“Selves, how can we make the next Deadpool movie actual, physical torture for Plugged In reviewers to write about?”
Plugged In’s Paul Asay wondered if that was what went through the minds of Marvel executives when Deadpool 2 came out in 2018. And after seeing Deadpool & Wolverine, I have same question.
But I’m already getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about the story first.
In the latest entry in this R-rated franchise, Deadpool has given up his vigilante ways. After being practically laughed out of Happy Hogan’s office following his earnest pitch to join the Avengers, Deadpool decides he’ll never be the hero everyone—especially his girlfriend, Vanessa—wants him to be.
So, he stops trying. He hangs up the suit, dons a toupee and begins selling used cars.
But then the Time Variance Authority (à la Loki) shows up. They inform Deadpool that his universe, Earth 10005, is coming to an end because its “anchor being” (a person of such significance that they literally hold the universe together) has died.
Who is this anchor being? you may ask. Why, it’s none other than James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine. Yes, that Wolverine of X-Men and Logan fame.
Deadpool realizes the only chance he has to save his world—to save Vanessa and all his friends—is to find a new anchor being for Earth 10005.
Luckily, he’s already got access to the TVA’s nifty time- and universe-hopping devices. Now he just needs to find a Wolverine variant willing to join him on his quest.
Deadpool & Wolverine, at its core, is a tale about two men trying to save the world and becoming heroes in ways they never expected.
Feeling dejected after his Avengers rejection, Deadpool falls into a slump, believing that he’ll never be worthy of the title “hero.” But then the TVA informs him that he’s been chosen for a “higher purpose.” They tell him that he’ll finally be the hero he’s always dreamed of being. And he’s understandably excited.
That is, until he’s subsequently informed that his own universe is going to end after he leaves. Deadpool’s not such a fan of that idea, so he tries to negotiate with the TVA for the continuation of Earth 10005. But his request is denied.
Deadpool is given two options: Join the TVA to become a hero to other universes, or join his friends on Earth 10005 as it’s destroyed.
But Deadpool surprises the TVA (and perhaps audiences watching) by choosing a third option—a selfless option. One in which he must sacrifice his own life to save the ones he loves.
The particular Wolverine that Deadpool ultimately teams up with isn’t the iteration we’ve come to know and love the past 24 years. This Logan hasn’t risked his life, time and time again, to save others. In fact, when his friends needed him most, this Wolverine walked away. And he’s lived with their deaths on his conscience ever since.
But by working with (a very flawed) Deadpool, Wolverine follows his own redemption arc. In the end, Wolverine and Deadpool learn that being a hero is about the willingness to do whatever it takes—to give up your own life—to save another.
Deadpool, Wolverine and other heroes and villains in this story are all mutants. They get their powers from genetic mutations, a form of evolution, as we’re told in the first X-Men film. That said, the film doesn’t spend much time focusing on this element of the story. It’s pretty much a given at this point, with only a handful of references throughout the film.
Some mutants, such as Deadpool and Wolverine, have regenerative healing abilities. Others have mutations that make them animal-like in appearance. One mutant resembles a stereotypical depiction of the devil, complete with red skin, tail and all. Another reveals she can read people’s minds and manipulate their memories. And a giant, purple cloud-monster attempts to eat everyone in sight.
Deadpool dubs himself “Marvel Jesus,” a breaking-of-the-fourth-wall reference to how his character (and this film) will “save” the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Later on, after eluding death, he sarcastically exclaims, “He hath risen,” to a room full of onlookers.
Elsewhere, a woman says she wants to “play God.” Someone says it’s God’s best joke that Deadpool can’t die, hoping the man will live in misery forever. We see multiple shots of the bumper sticker with religious symbols for several faiths that reads “Coexist.” A background character wears a turban.
The TVA uses technology to jump through time and travel across the multiverse, all in the name of protecting the “Sacred Timeline.”
Deadpool & Wolverine shamelessly embraces a nonstop stream of raunchy, ribald and sexually suggestive humor, the likes of which Disney has never seen. These jokes include references to child predators, STDs, same-sex encounters, all forms of sex and crass descriptions of human anatomical features. Over and over and over again.
There are no sex scenes in this sequel. However, flashbacks show some steamy scenes from the previous Deadpool flicks. And things certainly look sexual here when swords, bones and other weapons are suggestively stabbed in certain parts of the anatomy. And Deadpool’s frequent verbal commentary on these moments makes sure we don’t misinterpret these nasty sight gags.
Deadpool himself makes many comments about men’s anatomy, further reinforcing the idea that he’s sexually fluid or bisexual in preference.
Deadpool mentions a man with jewelry connecting sensitive parts of his anatomy to a sexual organ. Later on, we see this man, encouraging a woman to touch the jewelry (she’s ignorant that it’s connected to other parts of his body). The camera lingers on a shirtless, muscled man as a choir sings in the background. He’s ogled by both men and women. Other shots focus on Deadpool’s clothed rear and groin as he’s groped and slapped by a tailor. And the cinematography slows down significantly when a female variant of Deadpool shows up, emphasizing her womanly figure.
Two of Deadpool’s female friends are in a relationship, and they hold hands. There are some jokes referencing trans people. Two different Deadpools make suggestive references to a dog, flirting sarcastically with bestiality for the sake of a joke. We also hear a reference to the dog’s seeming arousal. Deadpool also jokes about necrophilia. (One man initially calls the TVA’s HR department to report Deadpool for harassment but later appears to welcome the attention.)
There are a couple of jokes about actors’ real-life divorces.
It wouldn’t be a Deadpool movie without the violence. I mean, the character wears red to hide when he bleeds.
