Deadpool & Wolverine Is A Surprising Celebration Of Pre-MCU Superhero Movies
Deadpool and Wolverine were heavily marketed as the official entry of Fox’s characters into the MCU, which is technically true, but that marketing is a bit misleading. In reality, the MCU barely matters to the heart of the movie. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when the movie was much more focused on giving the pre-MCU Fox movies a fond farewell.
Already A Huge Hit
The new movie came out on July 26, 2024, and is still in theaters, so be warned if you haven’t seen the movie yet that I’m about to spoil some things. Deadpool and Wolverine is on pace to be the year’s biggest R-rated film and is currently sitting on an impressive 79 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a big movie, but it’s not the movie I was expecting, and I’m glad it’s not.
The Loki Connection
With its multiverse-based premise and the involvement of the TVA, I expected Deadpool and Wolverine to take place significantly in the 616 universe and feature numerous MCU characters. Instead, outside of a single scene early on and the TVA itself there is little in the way of MCU lore that matters. There are tons of jokes and references to other properties, but Loki is the only MCU property with any plot relevance.
Instead, Deadpool and Wolverine leans heavily on the Fox line of Marvel movies, and most of its biggest moments hinge on the audience’s familiarity with those movies. While the Deadpool movies have always had a tangential connection to the X-Men movies, this time, that has widened to all of the Fox movies. The movie ends up feeling like a celebration for these pre-MCU movies.
Returning Faces From Marvel History
While in The Void, a wasteland introduced in Loki where characters from dead universes are sent, Deadpool and Wolverine meet multiple characters from Fox movies. Chris Evans reprises his role as Johny Storm, Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, Jennifer Garner comes back as Elektra, Dafne Keen resumes her role as Laura Kinney, and Channing Tatum finally gets to play Gambit. Numerous villains also return as a group of bandits led by the movie’s antagonist.
It would be easy to write these appearances off as fan service cameos, but they serve a more sentimental role in the story that goes beyond the surprise of seeing old characters appear. The returning heroes have formed a band of rebels that feels like The Island of Misfit Toys. In Deadpool and Wolverine, these characters get one last adventure as the proper sendoff they never got in their franchises.
Finding A Place In The Multiverse
Letting these characters make a final stand is the heart of Deadpool and Wolverine, acknowledging the legacy of pre-MCU superhero movies and showing appreciation for them. This connects to Wade’s arc in the movie, an existential pursuit of feeling like he matters in a world that’s passed him by. Having him band together with heroes from dead franchises reminds the audience that these characters and movies still have merit even if they aren’t part of an ongoing profitable mega-franchise.
A Well-Earned Goodbye To Characters That Deserved Better
As someone who grew up watching every superhero movie to come out, even bad ones like Elektra, I found Deadpool and Wolverine’s genuine affection for its pre-MCU characters heartwarming. While jokes are made by and about the characters, they aren’t treated as punchlines or written off as irrelevant. If you’re a fan of the superhero genre, not just the MCU, you should try to see Deadpool and Wolverine in theaters.
