The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is at the lowest point it’s ever been due to the lacklustre release of The Marvels in November 2023 and the Echo series in January 2024, both of which were poorly received by fans. This has caused Marvel Studios to scale back and as a result, Deadpool & Wolverine is the only MCU movie coming out in 2024, the first time that’s happened since 2012’s The Avengers.

Will this be the movie that saves and revitalizes the MCU? Yes, Deadpool & Wolverine is truly Marvel Jesus!

Marvel Jesus

First and foremost, Marvel Studios kept their promise when they said that Deadpool & Wolverine would maintain the R-rating of the previous two Deadpool movies. They did not sanitize or tone down the movie at all, and there’s every bit as much swearing and violence as the previous movies, as well as the same level of meta and self-awareness (perhaps even an upgrade when it came to this aspect). The movie pokes fun at everything and mocks them, even Marvel Studios and 20th Century Studios (what used to be 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired them).

That fact is also why it’s so surprising that Deadpool & Wolverine is actually a secret farewell movie to the 20th Century Fox Marvel movies (but I won’t spoil how). It’s impressive how the movie manages to achieve this while also simultaneously poking fun at them. This was probably made possible because now-Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige was just a small-time producer at Marvel during the 20th Century Fox Marvel movies, and now that those movies are officially “dead”, it’s likely that he wanted to make this somewhat of a touching tribute to those movies, officially saying goodbye one last time before starting fresh with the MCU’s versions.

There’s even a brief blooper reel during the end credits that shows behind-the-scenes footage of those 20th Century Fox Marvel movies. If you’ve been a Marvel fan since the early 2000s, it’s almost impossible not to feel at least some kind of nostalgia, regardless of how much you love or hate those movies.

As expected, Deadpool & Wolverine is a very comedic movie with tons of jokes in every scene, but what’s a pleasant surprise is that the movie is much more emotional, dramatic and heartfelt than you’d expect. Not just because of the aforementioned tribute to 20th Century Fox Marvel movies, but because the movie highlights the internal turmoil and personal struggles of both Deadpool and Wolverine. This brings much-needed emotional weight and heft to the movie, especially so when it comes to Hugh Jackman’s Logan AKA Wolverine. Even after playing the same role for more than 20 years, he’s still able to make this version of the character a compelling one. That also goes for Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson AKA Deadpool as well. We get to see both characters at the most vulnerable they’ve ever been.

In addition, Deadpool & Wolverine feels more like a Multiverse movie than any other previous MCU movie in the so-called Multiverse Saga. It’s definitely the most ‘Multiversal’ and that can be attributed to the number of shocking and unexpected cameos (as well as the myriad easter eggs and references) in the movie. When I say shocking and unexpected, I truly mean that. Remember Avengers Endgame when viewers cheered and hollered during specific moments and scenes? Deadpool & Wolverine has that in spades and most of it has not been spoiled online (at the time of writing this review).

These are not just empty cameos like the ones in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness either (cough Black Bolt/Mr. Fantastic cough), they feel substantial enough that these cameos (not all but most of them) feel satisfying and fulfilling.

The antagonists in Deadpool & Wolverine (Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Paradox and Emma Corrin’s Cassandra Nova) are both great, but I reserve more of my praise for the latter. Emma Corrin is excellently menacing as the powerful Cassandra Nova and one of the few flaws of the movie is that she doesn’t get fleshed out enough or as much screen time as she deserves. Another flaw of Deadpool & Wolverine is that the movie doesn’t move the MCU forward in terms of overall progression because this movie is ultimately more of a self-contained film (and is more of a farewell movie for the 20th Century Fox Marvel universe).

Understandably, some fans will likely be disappointed if they are expecting the movie to be as much of a game-changer as Avengers Endgame or even other recent MCU movies. Adding to that, Deadpool & Wolverine only has one post-credits scene and it’s a gag, so don’t expect any big revelations from that either.

A New Era For The MCU

Deadpool & Wolverine is exactly what the MCU needed, a fun and entertaining movie that reminded everyone why they’re Marvel fans in the first place and why we love these characters so much.

It may not be as big of a game-change or bring as much of an impact to the MCU as Avengers Endgame, but it’s the lightning strike that will re-ignite faith for future MCU movies and shows. The MCU is not dying anytime soon.

FINAL SCORE: 90/100

We attended a press screening of Deadpool & Wolverine courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Malaysia. Deadpool & Wolverine premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 25 July 2024.

Recently, we were given the opportunity to join a virtual press conference with the cast of the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, including Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool), Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine) and Shawn Levy (director). Check out what they had to say about Marvel Jesus and more by heading over here.

If you’re looking for other exciting Deadpool & Wolverine-related content, head on over here to check out our awesome article on the most iconic team-ups and moments between the two titular heroes across comics, movies and TV.