Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine is a compelling meta-commentary on the entire messy business of superhero films. Yes, it acts as Ryan Reynolds’ way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper, but it’s also a tribute to every actor who put on a mask and called themselves a superhero—or in some cases, actors who never got the chance. Reynolds and Jackman’s chemistry makes the film better, even as it devolves into some of the Deadpool series’ worst jokes and falls victim to much of the MCU’s overuse of CGI and gratuitous cameos.

Deadpool & Wolverine is perhaps the most egregious entry in the MCU’s multiverse arc, feeling like a vehicle for it to deliver cameos of old fan favorites. However, Deadpool’s constant fourth wall breaking allows it to rise slightly above this and be a more overt commentary on the referential pop-culture excess of the MCU’s past five years, rather than simply a barrage of actors taking on old roles.

Of course, given the recent news that the MCU is retreating to imagined safety by bringing back fan-favorite Robert Downey Jr. to play Dr. Doom, do its self-deprecating jabs at the MCU’s expense even matter when it seems like the franchise at large is unwilling to reflect? The MCU is so fixated on the past it’s having a hard time figuring out the future, and Deadpool & Wolverine feels like it’s caught between both. — Kenneth Shepard