man would demonstrate his gifted intelligence to adapt and thrive in a location outside of his comfort.

Thor would feel a kinship with Spider-Man for his heroic and plucky nature. Meanwhile, Spider-Man’s amazed reaction to Thor, his power and Asgardian trappings would be worth the price of the movie ticket alone. Plus, we would get to find out if Spider-Man is actually worthy enough to lift Thor’s hammer. He is as far as we’re concerned!

3. Venom

Tom Hardy, who portrayed Eddie Brock/Venom in the Venom film trilogy, always wanted to have his anti-hero meet Spider-Man. The two characters were fierce enemies before becoming uneasy allies in the comics, and Hardy hoped this would happen in the films. Sadly this has not happened to date. The best we got was a cameo of Spider-Man appearing on a TV screen in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Brock appeared in a post-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home but never met Spider-Man.

Sony Pictures at one point planned to have the fourth MCU Spider-Man film feature Venom and a storyline involving Venom’s arch foe Knull, but that never came to be, which was for the best. The storyline of Peter donning the Venom suit was done in Spider-Man 3 but could be remade to feature Hardy as an MCU variant of Brock who ends up with the Venom symbiote. It could lead to a new series of Venom films set in the MCU where he and Spider-Man could fight then team up together.

2. Daredevil

Technically the two New York City-based heroes met onscreen already in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but only in their civilian identities. It was hoped that Daredevil would have appeared in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but unfortunately, that did not happen, which is not surprising since he is currently in jail. But the film did have more than a few references to the world of Daredevil.

If the two heroes were to team-up in a future film, it should be against their common foe, Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin. He made his debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 but became more known as a Daredevil villain years later. Vincent D’Onofrio and Tom Holland expressed their hopes that Kinpin and Spider-Man would confront each other but aside from a couple of references that has not happened. Come on Marvel Studios have the three characters interact with each other in a future film!

1. Human Torch

It had to be Johnny Storm. He and Spider-Man headlined the very first issue of Marvel Team-Up and years before the two often met each other in the comics. At first the two young hotheads didn’t get along well, but were able to put aside their differences to fight their enemies. It was not long before the two developed grudging respect for each other which turned into a genuine friendship that was so deep that Johnny handpicked Spider-Man to replace him on the Fantastic Four if needed.

One regrettable thing about Fantastic Four: First Steps was that it was not set in the 616 MCU reality where Spider-Man exists, which prevented any meetings between the Human Torch and Spider-Man. However, there is the hope that the upcoming Avengers films will be the perfect vehicle for these two young heroes to meet, argue and become best bros just like in the comics. Also, if Marvel Studios greenlights another FF film, it definetly should feature Spider-Man, even if all he does is argue with Johnny Storm; it could be as hysterical as his interactions with the Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Other MCU characters to consider:

Beast, Black Panther (Shuri), Blade, Falcon Joaquin Torres), Gambit, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Kate Bishop, Kitty Pryde, Korg, Loki, Luke Cage, Man-Thing, Moon Knight, Mystique, Namor, Nightcrawler, Okoye, Quake, Rogue, Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, Stature, Storm, The Thing, Werewolf By Night

Are there any other characters who should be considered to team-up with Spider-Man? Leave a comment.

Dec 31 2024

Top Ten Films & TV Shows Of 2024

2024, as with previous years, provided some wonderful and imaginative sci-fi, fantasy and horror films and TV shows, which were quite memorable. Here are the best films and TV shows that came out in 2024, many of which took everyone by surprise. Feel free to comment with your own choices.

Films

10. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The third film in the Sonic film franchise fully embraces its video game lore with its colorful characters and their engaging backstories. As usual, Jim Carrey stole the film with his performance, as wells as Keanu Reeves who voiced the fan-favorite Shadow.

9. Late Night With the Devil

David Dastmalchian shined in this found footage horror film that took the guise of recordings from a broadcast of a 1970s late-night talk show. The film was genuinely creepy and disturbing as the show’s host, Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), cameto grips with the realization that the occult-themed episode of his show had unpleasant connections to his own life.

8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

George Miller directed one of his finest films ever with an intense origin story about the breakout character from Mad Max: Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy was simply perfect as the younger version of Furiosa, who navigates her way through a brutal post-apocalyptic world overrun by vicious gangs and extreme car chases throughout barren deserts. It’s a Mad Max world at its best.

