Sunday Matinee #86 Deadpool & Wolverine
The Merc with a Mouth actually makes a good point?!
James 1:17-27 | Revised Common Lectionary | EnterTheBible.org
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost | 09.01.2024
Context: The letter of James opens with, what else? An admonition! Essentially, the writer wastes no time in telling his readers that belief is one thing, and faith in action is quite another. Gladly, he writes his in an encouraging way.
22 But be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
Deadpool and Wolverine | 2024
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is trying to save his world from dying. His only solution? Find another Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in any universe he can to bring him back to his world and save it. He’s gone through several Wolverines and none of them are the right fit - especially if they tried to kill him. Finally, he sees a lonely, depressed Wolverine drinking in a bar. He approaches with his usual snarky demeanor.
Wolverine: Just give me one more drink and I’ll leave.
Bartender: That’s not how it works.
Deadpool: It is now. Leave the bottle.
Wolverine: Do I know you, bub?
Deadpool: Nnnope. But I know you.
Wolverine: Everybody knows me. I’m the Wolverine.
Deadpool: Yes. You. Are. And I’m going to need you to come with me right now.
Wolverine: …Look, lady. I’m not interested
Deadpool: Really getting in your cuts here.
Wolverine: Why would I go with you?
Deadpool: Because, unfortunately, I need you. And, even more unfortunately, my entire world needs you. …I can tell you have a sorta “Don’t get too close, I’ll only break your heart” vibe here, but every other Wolverine would’ve really hurt me by now. And, I’m sort of on the tick-tick, so upsy-daisy, here we go…
Commentary:
“I can do hard things.”
I’m not sure when exactly that phrase became a colloquialism, but I’m grateful for it. I see it online, I see it on t-shirts. And every time I see it I smile. I could probably get cynical and roll my eyes or I can do what I do now: embrace that someone needs to hear that, that someone is saying it to themselves, and right now someone is truly doing hard things and surprising themselves along the way.
The writer of James emphasizes that real faith manifests in what we do. It’s not just about belief. “Ah, I believe in the right things and I’m totally saved now, all done!” Not so fast, bub! It’s not enough to just agree with spirituality in principle. You’ve got to live out those spiritual principles with real, tangible actions. Doing that is what will reflect your commitment to God and to neighbor. That’s what inspires others to go and do likewise. And that’s what will save the world.
Wolverine, a.k.a. Logan, does not want to save the world. Not Deadpool’s world, not his own world. In fact, he had the chance to save his world and he lost all of his friends. Everybody knows who he is because everybody knows how terribly he messed up.
“We are in the worst timeline.”
That’s another phrase I hear from time to time. Playing on the whole multiverse / time travel / characters meeting themselves kinds of storylines cropping up throughout pop culture right now, this phrase is used as a comment on just how bad things can get in the real world. Yeah, I may have said it once or twice myself. Let’s face it: things are not always that great, these days. I’m reminded of this because in Deadpool & Wolverine, Logan is referred to as “The Worst Wolverine.” He doesn’t see a way forward to believing in anything but that narrative, much less taking action that would counter the narrative.
The truth is, Wolverine is much more capable than he believes. We could go back and forth on how Deadpool’s motivations are a mix of using Logan and encouraging him, but it’s up to Wolverine to decide to take action. The writer of James would tell him, see yourself as capable of doing good things, and then go and do likewise. It will take much of the movie, including several stabby-stabby fights, for Wolverine to see this in himself.
One of the reasons superheroes have been popular for over 80 years is because these stories depict people doing what we wish we could do. I don’t mean feats of strength and amazing powers beyond belief. I mean standing up for justice. Putting an end to villainous motivations. Doing the right thing. We all have that capacity. Do we do it? I’ll say this: yes, I think we do. I think all of us not only have the capability to change the world, I think that we actually do. I also think we often could do more. Hopefully, that motivates us more than shames us. Wolverine gets vulnerable in the movie a few times. He’s clearly ashamed of who he has become. But wow, nothing like a hero’s journey to witness him overcome that!
The next time someone steps out of a portal and says they are from the worst timeline but you can do hard things, I respectfully encourage you to believe them. And take action!
When have you stepped up? When have you held back? When have you been able to do hard things? And if superheroes can save the world, how can you do the same in your own way?