If I Received A Love Letter Like Deadpool & Wolverine, I"d Ask For A Divorce

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Summary

• Deadpool & Wolverine, while touted as a love letter to Fox era Marvel movies, falls short on delivering a deep message about the franchise.
• The cameos in the film are entertaining but lack substance, prioritizing quick jokes over truly engaging with the content from the Fox films.
• Despite its meta plot and multiverse concept, Deadpool & Wolverine misses the mark on exploring its concepts in a meaningful way, leaving the real message empty.

If you look at reactions and reviews of Deadpool & Wolverine, it won’t take long to come across the claim that it is a “love letter” to the Fox era of Marvel movies. It’s pervasive, a catchphrase uniting the critical and audience response to the latest MCU entry (even our critic, Molly Freeman, used the phrase in her glowing ScreenRant review).
There is a love letter to those movies present in Deadpool & Wolverine. During the end credits, a neatly edited montage of the movies from across the years plays, with select behind-the-scenes soundbites showing Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds’ early appreciation for the characters they are now intrinsically linked to. It’s enough to make anybody between the age of 20 and 40 nostalgically dewy-eyed.
Related Every Upcoming Marvel Movie: Full MCU Phase 5 & 6 List (& Beyond) Between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, here is every upcoming Marvel movie release date and what we know about the projects so far.
1 But the preceding two hours are a far cry from this expert YouTube effort. If Deadpool & Wolverine is a love letter to anything, it’s grounds for a serious talk about the relationship. Deadpool & Wolverine is a love letter on a par with Homer Simpson’s drunken love postcard from a brewery to Marge, and at least there the affection of the sendee was at least obvious.
I’m not going to dwell on Deadpool & Wolverine’s qualities as a movie, there’s plenty of other articles on ScreenRant that can explore that. It's neither as boring as The Marvels nor fundamentally muddled as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. What I want to really dive into is this “love letter” claim and how skin-deep it runs - and how that topples the whole message.
What Is Deadpool & Wolverine Saying That It Loves? The Wildly Inconsistent Fox Marvel Movies Close Let’s get the history lesson done first, free from nostalgia. Fox started making Marvel movies in 2000 with X-Men and, thanks to a character rights free-for-all, ended up making features including Daredevil, Elektra, three Fantastic Fours and 13 on the merry mutants, including a Wolverine trilogy and two Deadpools.
Reputation of the films varied wildly. There are true pinnacles of the genre in there: X2 is an ensemble blueprint; First Class is a stylish reboot; Days of Future Past a blistering team-up finale; and Logan an emotive coda to Hugh Jackman’s unprecedented run as the character. But they were lights in the darkness of once genre-nadirs like Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Movie
Release Year
RottenTomatoes
X-Men
2000
82%
X2
2003
85%
Daredevil
2003
43%
Fantastic Four
2005
28%
Elektra
2005
11%
X-Men: The Last Stand
2006
57%
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
2007
38%
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009
38%
X-Men: First Class
2011
86%
The Wolverine
2013
71%
X-Men: Days of Future Past
2014
90%
Fantastic Four
2015
9%
Deadpool
2016
85%
X-Men: Apocalypse
2016
47%
Logan
2017
93%
Deadpool 2
2018
84%
Dark Phoenix
2019
22%
New Mutants
2020
36%
The narrative of Fox was one of inconsistency, of mess. Continuity was treasured yet never lined up, becoming more complex with each movie’s list of retcons. Behind-the-scenes fissures became mainstream: X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s workprint leaked months before release; Fant4stic was so retooled (and butchered) in the edit that director Josh Trank made a tweet disowning the movie on release that purportedly cost Fox $10 million; Deadpool was only made after a test footage reel leaked; and I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the serious accusations of predatory behavior and sexual abuse levied against Bryan Singer, the director of four of the mainline X-Men movies.
The Marvel Heroes DVD boxset of the first X-Men trilogy, Daredevil, Fantastic Four and Elektra looks like the definition of “we have the MCU at home."
In contrast to the tight production line of Marvel Studios, Fox was an also-ran, saved from being bottom of the pile mainly thanks to Sony’s fumbling of the Spider-Man franchise in the early 2010s. The Marvel Heroes DVD boxset of the first X-Men trilogy, Daredevil, Fantastic Four and Elektra looks like the definition of “we have the MCU at home."
What gave ultimate legitimacy was the consistent presence (and quality of performance, if not movies) of Jackman’s Wolverine. Later, Reynolds’ Deadpool became a subversive palate cleanser to the increasingly grandiose goals of Fox’s mainline movies, as well as the MCU and DC Extended Universe.
