What happened in Deadpool 2? Full recap before Deadpool & Wolverine

The familiar set up – guns, violence, heads-rolling – set to the backdrop of iconic tunes lures the audience back into the quick-witted, foul-mouthed humour that makes Deadpool so refreshingly appealing. But it does not prepare viewers for what comes next…

Compared to the origin story of Deadpool, the sequel serves as darker, heavier examination of the burden of being a vigilante and the inevitable repercussions that come with being an easily recognisable masked mercenary.

Alongside a time-travelling cybernetic soldier Cable (Josh Brolin) and a child mutant-turned revenge-fuelled teen, Russell (Julian Dennison), Wade has his work cut out as he grapples with both sides of his identity: the hero the world wants him to be, and the anti-hero he has to be.

Deadpool 2 also introduced Wade’s make-shift X-Men team, titled X-Force, most of whom perish on their first mission – apart from Peter, who he goes back in time to save in the post-credit scene. All that context aside, there are some key plot points that are likely to inform the events of the X-Men MCU crossover in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Read on to recap the events of Deadpool 2 but warning – there are some big spoilers!

What happened to Vanessa in Deadpool 2?

After the high-energy opening of Deadpool 2, there's a shift in pace as Wade returns home to his now live-in girlfriend, Vanessa. Domestic life resumes and the couple celebrate their anniversary, exchanging gifts and dreaming about taking the next step in their relationship and start a family.

But this giddy bliss comes to an abrupt end when the door is blown down and a swarm of attackers enter the apartment and open fire on Wade and Vanessa. Vanessa ducks behind the sofa, and miraculously seems to come out unscathed when Wade goes to check on her.

She sheepishly stands up from behind the sofa, when a rogue solo gunman appears and fires a fatal final shot straight through her heart. Helpless to save her, Wade watches in despair and fury as she dies on their living room floor.

Consumed by grief, Wade struggles throughout the film to move forward from this colossal loss and carries the guilt of her death with him.

But there is more to the story…

How did Wade time travel in Deadpool 2?

Driven by his rage and turmoil, Wade winds up in the ice-box along with his new fire-wielding friend, Russell. It’s during this time he comes face to face with the time-travelling soldier Cable, who has a slider that can jump from the present, back to the future, or more specifically the moment his family were murdered.

At the end of the film, Wade saves Russell’s life by sacrificing his own… until Cable goes back in time and changes the timeline, saving Wade’s life.

Cable knows by the state of his daughter’s now unharmed teddy that his family are safe – as Deadpool’s selfless act has changed the course of Russell’s future.

Cable could supposedly only use this slider twice, one for the journey to the past to kill Russell, who would grow to be the person who murdered his family, and one for the return journey. But he used this to save Wade.

In the post-credit scene, it’s revealed that Wade has his X-Men friends fix the slider so he can travel in time wherever he wants, as often as he wants.

Naturally, he goes back in time to save Vanessa from being shot, before he starts a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Does Wolverine appear in Deadpool 2?

Technically, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the first on-screen reunion of the duo since X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Yet, Logan does appear in Deadpool 2 post-credit scene.

On his time travels, Wade swings by to see Wolverine and the first incarnation of Wade Wilson from 2009 movie, who had his mouth stitched shut after experiments by General Stryker.

Wade shoots this old incarnation of himself to erase the memory of his former, less-finalised version of his character, who was criticised from deviating so drastically from the Comic Book. In doing so, he comes face to face with Logan, but Logan doesn’t respond, as it’s footage from the original film.

When the film starts, Deadpool also offers a quick ‘f*** Wolverine’ after his emotional, selfless death in Logan (which was released in 2017). Wade even has a small replica of Logan being impaled on a music box.

All of these humorous nods lay the groundwork for the rivalry, chemistry and Easter eggs to appear in their crossover in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool 2 and Deadpool are available to stream now on Disney Plus. Deadpool & Wolverine is set to be released in cinemas on Thursday 25 July.

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