It’s the superhero team-up fans have been waiting for since 2008.Deadpool & Wolverinehas quickly become one of the biggest movies of 2024, uniting the Merc with a Mouth and the most popular X-Man in history against a multiversal threat. Packed full of surprise cameos, references, and callbacks to not just the MCU but 20th Century Fox’s superhero movies in general, the film has been widely regarded as both a hilarious comedy and a surprisingly sincere tribute to an era of cinema often disregarded as a footnote.
Despite its daring and wildly imaginative premise,Deadpool & Wolverineis very clearly indebted to numerous other movies that came behind. Fans who loved Marvel’s most recent adventure will surely want to check these movies out. From superhero movies to action comedies,these movies share a similar DNA withDeadpool & Wolverine. They might fit similar characters or themes, making them perfect companions to the Merc with a Mouth and Logan.
10‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)
Directed by Sam Raimi
While neither Deadpool nor Wolverine feature in this superhero horror film, it still features glorious Multiversal cameos that reference both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is suddenly greeted by America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), a teenager with the ability to jump through multiple universes. Chavez is on the run from something trying to take her powers at the cost of her life. Strange seeks out fellow sorcerer Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) for help, only to find she may have more sinister plans in mind.
Apart from a storyline dealing with the multiverse,Deadpool & WolverineandMultiverse of Madnessfeature a team of alternate versions of popular characters, the latter including Reed Richards (John Krasinski) andPatrick Stewartback as Professor X. While brief, the cameos themselves are fun, impacting the plot even after their sudden ends. Otherwise,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis a good film that allowsSam Raimito flex his horror muscles and show the potential of the Marvel Multiverse.
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Watch on Disney+
9‘Fantastic Four’ (2005)
Directed by Tim Story
One ofDeadpool & Wolverine’s greatest surprises isChris Evansmaking a return appearance as a pre-MCU Johnny Storm, one of the members of 2005’sFantastic Four. On an experimental mission to outer space, four scientists are hit by cosmic space rays and given extraordinary abilities. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) can stretch, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) can become invisible, Sue’s brother Johnny can set himself on fire and fly, and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm’s (Michael Chiklis) body turns to solid orange rock.
Fantastic Fouris not the best movie, butDeadpool & Wolverinemakes the case thatfilms such as these took risks that didn’t always pay off but were worth the try. Indeed, this film actually has many elements working in its favor, with Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis providing exemplary performances as The Human Torch and The Thing, respectively. Whilethe MCU has a new version of the Fantastic Fouron the way,Deadpool & Wolverinereminds everyone that the early 2000s version might be worth a revisit.
Fantastic Four
8‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ (2008)
Directed by Gavin Hood
While it will seem controversial to argue this infamous disaster is worth a watch, it’s important to recognize how importantX-Men Origins: Wolverineis to the greater comic book movie landscape. It focuses on Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) life before Rogue found him in that bar, his relationship with brother/enemy Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), and how his skeleton received the old chrome dip. One of the supporting characters is Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who seems like the Merc with a Mouth in the making…right up until they sow his mouth shut and give him a bunch of random mutant powers.
X-Men Origins: Wolverinemakes some baffling changes from the comics that could only have come from a studio having too much riding on their most precious character. But the fact is, if fans didn’t get the lowest of the lows, they wouldn’t have gotten to the highest of highs. Go ahead and make fun of it, but despite its quality,X-Men Origins: Wolverineis stillthe first time Deadpool and Wolverine were together on the big screen, so it deserved a place in both their stories.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
7‘X-Men’ (2000)
Directed by Bryan Singer
IfBladeset the groundwork for the modern superhero genre,X-Menset it into overdrive. In a world populated by normal humans, a new breed has emerged: mutants born with extraordinary powers that manifest in their early teenage years and have become largely shunned by society. Seeking to protect a world that hates and fears his kind, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) has opened a school for Mutants to learn to focus their powers, receiving two recruits: teenage runaway Rogue (Anna Paquin) and mysterious roughhouse Logan.
While not entirely beholden to the comics it was based on —X-Meninfamously opts for the black leather outfits—X-Menis still a genuinely great superhero film that largely still holds up. The themes of Mutant persecution are present throughout, and the mythology of the team is still taken seriously.Itset the groundwork for modern superhero cinemaand the course ofHugh Jackman,Kevin Feige, and, inadvertently,Ryan Reynolds’ careers.
6‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
WhereasX-Men Origins: Wolverinefailed to catch on with critics and fans,X-Men: First Classwas regarded as a much-improved prequel. Telling the story of the formation of the X-Men, it focuses primarily on the friendship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), a wealthy telepath with a strong belief in mutant rights, and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), a Holocaust survivor with magnetic control and a belief in mutant superiority.
While both are different, they share the common goal of fighting against Mutant oppression, and the film shows the camaraderie of their friendship and the tragedy when they inevitably become Professor X and Magneto. Although it infamously contradictedthe already convoluted X-Men’s timeline,First Classwasa genuinely promising first step in what could have been an uptick in X-Men films. While the sequels never managed to reach these heights again, it still makes for a fun film with a very funny Wolverine cameo.
