DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE Behind-The-Scenes and Review: Maximum Effort Achieved!
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, for many, is the most highly anticipated MCU film since AVENGERS: ENDGAME. The previous two Deadpool films, distributed by 20th Century Fox, were irreverent, R-rated, and full of 4th wall breaks and sexual innuendo. DEADPOOL (2016) unapologetically released on Valentine’s Day, giving pop culture-loving couples a non-traditional celebration. Since DEADPOOL 2 was released in 2018, Disney purchased 20th Century Fox. So the big question going into this 2024 film – now that Deadpool is under the Disney banner, will that dilute Deadpool’s trademark R-rated irreverence? In a word – NO.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE embraces dark humor from the opening scene. It will reward fans of both characters alike. Deadpool famously “taps” the 4th wall in both comics and film, talking directly to the consumer and commenting on the story itself or pop culture. For instance, in DEADPOOL, Wade traveled to the X-Men mansion and knocked on the door. We only ever saw Negasonic Teenage Warhead or Colossus open the door, and Wade remarked, “It’s a big house, it’s funny that I only ever see two of you. It’s almost like… the Studio couldn’t afford another X-Man…”
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE is full of those references and if you are familiar with entertainment news like Disney purchasing Fox, or which actors were in talks to play various superhero roles, or the fact that Hugh Jackman is an amazing Broadway singer, this movie is an absolute hotbed of laughter. At one point, the entire theater erupted in screams of surprise and delight, which can only be replicated if you avoid spoilers at all costs and watch this film with an engaged audience. Be prepared for some gratuitous violence and R-rated sex jokes – the trademark of Deadpool. It’s clear they had some f**cking fun with this film.
Things to know before you go (to fully enjoy the film):
- DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE picks up 6 years after the events of DEADPOOL 2, in which Wade stole Cable’s time-travel device to save the lives of Vanessa and Peter. He has settled down into the role of used-car salesman, but his ultimate goal in life is to be part of the team and have an impact on the universe.
- Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) is the love of Deadpool/Wade Wilson’s (Ryan Reynolds) life.
- Wade has made some friends in the last two films, including X-Men Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić). Peter (Rob Delaney) is Deadpool’s “sidekick”. Blind Al (Leslie Uggam) is Wilson’s roommate.
- Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) famously sacrificed himself for his clone daughter X-23/Laura (Daphne Keen) and died at the end of LOGAN (2017), with actor Hugh Jackman announcing he was hanging up his Wolverine claws for good. Will Logan be resurrected in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE? The opening scene answers that question.
- New characters:
- In the Void, Deadpool and Wolverine will encounter Professor X’s twin sister Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), who leads a group of villains trying to survive in the wasteland.
- Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfayden) works at the TVA and recruits Wade to help stop a threat to the multiverse.
- Understanding the mechanics of the TVA from the LOKI TV series is imperative, because the plot revolves around this. If you have time, watch the 1st season of LOKI. The movie does a good job of exposition, but the visual cues you’ll remember from the series will help you easily grasp the plot. Here’s a short explanation:
- The TVA (Time Variance Authority) stands outside time and multiverses – the members can zip in and out of time and space using temp-pads. Their ultimate goal is to ensure the continued existence of a “Sacred Timeline”, pruning variants and branching timelines.
- Pruned people and objects are banished to a realm known as “The Void” – a giant wasteland where relics of dead timelines rot or are consumed by a giant purple cloud monster named Alioth. We will spend a lot of time here in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE.
- You DO NOT need to watch all 23 films of the Infinity Saga, from IRON MAN through AVENGERS: ENDGAME. It’s all about Deadpool and the previously Fox-owned characters in this film.
Maximum Effort – Behind-the Scenes of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Lots of love went into this film. We find press conferences illuminating, as we love hearing directly from the filmmakers and cast. Here are some choice quotes from the press conference, which included:
- Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool” and Producer)
- Hugh Jackman (“Wolverine”)
- Emma Corrin (“Cassandra Nova”)
- Matthew Macfadyen (“Mr. Paradox”)
- Rob Delaney (“Peter” and moderator for this event)
- Shawn Levy (Director, Writer and Producer)
- Wendy Jacobson (Executive Producer)
- Kevin Feige (President, Marvel Studios and Producer)
- Peggy the Dog (“Dogpool”)
In the lead-up to DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE, it’s obvious that Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds have a bromance, much like their characters. When asked what it was like to work with each other, Jackman began, “there’s actors who have “producer” written after their titles, and..not so much. But with Ryan, he and Shawn (Levy) led from the front and created an atmosphere that was simultaneously free, fun, playful, but also everyone expecting and hoping each other to be their best. And that’s a really fine line to balance. And also, as a writer, his generosity in being able to look out for everybody else’s character even more than his own. He will sacrifice even great moments for his character for the betterment of the movie; and that kind of generosity he can’t speak to because he’ll self-deprecate and undercut, but I can speak to it.”
Ryan Reynolds, blushing, responded, “well, most of what I learned about Hugh happened just now.” He continued, “I had a front row seat to a guy that I admired, a person who’s cumulatively acquired a lifetime of choreography, controlling his voice, Broadway, all of that being ultra applicable to the most kind of aggressive, violent character in the MCU was so interesting to me. And being just a foot away from his eyes and the kind of clarity that he had as his character and as a human being, it was really enlightening.”
Jackman has famously said he would never play Wolverine again, so he took us through what changed his mind. Jackman: “I watched DEADPOOL three days after announcing Logan would be my last. I remember thinking, OOPS! Ever since I played Wolverine, people have been talking about Deadpool with Wolverine and their rivalry from the comic books. I could feel it. I could see it. It was MIDNIGHT RUN. It was 48 HOURS. It was the ODD COUPLE; TRAINS, PLAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES. But it was August 14th, 2022 and I don’t know why, I just knew everything on my body was yelling at me that I wanted to do this movie. So much so that I pulled my car over from the side of the LA freeway, and I rang Ryan. And I asked him and thankfully he said yes.”
From day 1, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that the most important thing when creating any film is to make a great movie, and “Shawn and Ryan and Hugh and this whole team has made a great movie. Is every movie going to be R-rated after this? Of course not, but I hope every movie after this embraces its tonality the way Deadpool does and this team was able to do.” He went on to give us hope for the future. “Post Deadpool & Wolverine will be the mutant era coming into the MCU!”
Check out more from the Press Conference on our YouTube and instagram. DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE (Rated R) comes to your local U.S. theater on July 26, 2024 with a runtime of 2 hours 7 minutes. Let us know on our socials what you think – and if you got that Wolverine “Designed By Deadpool” popcorn bucket…
