‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ The Messiahs of Marvel Salvage What was Left of the Fox Marvel Universe while Saving the MCU.
In the wake of the disastrous Marvel Phase Five, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ manage to save the day for what many detractors called, “The M-She-U.” Flopping on the big screen were, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘ and ‘The Marvels‘, while dying on Disney+ were, ‘Secret Invasion‘, ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘ and ‘Echo‘. Massive delays for ‘Agatha All Along‘ and ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘ had left fans wondering, what happened to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and if it should have concluded with, ‘Avengers End Game‘.
‘ Deadpool & Wolverine’. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.
Thankfully, Ryan Reynolds championed a comeback for Hugh Jackman, rescuing their ill-fated team-up from ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘. In ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘, Deadpool himself (Reynolds) even declares numerous times throughout the film, “I’m Marvel Jesus,” bringing closure to the Fox Marvel Universe in a way that’s as epic as it is hilarious.
Only three small things did not work for this film:
- The reason for the team-up caused by a rogue TVA agent named Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) seeking bureaucratic efficiency in ending Earth -10005 (the Fox Marvel Universe).
- Wolverine never goes full Berserker.
- A certain cameo character does not get his/her costume like we had hoped.
Beyond these three, minor complaints, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ is the pinnacle of the trilogy, redeeming the original team-up, honoring a handful of surprise guests from the Fox Marvel Universe, a few could-have-beens that were promised, but never delivered and realizing that time and money heals all wounds.
One cameo heats things up, before succumbing to his/her demise because as Deadpool quipped, their appearance was over inflating the budget, while another shuffles the deck in how a battle scene plays out.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ pays respect to the great John Byrne by name in one sequence along with recreating an incredible cover by Marc Silvestri, surely to delight hardcore comic book fans and the most cynical of critics who feel Marvel as fallen off, reminding them of the Phase One and Two glory days.
For those fearing any political leanings as in most of Phase Five, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ has gone completely apolitical, giving the audience everything they want from a Deadpool and Wolverine team-up, copious amounts of blood, comic accurate costumes, one-liners, innuendos, violence and vulgarity to make a sailor blush.
Only one Easter Egg will be revealed and that is of Deadpool creator, Rob Liefeld’s name appears on the marquee of an orthopedic shoe store, as Liefield has been mercilessly teased for not drawing feet well.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ comes to theaters on Friday, July 26, 2024.
Summary
‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ has saved the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Easter Eggs, quips, humor and apolitical approach to storytelling that we want from our superhero films.