7. Alien: Romulus

The Alien franchise rightfully returned to its horror roots with this entry that takes place in a claustrophobic space station swarming with alien xenomorphs hunting down the main characters. Even though a lot of the material was familiar and had callbacks to the other films, Alien: Romulus was fresh and inventive with its back-to-basics approach.

6. Nosferatu

The latest remake of the classic German silent horror film version of Dracula was genuinely creepy and disturbing. Director Robert Eggers has emerged as a true master of film horror with his version of Nosferatu that fully utilized disturbing sounds, eerie shadows, dark cinematography and an overall unsettling atmosphere that will keep you up at night.

5. Civil War

This is one of the most disturbing recent films to be released due to its subject matter of a near-future civil war in the United States and its ramifications. While the choice not to explain what caused the war and its apolitical stance may not satisfy everyone, this approach allowed director Alex Garland to focus on the cruelty and insanity of war and its impact on modern-day society. The film was also a powerful and cringe-inducing war film that ramped up intensely in the final act with a distressing, yet pulse-pounding battle in Washington, D.C.

4. A Quiet Place: Day One

The third film in the A Quiet Place franchise, was a prequel that chronicled the early days of the alien invasion that devastated the Earth and brought it to a silent standstill. The film had the smarts to introduce new characters and a new setting which was a terrifying location for the invasion: a noisy New York City that could not help but attract the deadly alien creatures that murder anyone making sounds. Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn were outstanding as two misfit survivors trying to reach the home of Nyong’o’s character while avoiding the aliens. Their personal stories were the heart of the film and set the template for future installments.

3. Deadpool & Wolverine

The fourth-wall-breaking Merc with a Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) teamed up with everyone’s favorite X-Man (Hugh Jackman) in a violent and humorous road/buddy trip throughout the multiverse. As the sole film release from Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for the year, Deadpool & Wolverine had a lot riding on it given the fact that recent MCU films have struggled. Fortunately, the film delivered a funny and entertaining romp that both serviced the grand MCU plotline about the multiverse and was a love letter to the now-defunct Marvel films from 20th Century Fox.

2. The Wild Robot

Arguably DreamWorks Animation’s greatest film, The Wild Robot is a heartwarming and beautifully animated adaptation of Peter Brown’s novel about a service robot in the future that was stranded on an island populated by animals that distrusted her. Over time, she gained their trust as she adopted and raised a young goose and befriended many of the animals. At the same time, the robot began to develop sentience and emotional attachments to her companions, especially her adopted child, who she must raise and protect.

The Wild Robot was surprisingly engaging with its themes of parenthood, friendship, environmentalism, and empathy. It is too bad that this will be DreamWorks Animation final in-house film since the company has proven it can deliver genuine animated classics as it did with The Wild Robot.

1. Dune, Part Two

Director Denis Villeneuve concluded his grand adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi epic novel about political and religious machinations and war in the distant future. Dune, Part Two actually adapted the second half of the novel and it was a wise decision to split the novel into two films since it allowed Villeneuve the time to fully explore the intricacies of the distinct human cultures across the universe.

While the film was wide-sweeping and bursting with glorious production values and effects, at its core, Dune, Part Two, focused on the burden of its main protagonist, Paul Atreides, who unwillingly became the messianic leader who leads the inhabitants of the desert world called Dune in a holy war. Any viewer could empathize with Paul’s struggle as he faced his destiny despite his doubts about his actions as he sought vengeance for his father’s death and freedom for his adopted people.

Dune, Part Two is a true cinematic epic that demonstrates once and for all, the validity of a solid sci-fi story being successfully adapted into a cinematic masterpiece. The film also establishes that Villeneuve is a true master of sci-fi films who has the bold vision needed to undertake such an adaptation.

Noteworthy Mentions:

Abigail; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; Elevation; Flow; Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; IF; Inside Out 2; Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; The Substance; Transformers One; Venom: The Last Dance

Continue reading →
Sep 25 2024

Increasing Optimism For The MCU

It’s been commonly accepted that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been on a downward spiral given the mediocre results of their recent offerings such as Secret Invasion and The Marvels. But the powers that be (Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios) have taken corrective steps to rectify the situation with the MCU and from what we are seeing, we fans have cause for optimism.

As most of us know, Feige has restructured the slate of films and TV shows to the point of redoing them as was done with the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again and next year’s Captain America: Brave New World. Feige took an honest and hard look and admitted what was working with the MCU projects and what wasn’t. Marvel Studios has also reassessed which film and TV projects, which were planned and announced previously, would actually go forward. This meant that some anticipated and announced projects will not see the light of day, at least for the near future.