Deadpool uses his guns and katanas to shoot, stab, behead, amputate, and otherwise cripple and kill those who stand against him. Wolverine does, too, just with adamantium claws instead. In those sequences, blood spurts and limbs fly in such an array that Deadpool should perhaps be renamed “Bloodpool.” There’s enough bloodletting here to make Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill envious.
Deadpool seems to enjoy these interactions, quipping and even dancing along. Wolverine, on the other hand, is pure rage, taking his frustrations out on any enemy unfortunate enough to cross his path. (He expresses regret at killing innocent humans after going on a killing spree to avenge his fallen friends.)
Most of the Wolverines that Deadpool encounters while using the TVA’s tech try to kill him. The one he eventually teams up with tries as well. And the pair get into more than one fight that would be fatal to anyone without their unique healing powers. Their brutal flaying of each other over and over again is played as a comedic ballet of impaling gore.
Other mutant heroes and villains enter the fray as well, using their unique powers to shoot, stab, and … you get the picture.
One mutant uses her telekinesis to throw characters violently into walls. To read minds, she inserts her fingers into people’s heads. We see those appendages moving around, obviously causing physical discomfort and prompting Deadpool to sarcastically request an intimacy coordinator (the person on movie sets tasked with ensuring that physical acts are conducted safely, respectfully and—as is the case here—consensually).
We see the skeletons of several beloved superheroes. In one universe, Deadpool finds Wolverine crucified on a cross-like X on a hill of bloody skulls (a very literal rendition of the cover of X-Men #251 from 1989). We hear that humans in one universe hunted mutants down, killing them all. Deadpool uses a variant of himself as a human shield before learning the man doesn’t have the same healing powers as himself.
A TVA agent says he’s been tasked with overseeing the destruction of Earth 10005, a process that will naturally occur over the next thousand years or so. Unwilling to wait that long, he attempts to accelerate the destruction using a machine called a Time Ripper. He claims it’s more efficient and compassionate since the residents of 10005 won’t feel a thing. But when a villain gets hold of the machine, she attempts to destroy every universe but her own.
Deadpool says he supports abortion. A man sports bloody bandages on his face after Deadpool breaks his nose. A hero painfully falls on his groin—and plenty of other characters more wincingly get stabbed in the same location. A woman says she tried to choke her twin with an umbilical cord in the womb.
Fans know that Deadpool is “the merc with the mouth.” So the following profanity tally shouldn’t come as a shock: More than 120 uses of the f-word (10 preceded by “mother”), another 30-plus uses of the s-word, two uses of the c-word and a smattering of “a–,” “a–hole,” “b–ch,” “c–k,” “d–n,” “d–mit,” “d–k,” “h—,” “p-ss” and “p—k.”
God’s name is abused about 25 times, seven of which are paired with “d–n” or “d–mit.” And Jesus’ name is similarly abused four times.
Breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool says that the film’s producers explicitly forbid the use of cocaine onscreen. But that’s followed up by a lengthy litany of just about every slang term in existence for the drug. And later, Deadpool’s roommate claims she’s going through withdrawal from it.
Wolverine gets drunk on several occasions, drowning out his sorrows in the bottle. People drink elsewhere.
Deadpool desecrates a corpse, using it as a weapon. He verbally berates his enemies (which isn’t much of a surprise), but he also abuses his friends on occasion.
Characters lie. People insult each other. A man mishears the word “retired” as “retarded.”
In terms of Easter eggs, cultural tie-ins and just general breaking of the fourth wall, I’m not sure there’s a Marvel movie in existence that includes more of those nods than Deadpool & Wolverine. At times, these winks at MCU lore can be genuinely funny. Deadpool himself mocks the direction the MCU has taken since Avengers: Endgame. And then there’s the sheer number of cameos, which we won’t spoil here.
Unfortunately, though the film’s stars have no problem taking their own kids to see the movie, it’s an absolute nightmare for most other parents.
Fans of the previous flicks in the Deadpool franchise won’t find this surprising. The first two movies were chock-full of profanities and gory violence, not to mention nudity and raunchy sexual references. But if you were hoping that the acquisition of 20th Century Fox (which previously helmed the Deadpool projects) by Disney would soften the content a bit, you’ll be as disappointed as fans were when Hugh Jackman didn’t wear the yellow jumpsuit in 2000’s X-Men.
In terms of storyline, Deadpool & Wolverine has its merits. Deadpool especially has always been a bit of an antihero (and Wolverine has had his moments too, for that matter). However, this film sees him developing into an actual hero.
He finally learns that being a hero isn’t a self-serving gig. Rather, it’s about self-sacrifice. You don’t save people because it benefits you; you save people because it benefits them.
And if I wasn’t concerned about the content that I consume, I probably could have enjoyed those elements of the film a lot more. But oof! The explicit content here just cannot be ignored.
Deadpool is called the “merc with a mouth” for a reason. F-bombs number well over a hundred, and that doesn’t include a slew of other profanities as well, including the c-word and multiple abuses of God’s name. But crudities also take the form of raunchy humor. It’s like someone took all of the sexually immoral acts listed in Leviticus and tallied up as many jokes about it as they could—including references to predators.
And speaking of biblical ills, Deadpool decides to dub himself “Marvel Jesus.” He even quips, “He hath risen!” after eluding death—referencing, perhaps, hopes that the character will revitalize the MCU. (And it should be noted that Marvel shares this hope since Deadpool & Wolverine is the lone MCU film of 2024.)
Let’s not forget the blood and gore either. The film’s first scene involves the desecration of a corpse in which Deadpool uses the bones of a fallen comrade as weapons. Heads explode. Limbs fly. A man’s skin is ripped from his body via telekinesis, his innards collapsing in a steaming pile of goo.
And then, because their mutant powers allow them to regenerate, Deadpool and Wolverine slice each other up, just for kicks.
Over and over and over and over again.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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