Alright, listen... I liked Deadpool & Wolverine. I liked it a lot, but some things didn’t sit right with me.
I’ve been a fan of Deadpool for many years, probably since middle school. Thinking about that, it's actually a little concerning I liked the character at such a young age, but regardless, Deadpool has been in my life for decades. I was a massive fan of the comics, the video game and, of course, the last two Deadpool films. When it was announced that Deadpool was finally joining the MCU and that Deadpool 3 was happening with Wolverine, I freaked out.
As a longtime Deadpool fan – and also a Wolverine fan, honestly – I was eager for Deadpool & Wolverine. The film came out as part of the 2024 movie schedule and I went to see it opening weekend. While I enjoyed it a lot, there were undoubtedly some things that bothered me as well, and I need to talk about it.
And beware, there will be SPOILERS for Deadpool & Wolverine down below.
The Dependence Of MCU Knowledge And Former X-Men Characters For Most References
I get it—Deadpool is joining the MCU. It’s a big deal, but that doesn’t mean we have to refer to it every five minutes.
Look, Deadpool has constantly broken the fourth wall and brought up little jokes and things that the audience will get. He’s not the only Marvel character to do so, as She-Hulk does it pretty consistently as well, but I think everyone recognizes Deadpool as the fourth-wall king.
And yeah, in previous Deadpool films, we’ve had MCU references. There are the obvious ones to the Avengers, the ones that call out Thanos, i.e. a bunch of other things that casual Marvel fans would know. But man, Deadpool & Wolverine was on another level.
I’m a big Marvel fan. I watch all the Marvel TV shows on Disney+, have watched (and rewatched) every single MCU film time and time again, and have regularly enjoyed watching the evolution of the characters that have come and gone time and time again. But not everyone is like me. Some people came to see this film expecting to see Deadpool and Wolverine team up, but a lot of previous MCU knowledge is required to understand this film.
If you hadn’t seen Loki, you would barely know what the hell the TVA is besides the weak explanation in the film. That’s also another thing: there's a heavy reliance on previous X-Men characters.
I knew Chris Evans was going to appear as The Human Torch since that was spoiled to me a while ago, but I'll be honest and say I had no idea Gambit was even a thing. At first, I didn’t even realize that there was a previous connection to Channing Tatum at all. The same goes for some of the other background characters. I enjoyed the X-Men movies, but there were some that I didn’t remember and had to look up after.
The movie was mainly comprised references, and it works out in some ways, but at other times, it really does not.
The Waste Of Previous Supporting Characters We Loved
This is the biggest gripe I have with this film. The Deadpool and Wolverine cast felt massive as it was being announced, but in reality, we didn’t spend much time with any of the characters we’ve fallen in love with over the last couple of movies.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, Colossus – heck, even Dopinder was barely there, and he was one of the most considerable comedic forces in the last movie because of how he just didn’t fit in with Deadpool’s life. I guess we got to see Peter more, which was fun, and I didn’t expect him to have a more significant role. Still, it felt like all the supporting characters that we grew to care about…didn’t appear.
But Vanessa…that’s the biggest thing here that I have a gripe to pick on.
Also, The Fact That Vanessa Was Barely A Part Of The Film
I love Vanessa. I think out of the many love interests in any Marvel film; she was spunky, had a great attitude and could keep up with Wade freaking Wilson – which is nearly impossible to do half the time. We didn’t even know if Vanessa would be in Deadpool & Wolverine for a time, but it was confirmed later on she would be.
And you’re telling me she was barely used in this film?
No, no – do not come to me and say, "Oh, Wade did it all for her because she told him she wanted him to do something he’s passionate about and for his powers to mean something-"
NO. Do not give me that. She had such pivotal roles in the last two films, and even if she was the primary catalyst behind what Wade did in those flicks, as well as this one, she just felt more present.
We only saw Vanessa for a few seconds in this film compared to the others, and that’s just unforgivable to me.
How Cassandra Nova Felt Like An Underused Villain
Look, the world of MCU villains is vast and varies depending on the movie. They can either be absolute bangers—like the obvious Thanos or Michael B. Jordan’s villain, Killmonger—or completely forgettable, like many MCU villains. But the thing with Cassandra Nova is that I actually did see a lot of potential in her.
Honestly, mutants joining the MCU brings in a lot of possible villains that we didn’t have before, but Nova was one I was interested in. Emma Corrin is a great actor, and I’ve been a fan of theirs since The Crown (which is honestly one of the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix). I was eager to see them as a villain, but Nova felt really underused.
Corrin’s scenes were so well-acted and added a lot of tension – the character is Professor X's sister, but evil. You can do a lot with that, ut it just felt like Nova died very quickly, and her ending came pretty rapidly once the film hit its climax. I wanted to see way more.
Face It – It Was Less Raunchy Than Other Deadpool Films
When Deadpool & Wolverine was announced, there was a question of it it was going to be rated R like the previous two films now that it was incorporated into the MCU.
Thankfully, it did, and the gore was up to par for sure. In fact, I would argue that some of it was almost too much (like Chris Evans getting completely warped inside out where his insides just turned to mush by Nova).
But let’s face it – this movie was a little less raunchier than the two previous ones, which is a bit of a shame. It seems like Deadpool 3 had way fewer f-bombs (which is shocking because of Wolverine), and overall it just felt a bit tamer. Don’t get me wrong, it still earns that R rating, but it didn’t feel nearly as bad.
Let me say this: I don’t think I could watch the previous two films with my parents, but I think I could watch this one. I could probably leave that up to the fact that I’m older now and more mature, but something just felt a little off.
Deadpool & Wolverine is still a fun time. You know exactly what you’re getting into, and you’ll walk out of the theater enjoying these two characters' crazy ride and the adventure they go on, plus the number of Deadpool & Wolverine cameos you get to see. However, as a longtime fan, I can’t help but feel that some things could have been done better.
But oh well, there’s always next time—and at least now, there’s a chance Deadpool could team up with the Avengers, so I’m still excited to see that, regardless of how I felt about this film.