Deadpool & Wolverine crushed it at the box office, but that wasn’t the end of the dynamic duo’s comeback tour. Since ending its record-breaking theatrical run, the MCU’s first R-rated film has been quietly dominating in digital sales; it also recently released a physical edition full of special features. Some fans, however, have been waiting for Deadpool and Wolverine’s multiversal romp to find its forever home on streaming.
Marvel took its sweet time with the rollout, but your patience has finally paid off. Over 100 days since it hit theaters, Deadpool & Wolverine has landed on Disney+. Whether you missed it on the big screen or you’re hunting for another excuse for a re-watch, Marvel’s latest tentpole is finally available whenever you’re in the mood.
Deadpool & Wolverine is relatively straightforward, as it follows the Merc with a Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) on a mission to save his universe from imminent destruction. It is, however, chock full of Easter eggs, gags, and meme-able moments that don’t seem to get old. The film is particularly rewarding for fans of bygone Marvel eras, as it gives a handful of forgotten characters — like Wesley Snipes’ Blade and Channing Tatum’s Gambit — their due. Paired with a premise that draws from frothy romantic comedies, it’s no wonder that Deadpool & Wolverine has become the Marvel film that fans keep returning to.
The story lives and dies on the snippy rapport between Wade Wilson and his unlikely new partner, Wolverine. Hugh Jackman’s highly-anticipated return was years in the making, and he slides back into the role as the Ultimate X-Man without breaking a sweat. Deadpool & Wolverine’s hard-R rating also allows Jackman to take the character to darker, meaner places than he’s been before. After 2017’s Logan, Wolverine’s story didn’t have much reason to continue, and Deadpool & Wolverine is under no illusions about his return: Marvel brought him back because it seemed fun, and the studio wasn’t wrong. It scratches a nostalgic itch to see Jackman back in his element, and in a comic-accurate X-Men suit for good measure.
Perhaps more than anything else, Deadpool & Wolverine is a love letter to the Marvel films of 20th Century Fox. It delivers on five years’ worth of expectations, as Disney purchased Fox back in 2019, and has been courting the idea of a crossover ever since. That Wade Wilson briefly finds his way into Marvel’s “Sacred Timeline” — the one home to the Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man we all know and love — is just one example of the promises that finally pay off. He doesn’t spend much time on Earth-616, nor does Marvel actually make Deadpool canon within its cinematic universe. Deadpool & Wolverine is really more about closure than new beginnings, and on that front, it doesn’t disappoint.
Deadpool & Wolverine is comfort food for those who’ve followed Marvel through multiple iterations. The Fox movies aren’t coming back, but it’s important to celebrate their legacy — and their fandom — before moving on. With the X-Men and the Fantastic Four set to get a major reboot within the MCU, change is in the air. It doesn’t hurt to indulge in a bit of nostalgia before that happens, and it doesn’t get more indulgent than Deadpool & Wolverine.
