Deadpool & Wolverine is relying on the conniving little trick of nostalgia to lure us in. The Deadpool franchise’s third film pairs Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) with Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, bringing their partnership from the comics to life. Hugh Jackman reprises the role that he’s been playing since 2000. The actor took on Wolverine’s gruffness and adamantium claws in X-Men and has since played him in eight more movies. Everyone thought he was done after 2017's Logan, but we can thank Reynolds for convincing his pal to suit up again.
Jackman isn’t the only longtime X-Men star to find his way into the Deadpool & Wolverine movie. A new clip reveals the return of Tyler Mane as Sabretooth over two decades after he played a villain in the original. Reminder: Wolverine and Sabretooth are mortal enemies. In the 2000 film, they share some cool fight scenes like when he attacks Wolverine and Rogue (Anna Paquin).
This new movie gives Jackman and Mane’s superhero avatars another chance to face off. The only difference is Deadpool gets to chime in with his wisecracks and suggestions. Normally, Wade’s yapping can get on people’s nerves, but he’s not wrong when he hypes up Wolverine, saying, “People have waited decades for this fight.” Deadpool & Wolverine better deliver.
The upcoming film promises several other cameos. Many of them have been spoiled but we’ll save them for the big screen instead of dropping names here. It’s pivotal, however, because it further folds this franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the previous Deadpool movies also have mutants like Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus.
Bit by bit, the multiverse is colliding. Patrick Stewart brought Charles Xavier back in Doctor Strange: The Multiverse Of Madness. In 2023's The Marvels, Kelsey Grammar appears in the mid-credits scene as Hank McCoy/Beast. But this is the first one to do a proper crossover and is considered a part of the MCU’s Phase Five. If they’re already revealing Mane’s return, who knows what other surprises they have in store for us suckers.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine picks up six years after 2018's Deadpool 2. Wade’s peaceful existence is disrupted when the bureaucratic Time Variance Authority (as seen in Loki) pulls him in for a new mission alongside Wolverine. The cast includes Matthew Macfadyen, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Briana Hildebrand.
Deadpool & Wolverine releases on July 26.