Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) July 29th, 2024

There are two wolves inside me fighting over Deadpool & Wolverine. The Cynical Wolf doesn’t want me to ignore the complex marketing scheme normalizing ‘variants’ to comfortably introduce 20th Century FOX’s two most popular characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Cynical Wolf reminds me that every legacy cameo, cultural reference, and whistful nod to other movies in Deadpool & Wolverine are all carefully executed emotional manipulations designed to pacify me into a nostalgic state of compliant consumerism. The Childlike Wolf likes it when Wolverine wears yellow and blue.

There are two additional wolves inside the wolves inside me fighting over The Quarantined Critic. Inside the Cynical Wolf is an Insecure Wolf who wants to write thoughtful movie reviews that readers find clever and insightful. The Insecure Wolf is afraid if he doesn’t criticize the big blockbuster superhero movie, he’ll be dismissed as another worthless voice in the digital void that’s too weak to carry a podcast or a TikTok channel. Inside the Childlike Wolf is an Excited Wolf who gets a dopamine hit every time Deadpool & Wolverine triggers a memory connected to my experiences as a movie and comic book enthusiast. Memories of good times with friends in grade school and college. Memories of people I don’t see anymore. Memories from when it felt like there was more life ahead of me than behind.

Inside those additional wolves are two tinier wolves fighting over my happiness. Inside the Insecure Wolf is a Wolf of Despair who uses this blog to buoy my ego with a false sense of purpose while criticizing the work of people far more talented and successful than myself. Inside the Excited Wolf is a Wolf of Joy who’s starving in a world where anxiety and responsibility taint all deliciously fun things with the flavor of dread and obligation.

Of all the wolves inside me, which one wins? It’s the one who liked Deadpool & Wolverine because it was silly and fun. Because it reminds me of happy times with good people. It’s the one who smiles and laughs. It’s the one who buys popcorn.