The final trailer for Deadpool 2 is out and it's an absolute laugh-riot, with jokes riffing on both X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Logan. The Merc With A Mouth has never taken himself particularly seriously, and in this trailer he throws shade at the entire superhero genre. Deadpool cracks wise about the MCU and the DCEU, even name-dropping Thanos.
But Fox aren't above laughing at themselves, either; the trailer features shout-outs to both X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Logan. It's hardly the first time Fox have used Deadpool to poke fun at themselves. The first movie featured a popular scene in which Colossus threatened to drag Deadpool off to see "the Professor". Deadpool responded by asking which version, before quipping that the X-Men timelines are "so confusing".
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In this case, though, a joke pointed at Origins: Wolverine seems all the more appropriate. After all, that 2009 movie was the first film to feature Reynolds playing Deadpool.
Deadpool 2's Reference To X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine isn't exactly the most popular film in the X-Men franchise. It performed well financially, but audiences were majorly disappointed - especially when it came to Deadpool's portrayal. Although Reynolds played the part well, the plot twists in Origins: Wolverine really didn't handle the Merc With A Mouth suitably at all; by the end of the film, Deadpool's mouth had actually been stitched up. The character best known for his wisecracks had been turned into a mute Mutant of Mass Destruction. Hardly surprising, then, that Reynolds's Deadpool has called it out before.
There are still a few cool scenes in Origins: Wolverine, however. A highlight has Deadpool facing off against a squad of armed guards; they open fire, but he uses his katanas to block every single bullet. It's the kind of stunt that's only ever performed in comic books (or comic book movies), but was handled pretty effectively; the swords became a blur, and Wade then began to skillfully redirect the bullets - with a slow-mo moment showing him slice a bullet in half.
Deadpool 2 sees Wade repeat this trick, although Wade won't be quite so successful this time around. After dissecting a bullet in the exact same manner as in Origins, Cable simply opens fire; Wade spins the sword around, snagging a few bullets, but after the onslaught is riddled with holes. "Your bullets," he gasps, "they're really fast." It's a perfect way of throwing shade, not only at Origins: Wolverine, but at the superhero trope of "blocking bullets" in the first place.
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Deadpool 2's Logan Reference
A second reference to Wolverine is even less subtle. "FROM THE STUDIO THAT KILLED WOLVERINE," the trailer declares at the start. It's a clear reference to 2017's Logan, the movie that finally saw Hugh Jackman bow out of the X-Men franchise. One of the most popular superhero films to date, Logan was essentially a bloody and brutal Western. From a marketing viewpoint, it makes sense to reference this; Wolverine remains one of Fox's most popular characters, and this reminds casual viewers that Fox's latest X-Men releases have actually been tremendously successful.
But there's another level of humor to this, too. Reynolds led a high-profile campaign to try and talk Jackman out of leaving the X-Men franchise. "I want Deadpool and Wolverine in a movie together," he insisted time and again. Sadly, that isn't going to happen. Jackman has left the X-Men franchise for good, and he most certainly doesn't turn up in Deadpool 2. Dropping in a joke about Wolverine's death is a none-too-subtle way of laughing this off.
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The last Deadpool 2 trailer has teased a self-aware comedy that dares to poke fun at its own genre. And, hopefully, there will be yet more gags at the X-Men franchise's expense to come.