However, while we can mope about the lost projects like Armor Wars and the endangered Blade, we can rejoice with recent concrete developments and the current and upcoming releases.

Of course, Deadpool & Wolverine was a smash success that delighted fans and critics alike as it reveled in Easter eggs, raunchy humor and unfiltered violence. The film is now the second biggest hit of the year and the most successful R-rated film ever released. Seriously, Deadpool & Wolverine could not have arrived at a better time. The film demonstrated that Marvel Studios was still capable of producing quality films that could engage audiences, which translated into box office success.

Then Marvel Studios just began streaming on Disney + the TV show Agatha All Along, the sequel/spinoff to Marvel Studios’ best TV show, WandaVision. Even though the spinoff TV show about the witch Agatha Harkness wasn’t highly demanded by fans, it so far has exceeded expectations with its witty, clever and imaginative early episodes. Sure the jury is still out and we have to see if it sticks the landing, but Agatha All Along is off to a great start.

Another reason to be optimistic is due to the success of the animated TV show X-Men ’97, which captured the essence of the classic X-Men animated TV shows of the 1990s and the best X-Men stories and characters. Even though X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine are not actually part of the MCU, they were produced by Marvel Studios and both projects showcased the talent from the studio that could still deliver the goods.

While there has been leaked footage of upcoming TV shows like Daredevil: Born Again and of sizzle reels for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans have not had much else to sink their teeth into. But what they have at the moment is more than enough. The trailers for Captain America: Brave New World look very promising, which is a bit of a relief given the behind-the-scenes reports of a troubled production that practically had to be reshot. Hopefully, the actual film, which comes out in February next year, will be half as good as the trailers promise.

Also promising with the release of just one trailer is Thunderbolts*, which can be best explained to non-fans as the MCU answer to the Suicide Squad. Essentially, a bunch of misfit anti-heroes and low-grade villains teaming up to fight a powerful foe and becoming actual heroes in their own right. The trailer that was just released a couple of days ago perfectly captured this theme and the film looks like it will be a lot of fun. Hell, even the first official poster for Thunderbolts* is great and captures the mood the trailer is selling of misfits who can’t get along with each other but are forced to cooperate. Take a look, below.

All we need now is a sneak peek of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but all in good time. Then there is the constant stream of news and speculation about the upcoming Avengers films featuring Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Doom. Surely, once confirmed plans for the X-Men come out the fans will go ballistic. The only news and speculation giving us a pause has to do with the troubled Blade film and whatever Sony Pictures plans to do with future Spider-Man films. But we’ll see how that situation works out.

Sure, the upcoming films and TV shows could wind up being huge disappointments but let’s stay optimistic, shall we? That is because for now it’s a thrill to be excited for the MCU again.

Aug 11 2024

Top Ten Cameos & Appearances In Deadpool & Wolverine…Spoilers, DUH!

By now most fans have seen Deadpool & Wolverine and enjoyed all the cameos and appearances of the characters and actors that appeared in numerous Marvel films including the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Here is a top ten list of cameos and appearances in Deadpool & Wolverine, and as a bonus there will be a mention of cameos that never materialized in the film but should have.

Obviously, there will be major spoilers in this list for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet (What are you waiting for? It’s the best MCU film of the year! Actually, it’s the only MCU film for the year. Spend a few bucks and see this already in theaters!).

10. Thor

Thor’s brief appearance where he cradled a dying Deadpool in archival TVA footage from the future was just repurposed footage from Thor: The Dark World with Deadpool swapping out Loki.  However, it set up a gnawing mystery that was never resolved in Deadpool & Wolverine and left us wondering if this was a scene from the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars or some other film.

9. Pyro and the Evil Mutants

It was a blast seeing many of the evil mutant characters from the Fox X-Men films, which included Pyro, Toad, Juggernaut, Azazel, Psylocke and more. For the most part they were good foes and deserved to be seen again. It was also great seeing Aaron Stanford reprising his role of Pyro again, who was a scummy as ever and one of the more developed villains.

8. Elektra

Jennifer Garner’s reprisal of the assassin may not have been wanted by those who hated the Fox Daredevil and Elektra films. Yet, her strong performance and off-color remark about Daredevil (once portrayed by Garner’s ex-husband, Ben Affleck) being killed, not only gave her character credibility, but provided some mischievous meta humor.

