Ten years ago, a superhero legacy was born.
Not the Marvel Cinematic Universe, mind you, but a different breed of comic book hero: Deadpool, Rob Liefeld’s Merc With a Mouth who has been poking fun at pop culture for decades.
It’s a character who has taken on a life of his own since Ryan Reynolds first slipped into the red leather suit back in 2009 2016, when Tim Miller’s R-rated adaptation became the box office success story of the year. Fast forward two years (and change), and the entire film industry is holding its collective breath in anticipation of Deadpool 2, the raunchy, star-studded sequel that takes a swipe at Batman V Superman, the Avengers and everything (and everyone!) in between.
But for his latest trick, Wade Wilson takes a moment to recount the first 10 years of his existence, in what can be seen as a cheeky parody of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which celebrated its own 10-year anniversary with the launch of Avengers: Infinity War late last month.
Pretty cool, no? Frankly, it’s textbook DP, as Ryan Reynolds never misses a chance to lampoon the superhero genre and all of its many quirks and clichés.
Indeed, that attitude carries over into Deadpool 2, which spends just as much time laughing at its costumed peers as it does telling a funny, compelling story. And that’s part of the problem, according to the Rotten Tomatoes consensus.
Nevertheless, our own Matt Donato deemed Deadpool 2 to be a good, if not great continuation of the 2016 sleeper hit, and if you’re on the hunt for a more thorough breakdown of the Fox sequel, here we pinpoint the film’s biggest Easter eggs and secrets.
