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The Marvel movies and shows to watch before Deadpool and Wolverine
By Jess Bacon,
8 hours ago
After almost two decades, Marvel has answered fans' long-running prayers as the X-Men franchise is set to crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Deadpool and Wolverine .
The highly anticipated threequel to Ryan Reynolds' R-rated Deadpool brings his real-life best friend and on-screen rival, Hugh Jackman out of retirement as Logan aka the Wolverine. Even though Jackman famously left the three-clawed mutant behind him in 2018’s Logan, Wolverine is back, thanks to the infinite possibilities of time travel and Marvel’s multiverse.
Yet, with over 45 MCU projects to date and 14 X-Men films to wade through before this highly-anticipated frenemies bromance takes to the big screen, it can be difficult to know where to start with this interconnected universe. Though you might get away with skipping certain films of characters with speculated cameos, such as Elektra, there’s some much-needed context for a lot of the events that are anticipated to happen within this film.
For anyone new to the Marvel timeline or the X-Men franchise, we’ve curated a handy guide of essential viewing if you want to understand all the references, cameos and those all-important Easter Eggs. This is completely spoiler-free for the final movie too, so don’t worry about that!
X-Men was the film that kick-started the 14-film franchise, so it is a must watch for an introduction to some pivotal characters. From Wolverine’s recruitment by Charles Xavier to meeting his forbidden love, Jean Grey, and friends and fellow mutants Storm and Cyclops, it offers a strong foundation to this wide-ranging universe.
Wolverine takes another stray mutant, Rogue, under his wing as the duo come face to face with radically different mutant-led groups who want to improve the existence of mutant kind. Xavier is leading the X-Men set on a non-violent approach to securing mutant rights as they nurture the next generation of mutants at his school for the gifted.
While Magneto runs the Brotherhood of Mutants; a collective of mutants who believe they are the next stage in human evolution and are driven to become the superior race. This conflict and fight for mutant acceptance, rights and understanding transcends all the X-Men films and was established within this first film in 2000.
It’s also worth a watch as Marvel has confirmed that Tyler Mane’s iteration of Wolverine’s nemesis , Sabertooth and Ray Park’s Toad will return for Deadpool and Wolverine, and this film introduces more of their background, powers and alliances.
In X2: X-Men United, Wolverine comes to the forefront of the X-Men. To an extent, Logan is always driven by the quest for his identity and to recover his lost memories, but this film is a pivotal moment within that journey.
He comes face to face with his maker, Colonel William Striker, who leads a night-time assault on Xavier’s school to steal the mutant children and build his own version of Xavier’s high-powered telekinetic machine, Cerebro. As the war between humans and mutants escalates, Logan evolves into a seminal figure to lead and guide the next generation of mutants.
The second film in the Fox trilogy also introduced two characters that will return in Deadpool and Wolverine: Pyro and Lady Deathstrike . While the latter only appeared in the battle sequence, there was a more in-depth dive into Pyro’s character as he turned from a loyal school student to a violent rebel with Magento.
It’s often regarded as the best film within the trilogy for the exploration of the inner conflict between mutants, who want to be accepted, not revered, as they are shunned and even shamed by their own families.
X-Men: The Last Stand is one of the most important films in the franchise for understanding Wolverine’s motivations and heartache. In the finale, Wolverine faced his worst enemy, the woman he loved, Jean Grey.
As Jean discovered the true depths of her untamed power and ascended to her alter ego the Dark Phoenix, Logan was burdened with the responsibility of being the only mutant strong enough to stop her. Under Magneto’s guidance, Jean is inhibited, set on destruction and unable to control her never-ending stream of raw power.
Logan’s conflict between stopping Jean or letting her destroy the face of all mutant and human kind, is a battle within his identity that he feels for years after these events. The consequences of his decisions haunt him throughout the subsequent movies; so this 2006 film needs to be on your watch list.
Back in 2009, long before the R-rated Deadpool was born, Reynolds made his first appearance as Wade in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. As Logan’s first standalone film, this followed his early life and friendship with his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber). Tracked across centuries, the mutant soldiers fight in wars until they reach the present day and Logan is tired of the endless cycle of death, re-birth and violence.
Enraged by Logan turning his back on his abilities and own kind, Victor evolves into his archnemesis, Sabretooth. Known for his psychopathic tendencies, Sabretooth is a serial killer who relishes in bloodshed and uses his ferocious feline claws and superhuman strength for destruction. This is one of two depictions of this character within the Marvel universe, though it has been teased that Sabretooth in Deadpool and Wolverine will resemble the one seen in X-Men instead.
For an understanding of Logan’s backstory and his trajectory from bloodthirsty soldier to reformed mutant hero, look no further than X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The prequel to Fox’s X-Men trilogy begins with X-Men: First Class. Though this film doesn’t feature Wolverine, other than a very brief cameo, it explores the early friendship of Xavier and Magneto in the ‘60s and the series of events that evolve them into archnemesis.
First Class offers more insight into the rivalries and prejudices that frequently appear within this franchise, as mutants fight for their rights to exist safely and freely in a world that wants to persecute them. Keep an eye out for Azazel, a teleporting mutant, who has been rumored to appear in Deadpool and Wolverine . The introduction to this character will inform the wider universe and context for the upcoming film.
If you’re new to the MCU, then it would be worth revisiting 2012’s The Avengers. The first team-up of Earth Mightiest Heroes is a touchstone within the MCU that provides a good basis for understanding the foundational superheroes within this universe.
