Facing certain and painful defeat, the lone Wolverine tests his metal and his mettle to find out what he’s made of in this review of Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3.
Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3
Written by: Joe Kelly
Art and Main Cover by: Adam Kubert, Frank Martin
Variant Covers: Leinil Francis Yu, Lucas Werneck
Page Count: 36 pages
Release Date: July 24, 2024
This review contains spoilers
Kelly and Kubert stick the landing in the bloody conclusion of this three-part limited series, sating readers with raucous action, clever dialogue, and a moral throughline strong enough to break Adamantium.
After Deadpool’s supposed death last issue, Wolverine is pushed to his limit by the powerful creature Delta has foisted upon him. Delta’s manipulative words echoing in his mind, Logan struggles with his very humanity: can he truly be a good man, a hero, or is he just a violent beast deep down? To defeat the creature, he gives in to his aggressive nature, foregoing his hard-earned civility. But a familiar voice guides Wolverine back to his principles – a reminder that we are not what we were made but who we choose to be. From Logan’s back, Wade Wilson rears his ugly head, quite literally, as the fleshy formation appears to grow from Wolverine’s shoulders!
In a surprising but tenable use of mutant healing powers, a regenerating Deadpool and Wolverine are fused at the hip. Together, the duo bests Delta’s army of faceless henchmen, ruining his empire and humiliating him in front of those who bankroll his wicked experiments.
At the heart of the series, Kelly unites Wade and Logan in something beyond genetic alteration and a passion for spilling blood; he recognizes the two anti-heroes are constantly struggling against their own desire to live different lives, to be different men. In issue #1, Deadpool remarks on Wolverine’s dramatic transition from a brutal killing machine to a beloved member of the heroic X-Men; Wade questions his own ability to transform himself, eventually leading him into the puppeteering strings of Delta. But what he learns resurfaces this issue as he reminds Wolverine that his identity is of his own making and is never past the point of no return. The final line of the book is Wolverine’s “You know what they say… fourth time’s a charm.”
Kelly continues his impressive work full-throttle, completing the mini-series with special attention to dynamic action-scene blocking, wild sci-fi body-horror, and surreal fourth wall-breaking panels. Less tangible, but every bit as noticeable, is Martin’s effectiveness at establishing mood through color. During Wolverine’s violent fugue state (pgs 13 and 14), we’re washed in the wrath of a red that bleeds through the paper. Contrast that with the pure white landscape on pages 16 and 17, we instinctively feel Logan’s ally’s calming intent.
Also worth mentioning, the confusing prologues of the previous two issues are saved by a terrific opening this time around; Wade breaks the fourth wall with acerbic wit to establish that the books’ intros have been snippets of Delta’s brainwashing. Not only does this pre-credit page opening fulfill our expectations for classic Deadpool, it materializes a firm footing for a dragging aspect of an otherwise excellent miniseries.
Final Thoughts
A satisfying conclusion to a riveting story, Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #3 gives fans everything they want from the oil-and-water duo and then some.
