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Without spoilers, here's how Wolverine is in the new Deadpool movie after he died

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Marvel may be releasing only one superhero movie this year, but hey, it's a double header, "Deadpool & Wolverine." Now, superhero nerds amongst us may recall that Wolverine died in his last movie. Well, critic Bob Mondello is here to tell us - without spoilers - how the filmmakers got around that.

SHAPIRO: Marvel may be releasing only one superhero movie this year, but hey, it's a double header, "Deadpool & Wolverine." Now, superhero nerds amongst us may recall that Wolverine died in his last movie. Well, critic Bob Mondello is here to tell us - without spoilers - how the filmmakers got around that.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Actually, the trick was having him die in the first place. The dude regenerates. His wounds heal faster than you can say Adamantium, though I'll try not to say that too often. And if he's not easy to kill, neither is Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, with whom he shares this healing thing.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

RYAN REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) God, I love this part. Wait.

MONDELLO: Blow Deadpool up, and he'll just shake it off.

(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSION)

MONDELLO: We'll give him a moment. Anyway, this story is comics inspired. So if you say Wolverine's dead, I can just say multiverse or time shift or, who cares if Hugh Jackman's willing to come back? And he is...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Don't just stand there, you ape. Give me a hand up.

MONDELLO: ...Complete with those foot-long metal claws.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) No. I'm actually OK. Thank you very much.

MONDELLO: Summoning Wolverine back from the dead takes some doing by Deadpool, who's otherwise known as Wade Wilson, about 45 minutes of soul searching...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) I know I turn everything into a joke, but I care.

MONDELLO: ...Exposition spouting...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) It's been a challenging few years.

MONDELLO: ...Character establishing...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Wade Wilson?

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Who's asking? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

MONDELLO: ...Backflashing, authority trashing...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

MATTHEW MACFADYEN: (As Mr. Paradox) You appear to have soiled yourself while unconscious.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) I wasn't unconscious. Why am I here?

MONDELLO: ...Groundwork laying...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

MACFADYEN: (As Mr. Paradox) This is your chance to be a hero among heroes.

MONDELLO: ...Franchise reinforcing...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) I smell what you're stepping in, sensei. Your little cinematic universe is about to change forever.

MONDELLO: ...And comic riffing.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) I'm the Messiah. I am Marvel Jesus.

MONDELLO: Yeah, not so much. But it does get him to the point that he can re-establish his romance with the guy he's shared some DNA with since their "X-Men Origins" days back in 2009.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Hi, peanut.

HUGH JACKMAN: (As Wolverine) I know you, bub.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Nope. But I know you.

JACKMAN: (As Wolverine) Everybody knows me. I'm the Wolverine.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Yes, you are, and I'm going to need you to come with me right now.

JACKMAN: (As Wolverine) Look, lady. I'm not interested.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Really getting into your...

JACKMAN: (As Wolverine) Why would I go with you?

MONDELLO: Guys, get a room. He does go with it, of course, though under duress, at which point we've got two regenerative super guys, one joke-spewing and disfigured, the other depressed and Adamantium-clawed...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Want to talk about what's haunting you, or should we wait for a third act flashback?

MONDELLO: ...Teaming up to save something or other, even as they get on each other's nerves...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Pew, pew.

JACKMAN: (As Wolverine) Stop it.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Pew.

MONDELLO: ...And are banished to a void that's at once "Mad Max"-ish and infested with X-persons.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Oh, my God. Sabretooth.

TYLER MANE: (As Sabretooth) Ready to die?

MONDELLO: There is, I should mention, no particular point to any of this. I mean, the fate of Wade's world is in the balance. But if mix-and-matched timelines and multiple universes are on the table, that doesn't really matter. We're talking fanservice here.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) Let's give the people what they came for.

MONDELLO: Blood-splattered, potty mouthed and R-rated in a genre that's usually PG-13. If you're a fan, and you've been keeping up with which movie studio owns what part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this will be a hoot.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) That's Wolverine.

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) You're damn straight it is. Disney brought him back. They're going to make him do this till he's 90.

MONDELLO: If not, you may find yourself a bit at sea with the corporate merger meta jokes. But wait a few seconds and there'll be a pop culture reference.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE")

REYNOLDS: (As Deadpool) This is what I'm talking about - big, slow-motion action sequence. Who knows if you live or die?

MONDELLO: There are tons of cameos that I wouldn't dream of spoiling, and the stars seem to be having fun, which is certainly more than you can say for the last few Marvel movies - not a high bar, admittedly, but it's summer, and "Deadpool & Wolverine" isn't aiming high. It's a popcorn picture that's going to sell a lot of popcorn. I'm Bob Mondello. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Bob Mondello, who jokes that he was a jinx at the beginning of his critical career — hired to write for every small paper that ever folded in Washington, just as it was about to collapse — saw that jinx broken in 1984 when he came to NPR.