FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The long-awaited Deadpool & Wolverine, the year’s biggest superhero movie, has finally arrived. Released on July 26, 2023, the film has received mixed reviews from critics. However, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It may not be perfect, but it’s a fantastic introduction to Deadpool in the MCU, and I believe it’s the best Deadpool movie we’ve seen so far.

From the very beginning of the movie, I got the same vibes as the previous films. A lot of people were worried that with Disney being over Marvel, Deadpool wouldn’t be as good as its predecessors, but I can assure you it is. The film is extremely raunchy and hilarious. I was crying laughing from the first action sequence.

Several people weren’t fans of the intro scene, and it’s understandable why, though I’m not one of those. I recall seeing Marvel state they wouldn’t “dishonor” Logan, too. Yet, they do it immediately upon the first few minutes of Deadpool & Wolverine. One of my good friends brought it up to me, and again, it’s understandable why you’d be upset, but I’m afraid I have to disagree with the reasoning. Logan was a phenomenal movie and will always be among the greats in superhero movies. However, it’s still a fictional movie, and more importantly, it’s extremely in line with Deadpool as a character. People cry about not getting comic book characters right in these movies, but let that character do something that is for sure something they would do in the comics, and it’s a bad thing. The scene might be my favorite scene of the movie, and I promise my friends and I were cracking up the entire time.

The great part is that the movie starts incredibly funny and gets better from there. Deadpool and Wolverine, while not every joke sticks, this movie will have you laughing through the very end—even the end credits, in which there is only one end credits scene. But every character will find some way to make you laugh, even the supporting characters that may have one line. Deadpool’s interactions with every character is absolutely spot on to how he’d be in the comics, too. However, the movie makes it a point to show that despite his inability to die and being uglier than sin, Deadpool – Wade Wilson is still human. He has people in his life that he cares about, and he’ll do whatever it takes to ensure they’re safe.

This is ultimately what carries the plot. Deadpool is celebrating his birthday with his friends when the TVA shows up to take him in. He discovers that his world is dying due to Wolverine’s death in Logan and is offered a chance to join the Avengers on Earth 616. His friends would be doomed, which is something Deadpool won’t allow to happen, and he takes off to find his world’s Wolverine. After digging up Logan’s corpse and confirming that Wolverine is dead in his world, he heads off to find another Wolverine from a different universe. This leads to a reluctant buddy film full of notable cameos and the best multiverse movie out of the MCU so far.

I liked the plot. It wasn’t too simple, and it wasn’t too complicated. The cameos that were in the film worked for the context and did a great job of honoring the characters. The good friend I mentioned earlier who didn’t care for the intro also spoiled me on an actor who would be in Deadpool & Wolverine, but even with the knowledge of the actor in the film, it didn’t take away from watching it. It was one of my favorite cameos, and that actor was none other than Henry Cavill. It makes complete sense, too, since Henry admitted that he would love to play Wolverine. His wish finally came true, and I’m happy for him since DC screwed him over.

There were plenty of other cameos, but 6 surprised me. The first cameo I wasn’t expecting was Hulk. It’s not a massive spoiler, but the iconic Wolverine vs. Hulk was referenced, and I was here for it. The other four cameos were iconic in the world of Fox Marvel movies. See, Deadpool and Wolverine get thrown into the Void, the space where all things that the TVA has pruned go. While there, we meet some familiar faces in the form of Chris Evans’ Human Torch, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit. The film also brings back Dafne Keene’s X-23, but the trailer already spoiled that, so I wasn’t overly excited. These characters play an integral part in the movie, and Deadpool has some hilarious commentary around Gambit. I enjoyed seeing these characters come back and get to play their character and have a happy ending after feeling useless due to being trapped in the Void for years. While Deadpool & Wolverine may be an introductory piece for Deadpool, it’s also a beautiful farewell to the Fox Marvel universe.

Like all standard superhero movies, there’s more than one villain throughout the film. The first villain is a rogue TVA agent named Mr. Paradox, who aims to speed up the deaths of universes in an attempt to become head of the TVA. The second villain, the ultimate big bad, is Cassandra Nova, Charles Xavier’s twin sister. It’s a complicated history, but think of her as the antithesis of Charles. Having psychic powers herself, she’s an incredibly dangerous foe, and the film does an outstanding job of showcasing that. I didn’t know how they would beat her, but as usual, villains get a little too confident and try taking it up ten notches before ultimately biting the dust. And if the title didn’t give it away, she’s not taken out by Deadpool or Wolverine separately; they do it together. With the power of friendship, I might add, quite literally.

Ryan Reynolds did an awesome job, as always, playing Deadpool. Hugh Jackman may not have played Wolverine in almost a decade, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by watching this film. Pairing them together was the perfect way to go. They have such amazing chemistry, and it isn’t one or the other carrying the film, but both of them together. The movie keeps them together for 90% of the time, and it’s never a bad thing. With their healing factors, they go all out whenever they fight each other, though it does lead to questionable CGI sequences throughout the movie.

The one joke they kept up throughout the movie was Deadpool being the savior of the Marvel universe. And while it was a joke in the film, I believe it to be true about the MCU.  MCU movies fell off after Endgame. Phase 4 had some banger movies and shows, but Phase 5 lacked tremendously. Before Deadpool & Wolverine, the best thing to come out of Phase 5 was Loki Season 2. It was a breath of fresh air to receive Deadpool & Wolverine, and I hope it’s not almost a decade before we see them again.

I’m not a fan who complains about the most minor things, either. It didn’t bother me that Wolverine didn’t have any shoulder pads on his costume or that Channing Tatum looked more like a cosplayer than an actor in a professional-looking suit. I enjoyed the movie for what it was, and it’s my favorite Phase 5 project thus far. If I had any complaints, it would be about the atrocious CGI at different points of the movie, and I wasn’t a fan of the Marvel Jesus joke, but that’s a personal preference. I love that it still felt like Fox Deadpool, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the MCU holds in store for Deadpool. Fingers crossed that we get that crossover film between Deadpool, Wolverine, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.