In this review of Weapon X-Men #2, Deadpool takes charge, Wolverine takes a nap, and the rest of the team takes a trip around the world.
WEAPON X-MEN #2
Writer: Joe Casey
Art and Main Cover: ChrisCross
Variant Covers: STEVE SKROCE, DECLAN SHALVEY, GERARDO SANDOVAL
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: March 26, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Weapon X-Men #2 kicks off with some solo Deadpool (Wade Wilson) antics, so, fun. His inner/outer monologue reveals his actual motivations for capturing Wolverine (Logan) last issue, and it wasn’t to betray the new Weapon X-Men team that he just named (although he did blow up their vehicle). Believe it or not, Deadpool has a plan.
Deadpool is only mildly unsettled that his mystery client turns out to be Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (whose bad guy resume is too long to list here), but he is immensely impressed with Strucker’s spot-on supervillain lair housed inside a floating artificial island.
Deadpool amuses himself as Strucker (in full bad guy monologue mode), reveals his master plan to use Logan to create mechanized A.I. Wolverine clones (it’s truly a sign of the times when even supervillains are taking advantage of the benefits offered by artificial intelligence).
Strucker’s masked soldiers take Deadpool prisoner, revealing themselves to be Life Model Decoys (LMDs) of Strucker himself, (is it the ultimate expression of paranoia or vanity to have an army of your own robot clones?) The LMDs escort Deadpool to another part of the facility (probably so as not to spill any blood in Strucker’s nice clean murder lab).
Deadpool reappears minutes later, after having dismantled the LMDs, and boasts to Strucker that his plan was always to find out who hired him to abduct Wolverine. Strucker launches into a megalomaniacal tirade about “destiny” this and “master plan” that, and then unveils the first wave of his “Wolverine’s of Mass Destruction” (that name was Deadpool’s idea too).
Weapon X-Men #2 ends with Deadpool being brutally dismembered by the killer WMDs, as Wolverine finally wakes up from his long nap.
Analysis
Weapon X-Men #2 finally starts of makes sense out of last issue’s chaotic plot. Strucker’s scheme to artificially replicate Wolverine into an unstoppable adamantium army is a decent story idea, but not very original or surprising. Weapon X-Men #2 (and possibly this entire miniseries) also seems to be focusing primarily on Deadpool, which is fine, as Wade brings much needed humor and unpredictability to the story.
Veteran writer Joe Casey (Cable) saves a meh plot with some outstanding rapid-fire one-liners as Deadpool repeatedly foils Strucker’s schemes. Logan is unconscious for the entirety of Weapon X-Men #2, while the rest of the team have very little to do or say, and are just being moved into position for the epic battle with the WMDs next issue, so this is still really Deadpool’s story, (for now).
The sequence of the X-Men Blackbird jet dodging blasts of Strucker’s artificial lighting are cool, but the ship taking a hit and crashing into the ocean isn’t a surprise plot twist any more than Strucker’s betrayal, or Deadpool’s secret plan, but they do make for a fun read. (The only real surprise is how much damage Deadpool takes while scrapping with the WMDs).
What does save Weapon X-Men #2 is Joe Casey’s dialogue and ChrisCross’ dynamic art. The fight sequences and layouts add to the danger posed by the WMDs while the artist throws in a little visual humor by showing Deadpool casually draping the unconscious 300-lb Wolverine over one shoulder.
Final Thoughts
While Weapon X-Men #2 doesn’t break new ground, it’s still a fun read, and the top-notch creative team is clearly having a blast, especially with Deadpool in the lead.