7. The Deadpool Corps

For a film that is about the main character jumping around the multiverse, it was only natural that he would encounter outlandish versions of himself. And this film certainly did not disappoint us. From Lady Deadpool to Kidpool, to Dogpool and Nicepool, the Deadpool variants were hysterical and imaginative. It’s guaranteed that we’ll be pausing the scenes when all the Deadpool variants appear together whenever the film hits home media.

6. The Hulk

The green giant made a quick appearance during Deadpool’s visit to a timeline where the events of The Incredible Hulk #181 (the debut appearance of Wolverine for you non-fans) were taking place. Sadly, we did not get to see the epic throwdown between Hulk and Wolverine, but it was a tantalizing tease. Maybe this can happen in Avengers: Secret Wars? We fans can only hope.

5. X-23

Having Dafne Keen reprise her role as a now-adult X-23 was an appropriate way to follow up Logan and reunited her with Hugh Jackman. The two actors have a natural chemistry and their scenes together provided Wolverine with needed emotional growth and a means to embrace his humanity. Keen was also such a kick-ass when she ripped those evil mutants apart later in the film.

4. Gambit

Channing Tatum was thisclose to having his own Gambit solo film before the project was canned during the time when Disney acquired the rights to the Fox X-Men films. It was a passion project for the actor and thankfully Deadpool & Wolverine gave him the chance to show off how awesome he would’ve been as the Cajun mutant, who was comic book-accurate down to his thick Cajun accent. Remember it!

3. Wesley Snipes as Blade!

The original Blade is back, baby! With all the behind-the-scenes headaches in trying to reboot Blade for the MCU, having Wesley Snipes return as Blade was a great surprise and a fitting tribute to the actor. After all, his films ushered in the modern Marvel films and his appearance has now sparked calls for Marvel Studios to forego the character’s recasting with Mahershala Ali and allow Snipes to reclaim the role for future MCU films.  

2. Cavillerine!

Henry Cavill’s brief appearance as Wolverine was the most unexpected cameo in the film and the best Wolverine variant to appear (though the comic book-accurate Wolverine was hysterical). Not only did it allow fans to see someone else credibly play Logan, but it was a well-deserved middle finger to Warner Bros. for the way they mistreated the actor during the entire DCEU debacle.

1. Chris Evans…as the Human Torch!

The funniest and most out-of-left-field appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine was Chris Evans who did not reprise his role as Captain America, as Deadpool and many audiences expected, but as the Human Torch from the Fox Fantastic Four films. The way he was introduced was misleading and ingenious, and a nice call back to those films. Evans’ appearance also contributed some of the best laughs in the film, especially the line by Deadpool that the actor was too expensive to keep around for too long, hence his untimely death.

The Unrealized Cameos

Given the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine deals with the multiverse, the possibilities of variant characters were endless. Unfortunately, the realities of filmmaking precluded some possible cameos and appearances, some of which were planned but never materialized.

The Avengers

Aside from archival footage at the TVA we never see the team appear, much less have them interact with Deadpool. At one point, this was supposed to happen but the logistics of gathering the actors together was too much.

Robert Downey, Jr.

He was supposed to appear in the scene were Deadpool visits the MCU timeline and tries to get a job with the Avengers. But unfortunately, the actor turned down the opportunity and then wowed us when it was revealed that he would portray Dr. Doom, later on.

Ghost Rider

Speaking of actors who turned down the chance to reprise previous Marvel roles, Nicolas Cage was asked to appear as Ghost Rider. The actor was approached with the opportunity but for reasons unknown he passed on the offer. Blame the crappy Ghost Rider films.

Spider-Man

As much fun as it would have been to have Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire to appear in Deadpool & Wolverine the fact that the film rights of Spider-Man are owned by Sony pretty much nipped that idea. They’ll probably appear in Avengers: Secret Wars.

Alternate Castings

Tom Cruise as Iron Man? How about Daniel Radcliffe or Tom Hardy as Wolverine? Sorry, these variants do not appear in the film nor was there any indication that this was considered. But given how busy Deadpool & Wolverine with its cameos, appearances, references and Easter eggs, it is probably for the best that these additional cameos did not happen.