X-Men: First Class
5‘The Other Guys’ (2010)
Directed by Adam McKay
Adam McKay’s films have ranged from genre-defining comedies to staunchly bleak satires, andThe Other Guyssits somewhere in between. In NYC, the two most famous detectives are Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (Dwayne Johnson), who do their jobs with a cavalier, cowboy attitude that doesn’t go by the books. But when that same attitude leads to their deaths, the department must bring mismatched desk workers Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) into the limelight to take down a corporation’s plan for embezzlement.
LikeDeadpool & Wolverine,The Other Guysfocuses on a mismatched pairof flawed, scrappy underdogs forced to save the world when the supposed heroes can’t. The heroes of both movies deal with the corruption of a system designed to police others, showing how the greatest crimes of all are done by the ones who are supposed to keep the system preserved.The Other Guysis a hilarious film that also has something important to sayabout policing and corporate mismanagement, delivering stupid jokes with wry intelligence.
The Other Guys
4’21 Jump Street’ (2012)
Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Deadpool & Wolverinegleefully skewers the modern franchise/reboot landscape, andChanning Tatum’s surprise appearanceas Gambit may call to mind this action comedy directed by futureSpider-VerseproducersPhil Lord and Chris Miller. Based on the ’80s cop drama series of the same name,21 Jump Streetfollows police school graduates Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum). Desperate to prove themselves despite their reputation as bumbling buffoons, they are assigned to work undercover as high school students to prevent a new drug from being sold on the market.
21 Jump Streetleans heavily on the fourth wall without ever quite breaking it. It openly acknowledges that the only reason it exists is that some executive forces want to cash in on a recognizable name from the ’80s and don’t have any other ideas. Tatum and Hill make for a hilarious duo as they’re forced to tackle each other’s high school roles as the scrawny loser and the cool kid. Refreshingly self-aware,21 Jump Streetis one of the smartest franchise reboots in a market that’s become dominated by them.
21 Jump Street
3‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
A nostalgia piece that’s not afraid to rib on its environment,The Nice Guystakes place in 1977 Los Angeles and follows bumbling private investigator Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and tough enforcer-for-hire Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe). Despite their clashing personalities, they are forced to team up when they find they’re on a common mission: to find a missing girl connected with the death of a famous adult film star. As the investigation begins, they soon find this incident goes much deeper than they could imagine.
Directed by cult noir directorShane Black,The Nice Guysis anunusual hybrid of a dark detective drama and a buddy cop flick. With this film, Black proves himself effective at blending tones, frequently jumping between a nostalgic tribute to 1970s LA culture while also showing the dark underbelly of it. Much like its main characters,The Nice Guyshas tough characters with a sincere edge, becoming one ofthe best noir comedies of the 21st century.
The Nice Guys
2‘Free Guy’ (2021)
Directed by Shawn Levy
It may not be a Marvel film, butFree Guymarked the first collaboration betweenRyan ReynoldsandDeadpool & WolverinedirectorShawn Levy. Set inside a video game, it centers on Blue Shirt Guy (Reynolds), a happy-go-lucky non-player character in a city packed with thugs, criminals, and larger-than-life characters. When Guy becomes self-aware and begins interacting with the game’s playable elements, he becomes a hero to the players and a danger to his programmers.
In the wake ofDeadpool, several films attempted to pushRyan Reynolds’ raunchy, self-referential humorinto a PG-13 market, andFree Guyis easily the best of that bunch. Guy and Deadpool, while similar in their delivery, are different characters, with Guy having a more innocent, likable demeanor. Meanwhile, as a director, Levy proves his worth witha smart story that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a good amount of fun.
1‘Logan’ (2017)
Directed by James Mangold
WhileX-Men Origins: Wolverineis widely considered the lowest of the lows in Wolverine’s cinematic career,Loganis unanimously considered the highest of his highs. Taking place in a borderline post-apocalyptic future where mutants have died out, the retired Wolverine, dealing with a healing factor that’s begun to fail him, cares for an elderly Charles suffering from psychic dementia. Logan is forced to go on one last adventure to protect a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), born with new mutant abilities from Logan’s DNA, from a group of evil humans seeking to use her as a weapon.
Loganis a bleak, grounded film that finally gives Wolverine a chance to shine in R-rated glory, butchering up bad guys like a rabid animal while maintaining his humanity.One of the best sequels to take a risk,Loganis so widely regarded that it seemed like the perfect ending for the character - at least, until Deadpool literally desecrated Logan’s grave seven years later. Thankfully, apart from that opening joke,Deadpool & Wolverinedoes respect that impactful ending and otherwise doesn’t contradict it, keeping its legacy secured and safe.
NEXT:Deadpool and Wolverine Have a Brutal, Badass History in Marvel Comics