The pair teaming up, doing it properly after the disrespect of Wade Wilson fighting alongside James Howlett in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was a natural end-point. It was teased in the first two Deadpools and the only barrier seemed to be Logan’s death (i.e. there needed to be a good enough reason for Jackman to return). And there’s a world where Deadpool 3 was that Tango & Cash bromance, the Jackman/Reynolds Instagram feud in IMAX. But, while that’s there in Deadpool & Wolverine, Kevin Feige and Shawn Levy had to go further. It had to be a eulogy to the whole Fox enterprise. And here’s where the movie’s reach exceeds its grasp.
Deadpool & Wolverine Doesn't Have Anything To Say About The Fox Marvel Movies It's Neither A Parody Nor An Epilogue Close The Deadpool movies are interesting because they always paid attention to superhero movies more with lip service than genuine affection. The first Deadpool spends much of its opening act explaining how this is far from the standard superhero movie and intends to lampshade much of the genre’s tropes, yet then quickly falls into a very standard origin story formula, with the observations relegated to noting that a superhero landing is a thing. In retrospect, that has made Ryan Reynolds’ first solo outing hold up better in the following eight years, the tried and true plot locking it in place where crass jokes and gore could grow stale.
Deadpool 2, through that lens, was considerably more ambitious and successful. The X-Force joke - a super-team introduced and immediately, gruesomely killed off - remains a high watermark for superhero pastiche, and the emotional story allowed for wider action movie parodies. That it led to two alternative versions (an extended director’s cut and a PG-13 edit with a framing device cribbed from The Princess Bride) highlights the film as a canvas for tonal exploration.
Crucially, neither movie is a true parody of the thing it’s mocking. That’s just not what Reynolds appears to be interested in - he’s there less to be fully understanding the target of mockery and more to have a good time. Certainly, $1.5 billion in box office receipts (an amount that could double in the coming weeks) suggests he succeeded.
So, when Deadpool & Wolverine ends up not being a robust send-up of either the Fox movies or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it should hardly be surprising. Stylistically, this is indistinguishable from other MCU films aside from the opening credits that crib from the first Deadpool, expected knowing the production line style of filmmaking. Jokes about the franchise being on life-support since Endgame land because, well, they’re correctly observed and brazenly delivered, but it’s no different to mocking director Tim Miller as “An Overpaid Tool” in Deadpool’s opening credits. But there's not much to distinguish this Marvel Studios entry from what came before, any more than would be natural with the passing of directorial reins from David Leitch to Shawn Levy.
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Similarly, to expect a love letter is a bit of an overestimation. The story does concern the Fox universe. The death of Wolverine in Logan has unanchored the universe, and it’s due to be wiped out in around 2000 years, which rogue TVA agent Paradox plans to accelerate to 72 hours. Deadpool’s entire motivation is thus to save the X-Men universe, more specifically his supporting characters from the previous two movies. This then takes him through a multiverse featuring different Wolverines inspired by the comics that the Fox movies didn’t dare touch, and then to a wasteland of lost toys.
Despite this framing, the movie has nothing to say about the Fox movies beyond the fact they exist, and that some people really enjoyed them. There’s a 20th Century Fox logo in The Void, but it’s just an Easter egg. It’s strongly implied that all movies are in the same X-universe, something never explicitly confirmed in the original films themselves (which were loose in continuity as it was), and there’s not any significance paid to that.
The Wolverine of the film, a drunk who led to the death of the X-Men, is presented as the worst of all Logans. But rejecting the X-Men is Wolverine’s modus operandi. He turns his back on them in X-Men and is only reluctantly brought into the fold later. He tells Charles & Erik to “f*ck off” in X-Men: First Class. And, of course, in Logan, he’s in hiding after the death of the X-Men as a result of something he could have stopped. This isn’t the worst Wolverine. It’s the Wolveriniest Wolverine. It's just that the standardized plot requires a redemption arc, so here we are - another standard story, just with the trappings of something more tacked on.
By Deadpool & Wolverine's ending, the Fox universe is saved by the power of friendship and Logan and a time-displaced X-23 join Wade Wilson’s found family. Everybody lives happily ever after.
But it’s not a bright new day for the Fox franchise. There’s no inference that more movies in this universe will come. Indeed, that seems almost impossible (there'll surely be a Deadpool 4 and Hugh Jackman is likely to return, but the universe at large feels done). This love letter tells a story of how the universe it’s besotted with lost all purpose after Logan (not, to be clear, the fact there was a $71 billion merger between Disney and Fox) and how it can now live on in statis, never growing but never truly dead. Taking it on a pure narrative standpoint, Deadpool & Wolverine’s big profession of love is to say that it’s OK to watch the neglected Marvel Heroes boxset, as if the discs didn’t work before.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Ultra-Processed Cameos A Prioritization Of Quick Jokes Over Intimate Understanding Close So the story certainly doesn’t offer much. But, let’s be honest. When the phrase “love letter” comes up, what people mean is the cameos. As long-rumored, this is a true multiverse movie with actors reprising roles from several decades ago.
