The teaser trailer for Deadpool and Wolverine brought pegging into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The latest trailer, and our first full-length one, ups the LFG factor and finally brings Hugh Jackman's Wolverine out of the shadows. He pairs with Ryan Reynolds' titular Deadpool as the two characters make their respective MCU debuts in what will surely be the franchise's bloodiest and raunchiest chapter to date.
It seems Mr. Pool hasn't lost any of his edge and the trailer has left us with much to chew over. We've broken down the trailer and here are the important things we noticed.
1. Wolverine's costume is a fan-pleasing retro change
Jackman's Wolverine has gone through many costume changes over the years. Here, Wolverine's suit somewhat resembles the 2004 Astonishing X-Men look and there's maybe a dash of 1975's Giant-Sized X-Men in there as well. It's a far cry from Jackman's previous on-screen appearances where he's largely donned black leather (the 2000-2006 X-Men period) or gone without a costume altogether, instead favouring a John McClane-style vest (2017's Logan).
2. The jabs at corporate culture are still very much on point
The previous two Deadpool movies, released in 2016 and 2018, were distributed by 20th Century Fox free from the auspices of the Disney-distributed MCU films. This allowed for plenty of sharp barbs aimed at Fox's ownership of the X-Men brand: for instance, in the first Deadpool film, the title character overtly comments on the studio being able to afford just two X-Men side characters, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus, in one scene.
Since then, Disney has purchased Fox and all of its assets, which allows the Deadpool branding to fall under the Disney-oriented MCU banner for the first time. Hardcore Deadpool fans were worried that this may have resulted in the character going soft and family-friendly. One glimpse at the wreckage of the one-time 20th Century Fox logo, however, and it seems that Deadpool's innate sense of satire is as strong as ever.
3. The story may (we repeat, may) be drawing on Old Man Logan
There are several questions hovering around Wolverine's appearance in this film. It's strongly implied that he's haunted by the destruction of his former X-Men colleagues and in fact, he may be directly responsible. In the Old Man Logan comic book arc, which also inspired the acclaimed and gritty Logan (thought to be Jackman's final appearance as the character), Wolverine was tricked into killing all of the X-Men by an illusion created by Mysterio.
Can we attribute this to Logan's haunted nature and the brief glimpses of a post-apocalyptic wasteland? And, as per the trailer, will we have to wait for a third-act flashback to get the revelation?
4. Emma Corrin's villain shares an important connection with the X-Men
The Crown star Emma Corrin is playing Cassandra Nova, best known as the twin sister of one-time X-Men leader Charles Xavier. She has all of Xavier's abilities, can heal faster than a human, has telekinesis, can phase through solid matter, creates mutations in people with latent mutant abilities, and can manipulate people's DNA. In the trailer we can see Cassandra manipulating Logan's movements as if he were a puppet on a string, so she's not to be messed with.
Still, it's nothing that Deadpool can't handle. If nothing else, he has the potential to sling endless barbs and insults in Cassandra's direction.
5. The baddie's lair resides within Ant-Man/Giant-Man's skull
Cassandra Nova seems to have fashioned her secret base within the remains of Ant-Man/Giant-Man, played in the MCU by Paul Rudd. Once again, this may be an implicit/explicit reference to the Old Man Logan arc where Scott Lang's skeleton and suit are discovered in the desert.
How this will be contexualised in the new Deadpool movie remains to be seen. We know the Time Variance Authority is involved, embodied by Matthew McFadyen's shifty bureaucrat, so we're likely to be taken to a timey-wimey new dimension where one or more of the Avengers have been wiped out.
6. Lady Deathstrike and several other characters make cameos
Wolverine battled Lady Deathstrike (Kelly Hu) back in 2003's X2, considered by many to be the finest film in the X-Men canon. By freeze-framing the trailer we can spot Lady Deathstrike and she's seemingly accompanied by a host of characters from other X-Men movies including Calisto and Toad. Again, this points to some kind of multiversal madness that has allowed these characters, several of whom died in battle (including Lady Deathstrike), to share the screen again.
7. Sling rings appear to be involved
The magical sling rings have largely been attributed to the presence of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), although they were also mastered by Ned (Jacob Batalon) in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). In Deadpool and Wolverine, our title characters seemingly use a sling ring to catapult themselves from one reality to another. How does the sling ring manifest, and does this point to the involvement of more classic MCU characters who are at this point unseen?
Deadpool and Wolverine is released on July 26th. If you can't wait that long, scroll below the trailer and click the link to discover 2024's must-see comic book movie releases.
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