Summary
Deadpoolseemed like a long time coming. The character had a huge boom in the comics in the 2000s, right whentheX-Menmovieswere hot in theaters, not to mention the early stages of the MCU. He appeared in some video games and got a weird role inX-Men Origins: Wolverine, but he didn’t get his first movie until 2016.
Now, almost a decade after that movie came out, the trilogy is finally coming to a close in 2024 viaDeadpool & Wolverine. Is this the end of both Deadpool and Wolverine in movies though? It’s hard to say, but for now, let’s go over how all of these movies rank. Scores will be provided, but they aren’t always right. There will be spoilers.
3Deadpool
Deadpool Comes Fully Loaded With Jokes And Guns As A Proof Of Concept Done Well
Deadpoolas a movie was a good proof of concept in 2016. Ryan Reynolds wanted to right the wrongs thatX-Men Origins: Wolverinedid to his character by making a real standaloneDeadpoolmovie. The movieand Ryan Reynoldsgot the character spot-on. The movie begins with Wade Wilson as a mercenary for hire until he is kidnapped and experimented on for a rather serious set of scenes.
Wade eventually escapes, discovering that he can now regenerate and can break the fourth wall. Whether that is an aspect of his Mutant gene is unclear, but that’s who the character is. Deadpool makes jokes, kills a lot of people, and gets back up even when it looks like he is about to die. It’s more of aJohn Wick-like action moviethan a straight-up superhero film.
There aren’tmany Marvel charactersin it as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus are the only two standout Mutants who assist Deadpool. The chemistry between the three is fun along with Deadpool’s relationship with a blind woman, Blind Al, and his mercenary contact, Weasel. The basic plot of revenge isn’t anything spectacular but again,Deadpoolthe film was a good proof of concept that would go on to be topped by its two sequels.
2Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool Pals Around With Wolverine And Tries To Resurrect Lost Marvel Properties
Deadpool & Wolverinemay rank lower on Metacritic compared to the original, but it is a better examination of the character and the Marvel universe as a whole. Since Disney acquired Fox, Deadpool is now able to reference things he otherwise couldn’t before. Even with that power, the movie doesn’t go full-in to be a complete MCU lovefest. Instead, it’s more like a redemption story for abandoned Marvel properties that were not originally handled by Disney.
This includes cameos from Johnny Storm, Elektra, Gambit, Blade, and X-23 not to mention Deadpool’s massive co-star, Wolverine. All of these heroes get something to do in the film besides being the butt of a joke like many cameos often are. Of course, there are some one-off jokes like Thor consoling a dying Deadpool, a mini version of Wolverine, a consultation with Happy Hogan,and Henry Cavillplaying another version of Wolverine. These are great, in-movie jokes. What the movie truly gets right though, besides the slew of jokes and action, is the relationship between Deadpool and Wolverine.
The version of Wolverine that Deadpool recruits failed his timeline. He could not care less about saving the universe and hates Deadpool every second they spend together. Wolverine has an arc though, realizing that he shouldn’t be fine with his failure. Wolverine’s turnaround also boosts Deadpool’s character. As funny and as bloody as it is,Deadpool & Wolverineis also touchingwith Hugh Jackmanin particular really selling his lines.
1Deadpool 2
Deadpool Hilariously Tries His Hand At Parenting And Being A Team Leader
The middle child of this franchise is indeed the best one andDeadpool 2is rated the highest on Metacritic. As established though, review scores don’t mean a lot when discussing theDeadpoolmovies or the character in general. Either viewers are in wholesale or they are not.Deadpool 2finds a good middle ground between intense action, comedy, and zany references.
As good as the relationship between Deadpool and Wolverine is inDeadpool & Wolverine, it’s kind of a rehash from this movie.Cable is another herowho does not like Deadpool and wants him to die. By the end, he grows a heart and decides not to kill Rusty or Deadpool. He’s the star of the show as well, Rusty, as a kid just trying to fit in harkening back to the mainlineX-Menfilms. Cable travels back in time to kill Rusty who grows up to destroy the world.
Deadpool believes in Rusty so he tries his best to save him with the help of his X-Force who mostly perishes as established earlier. The big survivor is Domino, who has the power of luck which is a weird superpower to quantify, and yetDeadpool 2does a good job while making Deadpool the butt of the jokes. She’s Bugs Bunny to his Daffy Duck and theLooney Tunesis a great cartoon series to liken to theDeadpoolmovies. Overall, fans got exactly what they wanted from this trilogy. Any one of them is a winner but Deadpool 2 is inches above the others.
