20th Century Fox
At the beginning of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) breaks the fourth wall to ask the question everyone has on their minds — how can this movie bring back Jackman as Wolverine “without disrespecting Logan’s memory”?
Deadpool says, “We’re not,” and then proceeds to unceremoniously dig up Wolverine’s grave from “Logan.”
A flashback after the opening sequence explains why.
Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), a member of the MCU’s time-police organization called TVA, brings Deadpool in and tells him that his timeline is slowly dying because it lost its anchor person: Wolverine.
Paradox plans to speed up the process with a machine he’s building called the time-ripper that will instantly cull Deadpool’s timeline. He offers Deadpool the chance to hop over to the Sacred Timeline, but wanting to save his friends and family, Deadpool opts to stay and try to salvage their universe.
Believing that Wolverine can’t actually die due to the regenerative abilities they both have, Deadpool first attempts to dig up Logan’s body. But all he finds is the character’s adamantium skeleton, confirming this universe’s Wolverine is very much dead.
After Deadpool unearths Wolverine’s remains, a group of Paradox’s TVA officers arrive to capture him. He mercilessly murders the officers one by one using Wolverine’s adamantium-covered bones as weapons while dancing to NSYNC’s song “Bye Bye Bye.”
Once they’re all dead, he moves on to plan B.
Deadpool seeks out other Wolverines across the multiverse
Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios
After confirming that his universe’s Logan really is dead, Deadpool’s next move is to search the multiverse for a different Wolverine variant to take the dead one’s place. He finds multiple versions (even one played by Henry Cavill, called the Cavillrine) before coming upon one who’s brooding at a bar.
Deadpool brings this Wolverine to the TVA, but Mr. Paradox reveals that the plan won’t work because this is the worst Wolverine.
The movie later explains that this particular Wolverine didn’t want to be part of the X-Men and went off drinking. While he was out, humans murdered the X-Men and other mutants. Wolverine blamed himself for this and started killing those guilty of the attack and other innocent people.
In the movie, Wolverine explains that he wears his yellow and blue X-Men suit to remind himself of what happened and to express his shame. Deadpool’s journey gives this worst Wolverine a second chance at being a hero and saving the universe.
Ultimately, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is not about Jackman’s triumphant return as the beloved hero we all knew. Instead, by bringing Jackman in as a “new” version of Wolverine, the film positions its lead characters as two underdogs trying their best to save the day and live up to a high bar of expectations.