A film review of Deadpool and Wolverine
By Emma Harvey
Summary:
While many might debate that the biggest summer blockbuster of 2024 was Inside Out 2 (dir. Mann), Twisters (dir. Chung), or even Dune: Part 2 (dir. Villeneuve), one look at the box office numbers and a quick scroll through social media shows that no 2024 film has surpassed Deadpool and Wolverine (dir. Shawn Levy) as both a box office hit and cultural sensation.
With marketing that began in February, Deadpool’s iconic visage has been advertised through Spotify, Heineken beer, Heinz ketchup, and even The Bachelorette. Though not exactly “barbenheimer,” the film’s release on July 26th proved to a cultural phenomenon of its own.
Following the events of Deadpool 2 (2018), antihero Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) want to use his superpowers for good. When his universe is under attack, and all his loved ones are threatened, he must recruit Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to help him save his timeline. Things go awry, however, when the two end up in a wasteland of cameos run by an evil tyrant. Trying to work together, Wade and Logan must learn to set aside both their differences and their selfishness to save Deadpool’s universe. In a technobabble-filled climax, they finally work together and learn what it means to be a hero.
Content Review:
Deadpool and Wolverine is rated R for a reason. The MPAA provided this label for “strong bloody violence and language throughout, gore and sexual references.” Before watching, one should also keep in mind the reputation behind this trilogy. Deadpool, as a character and a franchise, is notorious for offensive content
The language was excessive. The writers appeared to have gone above and beyond in their usage of vulgarity with the swear count reaching around 140. There were also about a dozen ribald references/jokes. However, Deadpool and Wolverine still proves to be less sordid than the series’ first installment with no nudity or sex scenes.
Additionally, there was content that I, as a Christian, found to be blasphemous. The first was Deadpool’s continual referral to himself as “Marvel Jesus.” He repeated this comment many times throughout the film, even stating, “I am the Messiah” and shouting “He has risen” after he was presumed dead. Though the comment was a self-deprecating joke regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s years of repeated box office failures, the comparison of Jesus to any character, let alone a character as amoral and debauched as Deadpool was disrespectful to say the least. The second instance occurred in a short scene where, while Deadpool is visiting many Wolverines across different universes, he finds the X-Man crucified. In the scene, Logan is seen hanging from an X-shaped cross while surrounded by skulls. This is a reference to an X-Men comic, Uncanny X-Men #251, which features The Wolverine in a similar situation and location. However, this does not make it any less offensive to Christianity. This mimicry of Jesus’ suffering is both revolting and sacrilegious.
Thematic Review:
What does it mean to be a hero?
Deadpool and Wolverine wrestles with this question through the toil of antiheroes and villains. At the start of the film, the protagonist, Wade Wilson, states that he wants to use his superpowers to do something that matters. He claims he needs to be a hero like The Avengers. In a slightly comedic scene, he interviews for the team but is rejected because “The Avengers don’t do the job because they need it. They do the job because people need them.” What does it mean to be a hero? This is the answer the film shows each of its character striving toward.
This theme of heroism is also reflected in The Wolverine’s conflict as well. Haunted by his past failures, Logan blames himself for the deaths of his murdered friends, The X-Men. At the film’s climax, the men are told that one of them must sacrifice himself, using his body as a bridge between matter and antimatter, to stop the machine which is ripping apart the universe. Logan quickly volunteers to sacrifice himself. “You have a whole world to get back to. I got nothing,” he protests. “Give me this.” In other words, he needs to be the hero. He’s not acting out of altruism.
Deadpool, however, doesn’t let him. Sacrificing himself, Wilson declares, “I’m not doing it because I need it. I’m doing it because they do.” In this moment, Deadpool expresses what it means to be a hero. A hero is selfless. Desperate to save Wade, Logan takes his hand and joins him in his sacrifice. With the universe saved and both characters presumed dead, a character later states, “I warned them that they’d be completely obliterated, but they went anyway like…heroes. Because that’s who they were.”
Both Wolverine and Deadpool learn that being a hero isn’t about what you want, or even what you need. It’s not about you. A hero “just did what they had to do. With no concern for their own safety.”
Being a hero is self-sacrifice.
Conclusion:
Though there is much negative content within Deadpool and Wolverine that distracts from its morally sound aspects, the film manages to preach a biblical definition of love, sacrifice, and heroism.
Despite the way it made me cringe, there is something to be said for the thematic significance of Deadpool’s “Marvel Jesus” joke. Wilson repeated these words many times throughout the film’s two-hour runtime, but the phrase’s meaning changes in the climax when Wilson leaps to die in Wolverine’s place. When the latter demands to know why he is doing this, Deadpool repeats, “because I’m…Marvel Jesus.” This final usage of the phrase twists it into a motif, highlighting the film’s redemptive message of altruism. It teaches the audience that “Jesus” is synonymous with “sacrifice” and “hero.”
Deadpool and Wolverine teaches that being a hero is sacrificing yourself for the needs of others. It’s not about seeking praise, escaping guilt, or redeeming yourself. Being a hero is taking action for no other reason than because someone needs you to save them. This is, as the film inadvertently preaches to viewers, just like Jesus.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” –John 15:13
The Judson Mosaic 