All the Deadpool Movies Ranked

There may not be that many movies with Deadpool in them, but as Deadpool & Wolverine dubs the fourth-wall-breaking mutant “Marvel Jesus,” it’s important to get a ranking of all the Deadpool movies so we can argue over the rankings.

Ryan Reynolds has played Deadpool throughout all the character’s films, but it was a long road to get the character to be the star of Disney’s first R-rated Marvel film. Not to mention, Deadpool & Wolverine is the first movie in a long while that has really gotten people excited about the MCU. After X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it took Reynolds years to convince Fox to make a Deadpool film. He had to make an unauthorized short film, leak it on YouTube, and hope it went viral in order to get the first solo Deadpool film off the ground. Once he did, however, it was clear the antihero was a smash hit and that R-rated superhero movies could work as well.

A sequel followed shortly after, but the sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney made for a long delay between that film and Deadpool & Wolverine. But Deadpool‘s threequel has finally arrived, so now we have four (and a half) whole Deadpool films. Let’s see how they all stack up.

5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is horrendous for a billion different reasons, but we’re here to talk about Deadpool, not Wolverine. Origins might be a bad Wolverine movie, but it’s an even worse Deadpool film. While Wade Wilson is only a supporting character and action piece in the film, screenwriters David Benioff (yes, of Game of Thrones) and Skip Woods do him so incredibly wrong it is painful to watch. Deadpool in the film starts out as Wade Wilson with a nebulous ninja power to spin his swords so fast he can stop bullets and a loud mouth that we’re told about more than we witness. However, it’s his treatment at the end of the movie in which he becomes a hybrid mutant with NO MOUTH. Seemingly for the sake of one punch line, the character known as the Merc with a Mouth is silenced. This movie sucks and would rank at the bottom of any list of movies you care to put together no matter the subject matter.

4. Once Upon a Deadpool

The Fred Savage opener makes this PG-13 version of Deadpool 2 a thing of magic, but you can watch the entire framing device online and then go watch Deadpool 2 in all its bloody glory after the fact and get a much better experience. While the Princess Bride parody may be funny, the loss of some great scenes and the pace of the film make this a subpar product.

3. Deadpool

Deadpool is exactly what it should be and more with fantastic action, incredible violence, and a fourth-wall-breaking Ryan Reynolds delivering a pitch-perfect Deadpool. From the inclusion of two lesser-loved X-Men to a surprisingly heartwarming story that actually treats Wade Wilson/Deadpool as more than just a punchline, the film delivers pretty hard in every aspect. Its biggest fault is that there isn’t enough of it, often feeling like it’s underutilizing characters like Mega Sonic Teenage Warhead while fridging the fantastic Morena Baccarin for too much of the film. Small faults for a great movie but ones that push it just below its sequels.

2. Deadpool & Wolverine

There is something magical about putting Deadpool onscreen against a gruff, no-nonsense character, and Wolverine is the ultimate foil. It also helps that Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are so pitch-perfect against each other that even if this movie were terrible, it would still be a joy to watch the two of them bicker, fight, come together, and fight some more. Thankfully, while it does have its flaws and falls into a lot of MCU film traps, the movie does not suck either. A joyous and sometimes heartfelt goodbye to the 20th Century Fox X-Men films, Deadpool & Wolverine may cram itself full of cameos and one-liners but the entire thing just works. While it may not be as tight as Deadpool, it gets the leg up thanks to its importance to the MCU and its two co-stars.

1. Deadpool 2

Somehow Deadpool 2 brings in X-Force, kills off the love of his life, and involves a host of new villains yet feels less cramped than the first movie. Perfectly executing a team superhero movie by killing off most of the team before they even get to do anything, Deadpool 2 is basically the first film but with all the minor gripes removed and the pitch-perfect casting of James Brolin as Cable — the second-best straight-man to Deadpool’s antics. Anchored by yet another surprisingly touching story and emotional beats, the movie is quintessential Deadpool. Plus the action is great.

And that’s the definitive ranking for all of the Deadpool movies so far.

The above article was updated by the original author on 8/3/24 to include Deadpool & Wolverine.