Throughout Deadpool and Wolverine, the third film in 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool continuity that forcefully smashes head-first into Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, the merc-with-a-mouth (aka Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds) is constantly reminded that he is not the universe-saving type.

Yet, for all the negativity that’s flung his way, the unkillable, wisecracking wise-guy doesn’t lend an ear to the hogwash and christens himself the messiah who will fix timelines — and you know what, he does just that.

He fixes about-to-be-obliterated timelines in the most spectacular, bad language-ridden, cameo-filled fashion. The mad escapade is fun and funny and it trumps both prior Deadpool entries and the entire phase 5 of Marvel’s releases.

Wade Wilson (that’s Deadpool’s real name, by the way), uses Cables’ time machine to travel to Marvel’s main continuity in 2018, because he wants to join the Avengers and make a difference. Acknowledged as having a sincere heart by Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) but rejected, he returns home, loses his relationship with fiancée Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), and begins a new life as a car salesman with a normal human buddy Rob (Peter Delaney).

...Until he is whisked away by the Time Variance Authority (TVA, the main villains of the Loki series), whose agent Mr Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) informs Wade that he will be spared and given a home in the regular Marvel timeline while his own will be eliminated since its main ‘anchor’ — the person whose life gives meaning to the timeline’s existence — Logan (Hugh Jackman), was killed in the critically acclaimed 2017 film Logan. (One now understands what Logan’s actual timeline was).

In the ghastly, comedic opening titles, Wade finds out that Logan, all skull and bones and buried, really is dead, and so finds a replacement in an alternate timeline of Wolverine, who is considered one of the worst variants of the character — a drunk loser whose claws don’t come out all the way (at least for one scene), and whose past includes a lot of remorse.

The two join forces, escape the TVA, are left stranded on a trash-dump of a timeline — a graveyard with a giant half-smashed stone logo of 20th Century Fox, featuring a cast of long-forgotten 20th Century Fox characters (none of whom I will name here), and a villain non-comic book readers would have never heard of: Cassandra Nova (an excellent Emma Corrin).

Cassandra is the evil twin of X-Men mentor Charles Xavier — the world’s greatest, bald telepath mutant — and given her potential for destruction, was strangled to death by her brother in their mother’s womb (yeah, that happened in the comics).

Cassandra is a worthwhile baddie in a screenplay that doesn’t shy away from throwing dirt and vulgarities left, right and centre; as I wrote earlier, it is all in good-natured fun — though that’s not the only thing the film shines in.

Deadpool and Wolverine doesn’t waste either character with an entry that is only meant to be gratifying, easily forgettable, two hours of fan-service (though, in a way, that is what it is). The story gives both characters reason and sincerity amidst the hacking, slashing and gunning down of heads and genital parts. Best of all, it shows how one can tell a good story about time and paradoxes without blowing the fantasy and logic out of proportion.

One hopes Marvel is taking notes, since all it takes to make a good film is to have a bit of fun while telling a good story. The studio knew the trick up until a few years ago and now, thanks to Deadpool and Wolverine, they may have gotten a timely reminder.

Written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells and Shawn Levy, who also directs, Deadpool and Wolverine is released by Disney and HKC, and is rated A (as it should be). The film features excellent performances by Reynolds and Jackman, and more surprising cameos than one can shake a dead MCU-timeline at

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2024