José Soto

Jul 26 2024

Deadpool & Wolverine Save The MCU

The only film from Marvel Studios this year, Deadpool & Wolverine, introduces the film characters based on Marvel Comics before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was created and the Fox X-Men films into the vast MCU with a gory and wild flourish.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman return to the superhero roles that made them famous, and even though it’s been several years since they donned their costumes, they fit easily into the roles as if they last played the roles yesterday. Frankly, it was great seeing the two actors interacting with one another as they had instant chemistry in what amounts to a reluctant buddy film. The last time they appeared in film together was with the abominable X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was a low point for the Fox X-Men films. Now, the two actors reunite to salvage the MCU, which is currently undergoing its own rough patch. Some spoilers will follow.

Deadpool & Wolverine begins with everyone’s favorite mercenary, who has the power to instantly heal, exhuming the remains of Wolverine/Logan who died at the end of Logan. His mission ends when he finds out the hard way that this version of Wolverine is not coming back from the dead and he is forced to find another version of Wolverine to save his world.

An extended flashback reveals that Deadpool aka Wade Wilson is now retired from being a mercenary and living a meaningless and lonely life as a used-car salesman. He is soon captured by agents from the interdimensional Time Variance Authority (the TVA featured in the series Loki). At the TVA headquarters, Deadpool meets Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), who informs him that his timeline is dying because Wolverine is an anchor being in his timeline who kept the timeline intact. But because he died in Logan, the timeline is becoming unstable and will cease to exist. In order to move up the corporate TVA ladder, Mr. Paradox plans to destroy Deadpool’s timeline with the Time Ripper, a machine that can quickly destroy timelines as a form of “mercy”. He offers Deadpool the opportunity to live in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline and actually lead a meaningful life, but the retired mercenary steals a time traveling device and explores various universes to find a Wolverine variant to fill in the role of his timeline’s anchor being.

Deadpool eventually encounters a surly and bitter version of Wolverine that is considered the worst Wolverine and Deadpool manages to subdue him. However, once back at the TVA with the Wolverine variant, Mr. Paradox banishes Deadpool and Wolverine into the Void, a realm outside of time. Amidst their bickering, the duo come across many variants of characters we last saw in the Fox X-Men films and Marvel films before the MCU was created, implying that their timelines were destroyed. One of these characters is Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrinn), an evil twin sister of the powerful mutant telepath, Charles Xavier, and the ruler of the Void. Nova plans to take control of the Time Ripper and intends to use it to destroy all timelines. Now Deadpool not only has to save his own timeline but every other as well, and he has to find a way to convince the gruff Wolverine to help him.   

Deadpool and Wolverine serves as another raucous return to form for Deadpool that revels in over-the-top profanity and violence. It is definitely the most violent Deadpool film, but the violence is so cartoony and sick that one can’t help but laugh at the outlandish nature of the violence. This film certainly earns its R rating from its sexual innuendo to its graphic violence and exaggerated profanity.  Of course, parents SHOULD NOT allow young children to see the film, but everyone else will have a blast watching Deadpool and Wolverine savagely ripping through their enemies while swearing up a storm, and laughing at all the meta jokes.

The film has its flaws, namely with its pacing at times and the script needed more polishing. This is most likely due to last year’s writers’ strike that prevented any revisions of the script, which is regrettable because there are a few plot holes and threads that are not resolved. As for its dark humor, while the film is quite hilarious at times, not every joke lands and some of it may become dated with its topical references. Let’s be honest, Disney, Marvel Studios and the MCU needed to be roasted for their missteps and familiar tropes, and the film doesn’t hold back on riffing on Marvel and the MCU. Seriously, it’s amazing that the film was allowed to go above and beyond with its humor which was very raunchy and with MCU (and Disney) often being the butt of the jokes.

But Deadpool & Wolverine more than makes up for its faults with witty energy and great banter between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. It goes without saying that it was a joy not just seeing Jackman playing the wild mutant again but in wearing for the first time a comic book-accurate costume. Plus, the action scenes are very inventive and are some of the best featured in the MCU, especially one bloody and claustrophobic fight that takes place inside a minivan. Then there are the numerous cameos, some of which will make jaws drop since they were unexpected. Not every character or actor or reference that can be imagined shows up. But nearly every character introduction steals the scenes and are welcome not just for returning characters but those we never got to see before.

Saying that Deadpool & Wolverine saves the MCU is not a small exaggeration. At this point in time and given its recent missteps, the MCU needed a win which is provided by this hysterically gory and fun romp that should be seen multiple times to take in all of its jokes and references.

José Soto