Deadpool 2

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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Think of “Deadpool 2” as a version of “The Terminator” with sarcastic wit.

You remember Deadpool, Marvel’s smart-mouthed antihero: A disfigured mercenary named Wade Wilson, a guy who possesses the superpowers of accelerated healing and physical prowess. The character first appeared in “The New Mutants #98.”

Then, in 1997, when I was publisher of Marvel Comics, I gave Deadpool his own title.

Deadpool’s big breakout came with the 2016 eponymous film starring Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds had been stumbling around, looking for a superhero movie franchise. “Green Lantern” certainly didn’t fill the bill. But the actor proved perfect for the jokey, self-aware mutant who had a tendency to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience.

In “DP2,” we find the red-clad superhero (Reynolds) trying to protect a youngster known as Firelist (15-year-old Julian Dennison) from a time-traveling cybernetic mutant soldier called Cable (Josh Brolin in a four-picture deal).

Or as Deadpool puts it: “I won’t let Cable kill this kid. But I can’t do it alone. We’re gonna form a super-duper (blank)ing group: we need them tough, morally flexible, and young enough to carry a franchise for 10 – 12 years. We’ll be known as X-Force!”

That led to the casting of Zazie Beetz (Domino). Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Terry Crews (Bedlam), Louis Tan (Shatterstar), Bill Skarsgård (Zeitgeist), and Stefan Kapičić (Colossus) as Deadpool’s fellow mutants.

Also, Morena Baccarin returns as Deadpool’s girlfriend, TJ Miller as Deadpool’s best friend and owner of a bar frequented by mercenaries, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, and Karan Soni as the familiar taxi driver Dopinder.

The film’s co-writer Rhett Reese assures us, “While populated with a lot of characters, it is still Deadpool’s movie.”

You can bet your bippy on that. When Ryan Reynolds re-upped for the successful title role, his new contract granted him “casting approval and other creative controls.” That means, Reynolds co-wrote the screenplay along with Reese and Paul Wernick.

“DP2”is currently doing its wisecracking superhero stuff at Tropic Cinema.

Don’t expect this sequel to be the end of Ryan Reynolds putting on that deformed makeup and wiggling into the skin-tight red suit with crossed swords on his back. Reynolds is on a roll. And he’s still teasing fans about a Deadpool/Wolverine crossover movie co-starring Hugh Jackman.

Now I’d buy a ticket to see that.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com