Deadpool & Wolverine

Rating

Director

Shawn Levy

Screenplay

Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, Shawn Levy

Length

2h 08m

Starring

Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Dafne Keen, Jon Favreau, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Henry Cavill, Wunmi Mosaku, Aaron Stanford, Tyler Mane, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic, Henry Cavill

MPAA Rating

R

Original Preview

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Review

For the Marvel Cinematic Universe, third films are more often than not disappointments. Now that it’s part of the MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine wants to prove that it can buck the trend.

Before the Fox acquisition, Disney shied away from anything more raunchy than PG-13 superhero movies. They could have used that opportunity to shunt Deadpool into the dustbin of history but they took a gamble on R-rated hijinks and came out slightly ahead. Star Ryan Reynolds didn’t tone down the character’s foul-mouthed, violence-loving, bisexual energy. He stayed the course, not just poking fun at Disney at every opportunity but also trashing his old bosses at Fox who managed to destroy several prominent series and leave strong characters in the dust. A few of them even make appearances in the film.

Using the streaming series Loki as a source for its narrative, the TVA (Time Variance Authority) has pulled Deadpool out of his own universe in an effort to wind down that timeline now that its anchor hero, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), has died. Deadpool’s sole mission is to save the friends and family he’s brought together and if that means digging up Wolverine’s rotted corpse or trolling through various timelines to find a replacement, so be it. Their efforts see them forced into the void where the TVA dumps its most dangerous criminals, including one of the X-Men’s most aggressive villains, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin, who seems to be having a hell of a time playing the powerful telekinetic telepath). With the help of his new-found friends, Deadpool launches an assault on Nova’s headquarters in an effort to force her to open a portal back to their timeline so they can stop the TVA from pruning Deadpool’s version of Earth.

Although the film does a solid job explaining most of the new characters and lampooning the heck out of the Disney formula, Deadpool & Wolverine suffers from the same problem as most of its new parent company’s films, a need to resolve in a grandiose, predictable way. While there are still surprises, Reynolds and director Levy’s screenplay, co-written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells, still has far too many moments that are telegraphed well in advance and which ultimately ruin some of the suspense.

Some of the actors who appear in expanded cameos in the film deliver underwhelming performance, though the mid-credits scene with Chris Evans is a standout. There’s not much in Reynolds’ or Jackman’s performances that challenge their skills, but they are familiar faces in comfortable roles that help the film pass without too much tedium. They still haven’t found a way to top the first film’s bonkers opening title sequence, but the tradition continues with an engaging Deadpool vs. TVA fight over Wolverine’s grave. It also firmly establishes that they won’t be daunted by Disney’s ownership and will continue to fill it with crotch-stabbing and -grabbing even if it makes the suits uncomfortable.

Fans of the Deadpool film will find plenty to enjoy in Deadpool & Wolverine. The unique spin is still there but after three outings, it seems it may be running out of steam. A lot of the humor is forced, cringe for the sake of cringe, but it remains an entertaining film like all of the previous MCU trilogy cappers. Unfortunately, like them, it’s an inferior film all around.

Review Written

August 26, 2026