By John Liu
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Deadpool was the movie sensation that carved a niche for every superhero fan who was old enough to watch it. There were so many Easter Eggs, ranging from comic book references to numerous Ryan Reynold ones, that kept the audience laughing the whole movie. I was worried Deadpool 2 would not be able to work the same magic as its predecessor. I’m happy to report that is not the case, and Deadpool 2 is a welcome sequel.
David Leitch did a marvelous job of directing Deadpool 2. Pun intended! Half the fun is just seeing where this movie will go, since it’s so unpredictable and nothing is off limits. This time, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) has the role of protecting Firefist (Julian Dennison) from Cable (Josh Brolin), who has travelled back in time to kill him. Deadpool recruits a team known as X-Force to help him stop Cable. That’s pretty much all I can say without going into spoilers. I had seen only one trailer for Deadpool 2, so I was a little surprised to see a press release with the headline, “Deadpool 2 Showcases Up-And-Coming Asian and Pacific Islander Actors.” Without further ado, let us run through the API actors starring in Deadpool 2.
I honestly did not know Julian Dennison was a Maori actor, even after his breakout role in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. In fact, I did not even make the connection it was Julian until there was a joke about him being in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Julian does a great job of playing Firefist, a troubled orphan who goes on a journey of destruction due to being abused in the past. The movie will later reveal why Cable is trying to kill him. Fun fact: Julian is unable to watch Deadpool 2 because he’s only 15, and in New Zealand, you have to be at least 16 to watch R-rated movies.
Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) is a fun loving Japanese character and plays Negasonic Teenage Warhead’s girlfriend. This is the first queer superhero couple to grace the big screen. It’s actually fun seeing the contrast between Warhead’s teenage, indifferent personality juxtaposed with Yukio’s painfully cute personality. I laughed at Yukio’s scenes, but definitely can see how her Japanese portrayal furthers stereotypes. Next on the list is Indian American actor Karan Soni, who plays Deadpool’s taxi driver Dopinder. He has some funny scenes, and hope to see him back for another sequel. Chinese/British American actor Lewis Tan plays Shatterstar, one of the new recruits on X-Force. I won’t say anything else about thise except, “You’ll see.”
I give Marvel credit for a diverse API cast, but once again hope Asians will get a bigger role in the next sequel.
Domino (Zazie Beetz) was definitely the best new addition to this series, and I hope to see her return for another movie! In true Marvel tradition, stay for the mid-credits scene after the movie. You will not regret it!
Deadpool 2 got the honor of finally dethroning Avengers: Infinity War at the box office last weekend, earning $125 million domestic and $300 million worldwide.
John can be reached at john@nwasianweekly.com.