What to Watch Before ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

As with any late-stage Marvel Studios production, “ Deadpool & Wolverine ” arrives with some accompanying homework. These movies aren’t merely standalone adventures, they are plugged into a larger framework of interconnected movies, television shows, sequels and spin-offs.

This is truer now than before, since Disney completed its absorption of 21 ^st Century’s assets in 2019. That means that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was previously off-limits to both Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds again) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, returning for another go-around), is fair game and that they have access to virtually every Marvel character. (Spider-Man and his chums are still sequestered in Sony-ville, sadly.)

But what should you actually watch before you see Deadpool and Wolverine team-up for their cross-universe romp? We can help, but this probably constitutes a light spoiler warning . As you can probably imagine, there are a ton of fun cameos from other parts of the MCU (and beyond). We won’t spoil those, but we will allude to more concrete callbacks that will greatly aid your enjoyment (and understanding) of the film. From the “Deadpool” movies to one essential MCU TV show, here’s what to watch before “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

“Deadpool” (2016) and “Deadpool 2” (2018)

This is a no-brainer, right? Not only does it establish who the character of Deadpool is (lowlife who, after a grim cancer diagnosis, goes through a questionable procedure and winds up a sort-of superhero) and how he addresses both the audience and the rest of superhero-dom (knowing, cutting, self-reflexive), but it also establishes his circle of friends. This includes Blind Al (Leslie Uggams), his roommate; his lady love Vanessa (Morena Baccarin); and Teenage Negasonic Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Colossus (Stefan Kapičić ), two off-brand X-Men who team up with Deadpool and lend him a little more legitimacy.

The sequel is essential because it sets up Deadpool’s relationship with Peter (Rob Delaney), who has a surprisingly pronounced role in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” “Deadpool 2” also involves some time travel shenanigans which directly lead into the events of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Just watch them – they’re a blast. And even if you have seen them but not in a little while, it’d be wise to refresh.

“Logan” (2018)

Sure, you could rewatch all of the “X-Men” movies, but there are a lot of them and many are probably worse than you remember. The only “X-Men” jaunt you really need to take a look at before “Deadpool & Wolverine” is “Logan.” This was supposedly the last time that Jackman was going to play the character and ends, satisfyingly, with the character’s death. (The opening scene of “Deadpool & Wolverine” is Deadpool digging up Wolverine’s adamantium-dipped skeleton from the woods where “Logan” ended.)

The idea of Wolverine’s sacrifice is something that is talked about again and again in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” even though the timelines don’t technically line up since “Logan” takes place in a future that has still not come to pass (2029), with events that have yet to transpire in any X-universe (the annihilation of almost all mutants). But still. There’s another key element of “Logan” that carries over into “Deadpool & Wolverine” that has already been spoiled in a TV commercial – the integration of X-23 (Dafne Keen) , a young clone who Wolverine died saving. And that’s all we’ll say about that!

“Loki” (2021 – 2023)

Yes, nothing was learned from “The Marvels,” a big-screen MCU outing that was predicated on audiences having watched not one, but two iffy Disney+ series beforehand (“Ms. Marvel” and “Secret Invasion”). Much of “Deadpool & Wolverine” is based around the Time Variance Authority, a secret, quasi-governmental group introduced in the first season of “Loki,” which is responsible for cleaning up and maintaining the Sacred Timeline. The TVA is actually what sets this whole saga underway, with Paradox (a new middle manager character played by “Succession’s” Matthew Macfadyen) offering Deadpool a chance to join the main timeline aka the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The only catch is that Deadpool’s timeline will soon be deleted, leading him on a desperate scramble. There might be more connections to the TVA (and where it is following the events of “Loki” season 2), but we said light spoilers here.

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Listen, there are a lot of other things that you could watch, that play directly into the events of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” particularly stuff that was distributed by former corporate partner 20th Century Fox. But calling these out specifically would ruin much of the fun of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Part of the movie’s elemental power is wondering who is behind the next corner and then being surprised when it’s not the person you probably imagined. But if you have even a cursory knowledge of the Fox-owned Marvel output, pre-2019, then you are well on your way here.

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