In contrast to Wade Wilson, the Avengers are hailed as heroes, especially after they save New York from an alien invasion led by Thor’s younger, mischievous brother, Loki. It’s one of the most referenced movies across the franchise and it’s a good way to enter the MCU without delving into all the standalone series.
As seen in the trailer, Wade is offered the chance to become an Avenger and be a "hero amongst heroes" in their timeline. So some context about this superhuman, super skilled set of individuals is a perfect place to start.
X-Men: Days of Future Past rewrites the entire timeline of the X-Men movies. Set across the past and present, this intricate film brings together both generations and eras of the X-Men from the prequel films and the X-Men trilogy.
Wolverine is at the center of this narrative, as he changes events in the past to fix a horrific future that is unfolding. In Deadpool and Wolverine, the trailer teases that Wolverine saved an entire universe, which seems to be a reference to this film. Though his heroism came at a cost, as most of the X-Men are now dead.
After watching the X-Men trilogy and First Class, tune into Days of Future Past to have an understanding of where the franchise left each of the mutants after the timeline had been rewritten.
In order to appreciate the third film in the series, it’s time to venture back to the beginning with Deadpool. In 2016, Marvel re-wrote the character of Wade Wilson to fit more in line with the comic books and introduced this foul-mouthed, masked vigilante to the world with a tone entirely different from any other superhero movie on their roster.
Through Wade’s own words in a direct, fourth wall address at times, he revisits the events that led to him becoming Deadpool, from his time as a Special Forces operative to his cancer diagnosis and the rogue experiment that woke his mutant genes and left him disfigured with super-healing powers.
As well as this, the film also explores Wade’s relationship with Vanessa who he tries to protect, even when it hurts her the most and this becomes a core foundation of their trajectory in their sequel too. With graphic violence, plenty of gore and a self-conscious commentary, Deadpool is an ideal introduction to one half of this double act in Deadpool and Wolverine that offers a glimpse of what to expect from the threequel.
It seems like 2018’s Deadpool 2 will have some integral plot points that inform the context of Deadpool and Wolverine. Following on from the events in Deadpool, not only does Wade’s relationship with Vanessa evolve in unexpected ways, it is also Wade’s first use of time travel. He uses the device to make one significant change to his own timeline, by saving the life of someone he loves and re-writing the future.
Naturally, there are major repercussions for this action, as teased in the Deadpool and Wolverine trailer. Wade catches the eagled-eye TVA’s attention who are notoriously hot on catching anyone who alters a timeline, as seen in Loki. So, this sequel is essential viewing for context or there will be some major spoilers and surprises in the third film…
One of the most pivotal films to watch prior to Deadpool and Wolverine is Logan. The 2018 film marked a poignant end to Jackman’s time as the claw-cladded mutant. The film follows Logan in his twilight years, as his superhuman healing abilities fail him and he begins to age and deteriorate rapidly. He’s also left to look after an elderly Xavier, whose dementia is causing havoc with his telekinesis powers making him a more dangerous mutant as the days pass.
Arguably, it’s one of the strongest films within this franchise that marked an emotional end to Wolverine, which Jackman at the time thought would be his final appearance as this character. Ahead of Deadpool and Wolverine, Jackman has confirmed that the events of Logan and his emotional death will not be undone, but his character will be explored in a new way.
From the trailer it seems there are scenes at Logan’s grave too, and in order to understand the next iteration of Wolverine, it would be worth going back to see his former end too.
If you have time, Avengers: Infinity War should be added to your watch list. This epic first-part to the two-parter finale to the Infinity Saga boasts countless characters and integral plot points that have set up the following phases of the MCU.
In Infinity War, the Avengers set out to defeat Thanos, who wants to eradicate half the universe’s population with the snap of his fingers using the elemental power of the Infinity Stones.
Even with the might of the Avengers, who extend across generations and realms, it’s the most significant loss that leads half of the world to be left in dust. For every film post Infinity War and Endgame in the MCU, these two films are essential viewing as they determined both the end of this era and the future of the MCU.
Within the MCU, Avengers: Endgame was one of the first big-scale uses of time travel. Set five years after Thanos’ snap, the Avengers attempt a time heist to travel back and stop Thanos from wiping out half of the universe.
It offers an insight into how time travel works in the MCU with the use of Ant-Man’s quantum realm and offers an insight into how the world stands post-blip too. Both Endgame and Infinity War are essential viewing with any film set beyond this phase, as it rewrote the existence of the Avengers and if Wade is set to join this band of heroes, then potentially he’ll be joining post-blip.
Season 1 release date: 2021 Season 2 release date: 2023
Die-hard fans will have noticed that the Time Variance Authority or TVA appears in the Deadpool and Wolverine Trailer. Introduced in Season 1 of Loki, this authority guards the sacred timeline and prunes any variants or timelines that don’t align with this chosen one. Loki from 2012 is plucked from his timeline and informed of the TVA’s existence and has to come to terms with the fact that his destiny is both set in stone and has been written for him.
The horned anti-hero found it difficult to stomach, that all his destruction was outside of his control, which led him to rebel against the sacred timeline and venture into the multiverse. It seems possible that Wade’s reaction could be similar, since this anti-hero has already altered time to try and control his own future.
Though we doubt there will be a Tom Hiddleston cameo, the best way to learn all the timey-wimey jargon that informs the TVA’s existence is to watch both season one and two of Loki.
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