Summary
- Deadpool & Wolverine’s 2024 release has led many to revisit the Deadpool franchise, which began as early as 2009 in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
- The poor reaction to X-Men Origins saw Deadpool rebooted in 2016, with Ryan Reynolds fixing many issues with the character’s earlier portrayals.
- Several sequels, spin-offs, and online videos have starred Deadpool since the 2016 film, including Deadpool 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, No Good Deed, and Deadpool and Korg React.
With the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, many will wish to start a rewatch of the Deadpool franchise; here is how to watch every film centered around Wade Wilson in order of release. The third Deadpool movie released in July 2024, finally bringing the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU. Joining Fox and MCU worlds together while providing a dramatic third chapter to the iconic Marvel antihero’s journey, Deadpool & Wolverine‘s immense critical and box office success reflects a clear audience investment in the character and franchise.
As one of the more anticipated films that had been on the list of upcoming Marvel movies, Deadpool & Wolverine has caused many to re-familiarize themselves with the Deadpool franchise. While the three movies that make up the core trilogy are counted among the main appearances of Wade Wilson in live-action, several other projects have included the character. With that in mind, it’s useful for audiences to know how to watch the Deadpool franchise in order to fully understand the context of Deadpool & Wolverine, especially as the movie makes so many references to releases connected to it.
All Deadpool Movies In Order
|
Deadpool Movie |
Release Year |
|---|---|
|
X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
2009 |
|
Deadpool |
2016 |
|
No Good Deed |
2017 |
|
Deadpool 2 |
2018 |
|
Once Upon a Deadpool |
2018 |
|
Deadpool and Korg React |
2021 |
|
Deadpool & Wolverine |
2024 |
7 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The much-maligned live-action debut of Deadpool alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
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Deadpool’s first live-action appearance came in 2009 as part of X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘s ensemble cast. Played by Ryan Reynolds, the character was undoubtedly one of the worst aspects of the already-poor film due to the changes made from the comics. Not only did X-Men Origins: Wolverine sew the mouth of the so-called Merc with a Mouth shut – thus removing a major element of the comic book character – but it also provided Deadpool with needless powers of other mutants.
This appearance has since become a laughingstock for Reynolds as well, with the self-referential humor of
Deadpool 2
reflecting this.
From the laser-beam eyes of Cyclops to the teleportation powers of John Wraith and the retractable swords of Wolverine, Deadpool’s character was drastically altered. These elements, combined with the lack of Deadpool’s iconic suit, saw his appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine endlessly criticized. This appearance has since become a laughingstock for Reynolds as well, with the self-referential humor of Deadpool 2 reflecting this. Regardless of the poor characterization, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was still the first live-action project to feature Deadpool.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Where to Watch
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After Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy, Hugh Jackman returns as the titular clawed mutant in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The 2009 superhero movie explores Logan’s origins with a look back at Weapon X, the experiment that covered his skeleton with adamantium. It marks Ryan Reynolds’ first appearance as Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool, and it precedes James Mangold’s The Wolverine and Logan, which retroactively make Origins the first installment in a solo trilogy for Jackman’s iconic Marvel hero.
Director Gavin Hood Cast Hugh Jackman , Ryan Reynolds , Liev Schreiber , Taylor Kitsch Franchise(s) X-Men Writers Gavin Hood
6 Deadpool (2016)
Ryan Reynolds vowed to fix the issues with X-Men Origins in a rebooted movie.
After the overwhelmingly poor reception of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the character of Deadpool faced cinematic limbo for seven years until the release of 2016’s Deadpool. This film was once again set in the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise, only with a fresh take on the character. Reverting all of the mistakes of X-Men Origins, Deadpool depicted the character in all his meta, self-referential, foul-mouthed glory. The film was immensely popular and more than made up for the misgivings of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, kickstarting the trilogy that will concluded with Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool Where to Watch
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The Merch With The Mouth gets his very own film in Deadpool, an action-adventure comedy movie starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. When mercenary Wade Wilson discovers he has an aggressive type of cancer that threatens to cut his life short, he decides to take a shady offer from a businessman who promises to cure him. Tortured and left for dead, the treatment makes Wade immortal – and a little bit twisted – as he seeks out his tormentors for revenge.
Director Tim Miller Writers Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick , Geoff Johns , Rob Liefeld , Len Wein , Dave Cockrum Cast Ryan Reynolds , Morena Baccarin , T.J. Miller , Brianna Hildebrand , Karan Soni , Ed Skrein , Michael Benyaer , Stefan Kapicic
5 No Good Deed (2017)
A hilarious short film that exhibits the best of Deadpool’s character.
Part Deadpool sequel and part Deadpool 2 teaser, the No Good Deed short film is a hilariously meta exhibition of Deadpool’s strengths as a character. Showing Deadpool striving to save an old man being mugged, No Good Deed introduces one of Wade Wilson’s greatest live-action villains: a phone booth. The film humorously shows Wade trying and failing to put on his Deadpool costume to save the old man, taking over a minute to do so in the confined spaces of a phone booth.
As John Williams’ Superman theme dramatically accompanies the costume change, Deadpool eventually succeeds in his long battle and rushes to the old man’s aid. In true Deadpool fashion, he fails to save the old man’s life and instead lies beside his dead body, criticizing phone booths and Wolverine while eating the man’s ice cream. This short film perfectly symbolizes everything that works about Deadpool, from the meta-humor to the darkly hilarious storyline, and foreshadowed the antihero’s crossover with Wolverine years before it would come to fruition.
Despite its short film nature,
No Good Deed
features a cameo from the late Stan Lee.
