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One of the many reasons Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine has become a record-breaking success is that it maintains, or arguably even increases, the transgressive nature of its first titular character’s humor. Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson/Deadpool still doesn’t see anything as sacred, attacking everything from other Marvel movies to what he views as Gen Z’s habit of “trauma bragging” with biting and darkly hilarious quips. One of the film’s most potentially controversial jokes sees him briefly teasing a version of his fellow superhero Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who is in obvious pain and is tied to a large stone shaped like the letter X, in a position clearly meant to evoke the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But while this wonderfully sacrilegious image is perfectly fitting for a Deadpool movie, it’s also a reference to a gnarly Wolverine storyline from Marvel Comics in which Wade Wilson doesn’t appear at all.
Deadpool Is Desperate To Find His Wolverine
After being informed by agents of the Time Variance Authority that his universe itself is dying due to the death of its Wolverine variant (which occurred in the acclaimed film Logan), Wade steals one of the agents’ time travel devices, called a tempad, and sets out on a trip throughout the multiverse to find a replacement version before settling on the Wolverine that’s haunted by his past. This quest is depicted through a montage in which he encounters an assortment of drastically different Logans. One is played by former Superman actor Henry Cavill, who is often suggested by fans as a potential replacement for Jackman, while others are played by Jackman himself, donning some of the character’s most iconic costumes and alter egos from the comics, such as the undercover persona known as “Patch” or the one-handed Logan from the dystopian Age of Apocalypse timeline. Upon finding the crucified Logan atop a mountain of bloody skulls, Wade makes one of his fourth-wall-breaking jokes, saying, “It’s not you, we’re just going in a different direction,” — as if he is his own film’s casting director —before teleporting away.
Deadpool and The Fantastic Four Have a Gruesome, Deadly Comic Book History
The Human Torch and the Merc with a Mouth have been through it.
The image of Logan on the X-shaped cross hails from Uncanny X-Men #251, released in 1989. Written by Chris Claremont with art by Marc Silvestri and Dan Green, the issue features a story titled “Fever Dream.” It begins with Logan already in the crucifixion pose, after having been ambushed and trapped by the cyborg supervillains known as the Reavers, led by Donald Pierce, a former member of the Hellfire Club. After winning a previous battle against the Reavers, the X-Men had taken their base of operations in an abandoned Australian Outback town as their own. The Reavers also hold particularly intense grudges against Logan, who had previously fought and maimed several of them, leading to their adoption of cyborg body parts and enhancements designed by Pierce. Silvestri and Green drew the issue’s cover, which features a simple, heavily shadowed composition of Logan on the cross, and has become one of the most famous images in the X-Men franchise and comic book history.
Pierce and the Reavers torture and crucify Logan for a lengthy period of time, during which Logan experiences the hallucinations referred to by the title. The story takes place at a time when the X-Men were scattered and aimless following various defeats, tragedies, and the departure of multiple team members. Logan’s visions are influenced by his own guilt, with apparitions of friends like Carol Danvers and Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, love interests like Jean Grey/Phoenix and Mariko Yashida, and enemies such as Victor Creed/Sabretooth chastising him for frequently leaving the X-Men to deal with personal matters, exploring similar themes to ones tied to the main Logan variant from Deadpool & Wolverine. However, he is also somehow able to observe his teammate Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock/Psylocke using her telepathic superpowers to influence several of the other X-Men to cross over a mystical threshold known as the Siege Perilous, which does happen in reality.
Logan eventually demonstrates his immense willpower by breaking free of his restraints despite the severe pain this causes. He is then aided by Jubilation Lee, also known as Jubilee, a teenage mutant who had followed several of the X-Men to the base after they had rescued her from a group of mutant hunters. After continuing to evade and fight the Reavers in the following issue, the pair remain together until the X-Men reform, at which time Jubilee officially joins the team. Her prominent role in the 1990s comics and X-Men: The Animated Series made her a fan favorite, and she and Logan have maintained a close bond in the following years. Jubilee became known for being one of his unofficial teenage sidekicks, a role that had previously been occupied by Kitty and would later be given to other characters like Hisako Ichiki/Armor and Logan’s clone daughter Laura Kinney/X-23 in the comics, and Rogue (Anna Paquin) in the live action films.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Puts Its Own Spin on Logan’s Crucifixion
Pierce, played by Boyd Holbrook, and the Reavers served as antagonists in Logan, along with Xander Rice (Richard E. Grant). And the group’s most famous member, Yuriko Oyama, also known as Lady Deathstrike, appeared in X2: X-Men United, played by Kelly Hu. Jade Lye portrayed the character in a background role among Cassandra Nova’s (Emma Corrin) supervillain army in Deadpool & Wolverine. The connection between Logan’s story in “Fever Dream” and that of the main variant from Deadpool & Wolverine is likely coincidental, as the film’s interest in the specific comic is otherwise limited to the strikingly horrifying imagery of Logan being crucified.
Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters now.
“}]] Hugh Jackman’s gnarly scene is one of the most iconic from the comics. Read More