Deadpool & Wolverine
Though occasionally entertaining and featuring several moments guaranteed to excite comic book geeks, Deadpool & Wolverine is nevertheless a film defined by excess, spoon-feeding audiences empty fanservice and R-rated raunchiness.
About the Film
Remember those daydreams we all had as kids? Unbound by adult temperance or wisdom, we’d imagine all the things we’d do once we grew up—eating ice cream for dinner, all-night gaming sessions, and consuming gluttonous amounts of candy. Deadpool & Wolverine is essentially the comic book movie equivalent of those childhood fantasies. It’s a film defined by excess that spoon-feeds audiences fanservice and R-rated raunchiness. It’s entertaining at times and features several moments that will excite comic book geeks, but there is a reason most of us didn’t fulfill our juvenile fantasies once we became adults. Sometimes too much is, in fact, too much, and an overindulgence in junk food never satisfies.
Deadpool & Wolverine is Deadpool’s third film (if we pretend X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened), but the first under the Disney banner. Deadpool’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe raised the question of whether Disney would maintain the established R-rated template or offer a more sanitized reimagining of the so-called “Merc with a Mouth.” The profusion of graphic violence and blood splattering on the screen during the opening scene quickly signals which direction Disney went. There are traces of what this film could have been with a PG-13 coat of MCU paint. Yet it soon becomes clear that obscenity is the point; the film is irreverent for the sake of being profane.
Despite scattered attempts at heartfelt moments (most belonging to Hugh Jackman, who slips effortlessly back into his iconic role as Wolverine), the overall plot has the depth of a soggy piece of paper. Some mumbo jumbo about collapsing timelines leads Deadpool to seek out a Wolverine from another universe, only for both characters to become trapped in “the void,” a sort of meta universe filled with discarded comic book characters and ideas.
None of it really matters though, as the story is mostly an afterthought. Deadpool & Wolverine offers a series of loosely connected “moments” rather than a cohesive plot. Even so, if you can sludge through the barrage of F-bombs, sex jokes, or gratuitous violence, some of those moments are entertaining. It has a great, well-utilized soundtrack. Many of the jokes are crass and distasteful, but plenty of others are legitimately funny. The action scenes may largely be empty spectacle devoid of stakes, but parts are thrilling and inventive, such as one cleverly choreographed fight that takes place almost exclusively inside a vehicle and another that features a lengthy, unbroken tracking shot as Deadpool and Wolverine brawl their way through a mob of opponents.
The same is true of the fanservice. Deadpool & Wolverine features an almost unwieldy number of cameos and easter eggs. It’s incredible that these surprises weren’t leaked ahead of its release. As unexpected cameo after unexpected cameo appeared on screen, there were audible cheers in my theater. Those cheers may be the best embodiment of what this film is (and isn’t). It’s a movie that attempts to give audiences exactly what they want, allowing them to indulge in empty calories of nostalgia. Does the fan service always make sense to the plot? Probably not, but that’s beside the point. Deadpool & Wolverine is all about the rapid succession of exciting moments.
Ironically, despite press tour declarations from the actors and filmmakers about bucking the Marvel trend of “shared-universe” interconnectivity, I’m hard-pressed to think of another comic-book movie that relies as heavily on viewers’ knowledge of prior films, and even awareness of unrealized fan-casting or real-world and behind-the-scenes studio drama. I can imagine someone watching Deadpool & Wolverine for the first time twenty years from now and being totally bewildered.
Ultimately, Deadpool & Wolverine uses shock-jock humor and nostalgic geek dopamine jolts to distract from its emptiness. I’m sure some viewers will praise it as being a “comic book movie for adults!” In one sense, it is. Younger viewers should keep their distance from this one. Yet there is also something unmistakably juvenile about an MCU film saturated in raunchy jokes, foul language, shocking violence, and bountiful fan service. Wish fulfillment sounds fun, but there’s a reason I’ve never fulfilled my childhood daydream of eating juice concentrate with a spoon. Sometimes getting what you want isn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be.
For Consideration
Language: Too much to keep an exact count, but there are more than 100 F-words, as well as a barrage of other profanities and crude words. The names of God, Jesus, and Christ are all used multiple times as well.
Violence: Plenty of graphically depicted action. Heads explode in a splattering of gore, one character has his skin pulled off, and countless characters are stabbed or cut with blades, often in the crotch or butt.
Sexuality: There is no nudity or sex scenes beyond some brief flashbacks that include reminders of sex scenes from earlier films. There is representation from a wide range of sexual orientations (gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, etc.) and an abundance of crude sexual language and humor, including jokes about prostitution, masturbation, and even sexual abuse of children.
Other: There is a repeated gag in which Deadpool refers to himself as “Marvel Jesus” and sees himself as a quasi-savior, referring to his desire to “gather disciples” and making self-referential declarations like “he has risen” after he survives a near-death encounter. There is also a recurring joke about cocaine.
Engage The Film
Heroism for the Right Reasons
Jokes about Deadpool being “Marvel Jesus” aside, the film is not bursting with many religious themes. Though—despite featuring two traditional anti-heroes—it does explore the noble nature of heroism. In the film, Deadpool desires to join the Avengers, but he is rejected due to his misplaced motivations. He wants to be a mighty hero because he needs it, but he is told that true heroes are heroic because others need them to be. Is a hero still a hero if the underlying motivation is self-serving? It’s an interesting question, and one that applies beyond the realms of superpowered beings.
In recent years, internet personalities and influencers have built platforms by performing decent acts (feeding the homeless, helping the poor, etc.) on camera for the sake of creating content for a monetized channel, causing some to question the virtue of such acts. The question is relevant for the church as well. Jesus said, “But when you give to the needy, or perform an act of kindness, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving, or act of kindness, may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:2-4).
Christians are called to do good deeds for the good of others and for God’s glory, not to satisfy our own egos or to cultivate a righteous public persona. By the end of the film, both Deadpool and Wolverine have learned the nature of heroism and are willing to sacrifice their own interests—even their lives—for the good of others. There may not be much in Deadpool & Wolverine for Christians to take to heart, but we can affirm that lesson. Better yet, we can put it into action.