4 Deadpool 2 (2018)
The sequel to 2016’s highly-successful first movie.
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The same bloody-yet-stylish action, irreverent humor, meta references, and emotional core was found in
Deadpool 2
, with other Marvel Comics characters like Domino and Cable adding to the fun.
With Deadpool successfully rebooting the character, a sequel was never far behind. Only two years later, Deadpool 2 was released and essentially repeated what made the first so great. The same bloody-yet-stylish action, irreverent humor, meta references, and emotional core was found in Deadpool 2, with other Marvel Comics characters like Domino and Cable adding to the fun.
The film was completed by some of the best post-credit scenes of all time, which de-canonized X-Men Origins: Wolverine, saved the characters’ lives set to appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, and poked fun at Ryan Reynolds’ other superhero effort, Green Lantern. The movie’s ending and post-credit sequence also effectively set up for Deadpool & Wolverine by having Wade tamper with the existing timeline, priming him for his multiversal adventures alongside Hugh Jackman’s Marvel hero in the MCU movie six real-time years before this would come to be.
Deadpool 2 Where to Watch
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The Merc With the Mouth returns in Deadpool 2, “the sequel to the first one.” Wade Wilson finds himself alone and without purpose until he reluctantly agrees to join the X-Men. Things take a turn for the strange when Wade finds himself in prison after trying to help a young mutant named Russell, and a time-traveling mutant cyborg arrives to slay Russell to save the future. Determined to save Russell and do the right thing, Wade creates a new team of heroes to fight back and save the world the only way Deadpool knows how – as ridiculously as possible.
Director David Leitch Cast Josh Brolin , Jack Kesy , Ryan Reynolds , Zazie Beetz , T.J. Miller , Shiori Kutsuna , Morena Baccarin , Karan Soni , Julian Dennison Writers Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza , Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick
3 Once Upon a Deadpool (2018)
A recut of Deadpool 2 to fit a PG-13 rating.
In December 2018, a recut of Deadpool 2 titled Once Upon a Deadpool was released in theaters. The film served as a way to make Deadpool 2 appeal to a wider audience by becoming more family-friendly, with scenes being cut, added, and reworked to fit a PG-13 rating rather than the original film’s R-rating.
Once Upon a Deadpool parodied The Princess Bride by having Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool read the watered-down version of the story to Fred Savage, as is the case in the former movie. Given Deadpool’s more adult antics tend to limit the audiences who can go to movies about the character, this was an effective way to create an installment with a lower rating while ensuring this approach is dealt with via the type of comedy traditionally associated with the antihero.
While it’s the only release of its kind in Deadpool’s series, this could also prove a viable way to allow younger audiences to see Deadpool & Wolverine further down the line with a similarly edited version of the release. However, given the original Deadpool didn’t get this treatment, it’s not clear whether that could be on the cards for the franchise, though it would seem a viable way to further expand Deadpool & Wolverine‘s financial success.
2 Deadpool and Korg React (2021)
Deadpool’s first small step into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taken.
After Disney acquired the rights to 20th Century Fox in 2019, 2021 saw Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi team up for Deadpool and Korg React, the first step for the antihero’s journey into the MCU. As a promotional video for Free Guy, starring both actors and directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy, the short film saw the titular characters reacting to Free Guy’s trailer. Deadpool remarks on his resemblance to Ryan Reynolds while asking Korg what he thinks of Taika Waititi, retaining the self-referential humor of the franchise.
Toward the end of Deadpool and Korg, the former asks the latter about his chances of joining the MCU. Korg then tells Deadpool to await an email from Marvel Studios, setting up the future involvement of X-Men characters in the MCU. While it seems this wasn’t the active intention at the time, this is now ultimately a direct tease for Deadpool & Wolverine – the character’s giant leap into the franchise – making it all the more poignant to look back at years later now that the MCU movie has released to such positive reception and considerable fanfare.
1 Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
The third mainline Deadpool movie and the character’s true introduction to the MCU.
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The TVA then arrives to try and recruit Deadpool, involving him in the MCU multiverse and pitting him against new villains.
The final movie in the Deadpool trilogy is Deadpool & Wolverine. Having released in July 2024, the film marks Deadpool’s official transition into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadpool & Wolverine picks up from Deadpool 2 directly, focusing on Deadpool’s failed attempt to join the MCU’s Avengers and subsequent six years of relative misery as Wade hangs up his costume and instead works at a car dealership ineffectively selling vehicles. However, the TVA then arrives to try and recruit Deadpool, involving him in the MCU multiverse and pitting him against new villains.
As the name itself suggests, Deadpool & Wolverine focuses on both the Merc With A Mouth and Logan himself, with Hugh Jackman returning for the role, albeit as a different variant to the still-confirmed-dead iteration who gave his life in Logan. Having been brought together to try and save Wade Wilson’s home universe – and potentially bring back Wolverine’s own – the unlikely duo enjoy a violent and joke-filled romp through the Void in order to try and make it to Earth-10005 before time runs out for the Fox universe.
As this premise should suggest, Deadpool & Wolverine has countless cameos and references galore, while managing to focus on a core emotional story that ensures the film still has weight even in its most comedic moments. Ryan Reynolds himself has stated that there are no currently confirmed plans to create a Deadpool 4 movie, but the Deadpool & Wolverine ending certainly leaves the potential for another Deadpool film open, and may well see the antihero and some other familiar faces crop up in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Deadpool & Wolverine
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Director Shawn Levy 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 Writers Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick , Shawn Levy , Ryan Reynolds , Zeb Wells , Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza Expand
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