'Deadpool & Wolverine': Has the MCU found its saviour in the X-Men?

X-Men (2000) was my introduction to comic book movies (CBM). I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to watch it in cinemas - I was five at the time, so that was probably for the best – but when I did eventually see it on TV, I remember being transfixed by mutants, particularly with Rogue.

I was but a child, so I can’t really tell you why Rogue was my girl from the jump, but I can tell you that I have always been puzzled at why Wolverine was, more often than not, the film franchise’s central character. Growing up, to me Wolverine was just a ripped dude with some knives coming out his hand, which was infinitely less interesting to me than literally 90% of every other main character’s abilities. Tell me right now that some knives and healing outsell the ability to syphon someone else’s abilities and memories just by touching them. 

Even at her lowest (let’s face it, she has never not been in a flop era), Rogue presents built-in narrative that is infinitely more interesting, especially considering her abilities affect pretty much every aspect of her life. Being deprived of an experience so human as physical contact – or risk literally killing them – is a cruel consequence that grounds her plight in something that can be universally understood. Of all the mutant abilities in the X-Men mainline universe, Rogue’s is one I both admire and fear the most, which I would argue is the very essence of what the X-Men movies are about - admiration and fear.

Wolverine, on the other hand, was just a buff guy with some serious issues that would take a lifetime of therapy, and evidently nine movies, to just scratch the surface of. It was only until my recent watch of the Wolverine spinoff movies, specifically Logan, that I became a fan of the character.

All that to say, when Deadpool & Wolverine was announced, I was much more geeked to get the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and to see Deadpool, than I was to get yet another Wolverine-centric story. 

So, now that I’ve seen Marvel’s R-rated heroes in action, where does that leave my thoughts on Wolverine and, more importantly, the future of the X-Men in the MCU?

Well, to put it briefly, not only was I sold as to why Wolverine of all the X-Men was chosen to be the introduction alongside Deadpool, but I am cautiously optimistic that Kevin Fiege, the president of Marvel Studios and primary producer of the MCU, will do at least an OK job with them – especially considering 20th Century Fox ran the X-Men franchise to the ground with a truly impressive succession of flops.

According to IMDb, the synopsis of Deadpool & Wolverine reads as follows, “Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). They team up to defeat a common enemy”. 

This might be one of the most barebones synopses I have ever read, but it isn’t exactly inaccurate, so for the sake of evading spoilers, I’m going leave it at that. The way it’s framed is a little misleading though because make no mistake, while Wolverine is a prominent character in the film, it is still very much Deadpool’s story.

To put it as vague as possible, but not as vague as IMDb, the film is essentially about Deadpool enlisting the help of a Wolverine variant – who’s life is flopping on the charts, mind you – to save his universe. In that it functions as both a fun buddy cop/heroes’ journey type-film as well as a pseudo-sendoff of the Fox Universe. RIP, cutie, by the way.

The former is where Deadpool & Wolverine shines the brightest. Jackman and Reynolds are a magnetic pair on screen, so much so that every time they weren’t in a scene, I was lowkey waiting for it to end so they can be back on screen.

As you can imagine, this is a double-edged sword because that, unfortunately, means, with the exception of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), every other character falls a little to the wayside. Nevertheless, this wasn’t a major issue for me because unlike some of the more recent Marvel movies, Deadpool & Wolverine has its anchors in its titular characters. So, audience members going to see Deadpool & Wolverine to see Deadpool and Wolverine will likely have a blast. 

It is also hugely entertaining to see the dynamic between the two unfold as the film progresses because on the surface, the two are polar opposites – Deadpool has like max three serious bones in his body, while Wolverine’s adamantium is nothing but serious vibes. Honestly, seeing nonstop irreverence team up with unending broodiness is one of the film’s highlights. 

I would even argue that dynamic is what gives Deadpool & Wolverine some much-needed balance tonally because my biggest gripe with the Wolverine films is that they can be so serious that it teeters on boring, whereas the Deadpool ones at times can feel like its trading moments of seriousness or silence for jokes, which can take away from the depth that scene needs to strengthen the storytelling. Seeing that this is a Deadpool movie first, there are still moments where I felt like the script was doing a little too much and needed to reel in the indulgence a bit, but these weren’t noticeable enough to deter the overall storytelling.

However, it is in 'Fox Universe's funeral' side of things where Deadpool & Wolverine falters the most. As you may have guessed, the film is littered with cameos and fan-service. Though not a fatal flaw, it can sometimes feel like these two elements bloat the runtime, taking attention away with the core story so much that in the end, it feels a little rushed and unfinished.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good cameo or two, and they were most certainly expected, but Deadpool & Wolverine’s penchant for excess just brings further attention to one the MCU’s biggest flaws in Phases Four and Five – its raging boner for nostalgia porn.

One the one hand, I believe fans of the Fox Universe, especially those who grew up in its peak, are really going to love most of the cameos in the film (I know one gagged me for sure). On the other hand, I also believe they may take issue sheer prevalence of fan-service.

Admittedly, this may be more of a me thing because I am not a huge CBM fangirl, but several moments of Deadpool & Wolverine could have been taken out in favour of fleshing the story out more. This is especially because as much it was really cool to see Jackman as the character he was born to play, Wolverine doesn’t really have much to do that doesn’t involve Deadpool, which really takes a knock on his character development. 

In totality, Deadpool & Wolverine is a really fun ride that shines in its entertainment value but falters in the nuance of its storytelling. Fans will likely find it much better than some of the MUC's recent duds, but if you were looking to see if the X-Men will save the MCU from the rut it finds itself in, perhaps wait until Secret Wars.

Giving Deadpool & Wolverine a strong 6.5 to a light 7.

You can watch the trailer below (the official one gives much less away than the final one does, for those scared of any spoilers).