Credit where it’s due, there are some good gags here. Chris Evans is a delight as Johnny Storm - a gasp-inducing actor reveal, a cheeky bait-and-switch, two painful deaths, and a cracking post-credits scene. And there’s something commendable about Channing Tatum’s gameness to make the case he would have been a mediocre Gambit in an oddly fitting suit and broad Cajun accent.
Related Every Cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine Explained Deadpool & Wolverine is packed to the brim with cameos from across the entire run of Marvel films, combining the numerous timelines together.
3 But the best they are capable of being is jokes. As a totality, they are asides designed to last just long enough for the shock of the actor turning up to have not worn off. The cameos range from quick appearances there to shock (Henry Cavill’s Wolverine) to one-note multi-scene appearances. There’s nothing of substance there, with most of the notes hearkening to off-screen drama (Bennifer) or interview quotes (Wesley Snipes on Blade).
Blade wasn’t even a Fox franchise.
You could swap any actor here for Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, Ioan Gruffudd’s Reed Richards, James Marsden’s Cyclops, Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, Michael B. Jordan’s Johnny Storm or any other actors from across the 18 Fox films. In fact, that seems to be a feature, not a bug: the cameos are so interchangeable exactly because they’re reliant on actors’ willingness and availability.
Channing Tatum’s busy on Magic Mike: Big Dick Richie’s Back? No worries, just grab Taylor Kitsch to reprise Origins' Gambit. If he’s busy on True Detective season 5, then why not Dougray Scott as a different Wolverine (we’ll just say Cassandra Nova didn’t know about this one)? And if he’s in the next Mission: Impossible, James Franco could live out his dream of playing Multiple Man. Rinse and repeat until you’ve filled the slots in the script.
Maybe that’s why Wesley Snipes finds himself dragged in to star opposite Ryan Reynolds despite their infamous feud on Blade: Trinity. Blade wasn’t even a Fox franchise, but it’s all part of that pre-MCU milieu, so it can be squeezed in when a more relevant name doesn’t fit.
That plug-and-play process isn’t inherently bad if the shock factor is heavily valued, but it leaves the characters locked with just a few close-up soundbites. As a result, the movie repeatedly and notably skirts around truly engaging with the content of the Fox movies, their lore and their legacy.
Why isn’t Alioth compared to the cloud Galactus from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer? Why doesn’t Deadpool crack wise about the “there’s only gonna be one Blade” line like he did Hugh Jackman’s divorce? Why is Jon Favreau in the movie as Happy Hogan with no reference to his role as Foggy Nelson in Daredevil? Why is Wolverine wearing the costume played as a big deal when he begrudgingly wore the X-Men’s black leather in his first team-up with them in 2000? Why is there not a single reference to the fact that Deadpool and Wolverine were already seen on screen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine? None of these are essential, but they would show a deep, intimate love for the movies, not just a winking awareness of the online discourse around them.
Deadpool & Wolverine’s Real Message Is Empty Close Deadpool & Wolverine didn’t need to be a love letter. It didn’t need the cameos. It didn’t need to have its plot so brazenly meta. But if it is going to do that, it needs to bring more to the table to actually explore those concepts. This is a running trend with superhero multiverse movies. Even Spider-Man: No Way Home felt like it was a little limited in its use of Peter 2 and Peter 3 (yes, Andrew Garfield got to save MJ, but all he got to do was save MJ), but it’s positively nuanced and respectful compared to what’s here.
There is a moment when introducing an army of Deadpool variants where the film nears something salient about how the multiverse plots invariably lead to the same empty action figure smashing and gawping, acknowledging the limitations of films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and DC’s The Flash. Yet the movie never heeds its advice, continuing to revel in superficial details like Wolverine’s cowl and multiverse callbacks.
At SDCC 2024, where Deadpool & Wolverine screened in Hall H, after the film, the cast of the movie came out. And it wasn’t the actors behind Colossus, Vanessa, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio and Peter - Deadpool’s friends who he spent the movie fighting to save. It was Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Garner, Dafne Keen and Channing Tatum. The love letter was the cameos. The substance is the references, and the references are ultra-processed.
Deadpool & Wolverine R Action Sci-FiComedySuperhero
Director Shawn Levy Release Date July 26, 2024 Studio(s) Marvel , Maximum Effort Writers Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick , Shawn Levy , Ryan Reynolds , Zeb Wells , Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza Cast Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney Runtime 127 Minutes Expand Upcoming MCU Movies
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