Expect a real story with Deadpool 2. A story where Deadpool learns a lesson and grows as a person.
By Sean David Hartman
When I first saw Deadpool back in 2016, I remember thinking to myself that this movie was less of a superhero movie and more of a parody of a superhero movie. That’s really what makes Deadpool Deadpool—he is a meta-parody of the comic book genre.
So, to see a very serious movie with heart and a message coming off the heels of a movie that was just consistent laughter from start to finish felt off-putting.
Deadpool 2 certainly had many of the same meta-humor that is expected from a Deadpool film, but with the addition of a darker, grittier villain, the movie follows a more traditional superhero path. It doesn’t make it better or worse, just different.
Deadpool, now fresh off winning the girl and losing his best frenemy forever Logan, acts as an international mercenary before a sudden yet eventually retconned twist leads him to seek out purpose, in his own mouthy, Deadpool-y way.
Trying to seek redemption, Deadpool joins with the X-Men—or rather, the ones the studio was willing to provide—to help save Russell, a New Zealand pyrokinetic currently being sought out by Cable, a time-traveling mercenary who is in many ways Deadpool’s opposite. Where Deadpool is impulsive, witty, and rambunctious, Cable is measured, serious, and “DC Universe” dark. It provides an interesting balance that makes this Deadpool movie more than just a satire.
Creating a new gender-neutral team, Deadpool must work to stop Cable from killing this wannabe gangster and future terrorist, all while convincing Russell the value of being good, and Deadpool learning about the importance of family.
And I know, that mushy gushy feel-good crap doesn’t really seem too Deadpool, but that is the brilliance of Ryan Reynolds. A true Deadpool fanboy, he can add a moral allegory to the story in such a way that stays true to Deadpool.
But if you are going into the cinema expecting the same consistent laughter that you experienced from Deadpool, you may be disappointed. With the addition of Cable, and a deeper storyline with a message, there will be plenty of breaks between laughter, replaced with dramatic prose meant to further the storyline.
Expect a real story with Deadpool 2. A story where Deadpool learns a lesson and grows as a person. That is, before he completely retcons the entire film—in true Deadpool fashion.
Sean David Hartman is a freelance reporter for the Central Florida Post, with a wide portfolio ranging from entertainment to politics. He is a centrist political operative and blogger and a student at UCF. Hartman is autistic and bipolar, and supports the neurodiversity movement.
