The unconventional tale of “Deadpool” won the hearts of many superhero enthusiasts upon the film’s debut in 2016, with a subsequent 2018 movie that saw similar box office success. With the latest sequel to the franchise, fans see their favorite loudmouth superhero return to the big screen alongside one of the most well-known X-Men characters of all time: Wolverine. The results are brilliant.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” begins with Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) a.k.a. Deadpool, and his struggle to find a job. He first attempts to find work with the Avengers but is turned away in an interview with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), who suggests that Wilson should work on himself and discover the things that truly matter to him. Defeated, Wade begins working at a car dealership where he still seems to be a misfit. Upon returning home to a surprise birthday party, he encounters the TVA, or Time Variance Authority (introduced to the MCU in the hit series “Loki”).

Through the TVA, Wilson comes to learn that the death of Logan (Hugh Jackman), a.k.a. the Wolverine, caused the slow death of Logan’s universe, and according to TVA Department Head Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfaydan), Wade’s own universe is headed for a similar fate. Distraught by the news and now forming an impromptu plan, Wade punches Mr. Paradox in the face, steals a device to travel through the multiverse, and desperately searches for a Wolverine who is willing to act as a replacement for the now-deceased hero of his universe.

After a long, violent search for a Wolverine replacement (featuring a humorous Henry Cavill cameo), Wilson discovers a burnt-out, drunken Wolverine (Jackman) who barely puts up any fight or protest, instead drunkenly falling to the floor. Dragging this Wolverine back to the TVA, Wade is met with ridicule, with Mr. Paradox highlighting that this variant of Wolverine is among the worst in the entire multiverse and that bringing him to Wade’s universe won’t fix anything. The TVA then sends the two heroes to a third dimension where they must learn to cooperate and defeat new enemies in order to return home and save Wade’s universe.

The narrative of “Deadpool & Wolverine” is brilliantly done, blending the comedic aspects of the Deadpool character with the dramatic tone of the Wolverine character in an unexpected setting that fosters a wacky, adventure-rich experience. Additionally, the numerous cameos like X-23 (Dafne Keen), Sabertooth (Tyler Mane), Azazel (Jason Flemyng), Gambit (Channing Tatum), the Flaming Torch (Chris Evans), Blade (Wesley Snipes), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and many others, are done in such a way that actually add to the story instead of taking away from it. While some of these cameos are glaringly obvious, like the Cavillrine (Henry Cavill) and Gambit, whose Cajun accent has become the subject of many memes online, some are harder to recognize, like Cowboy Deadpool (Matthew McConaughey).

Marvel movies have historically struggled with story quality at times, especially with Marvel Studio’s more recent films like “Black Widow” (2021), “The Marvels” (2023), and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (2023), which all flopped in terms of ratings and reviews. However, films like “Deadpool & Wolverine” fail to disappoint and succeed in reigniting fans’ faith in Marvel movies. If Marvel continues to produce films with the same degree of care that went into this movie, then they will surely return to being the deeply-admired superhero film studio of the past.

Overall, I rate this movie a 9 out of 10. I found that this movie was enjoyable enough to warrant a return to the theaters to watch the superhero duo all over again. From its nostalgia-inducing cameos to Deadpool’s ever-witty remarks, this movie is one I’d recommend seeing while it’s still in theaters. However, make sure to bring a parent; this film is R-rated.