Friday Creature Feature - Grysk

As I’m finishing up the Thrawn trilogy, I keep thinking of what I want to write about the books. I considered writing a view of each book. I thought about podcasting about them. I still haven’t figured out how I want to delve into them, but I’m liable to re-read them before Ahsoka season two comes out (if I have enough time) so I’ll save discussion of those books for another day. Instead, today I’ve got a creature feature about one of the main antagonists of Chiss, Thrawn’s people: The Grysk.

What’s known about the Grysk is shrouded in myth, but it’s clear they’re a nomadic warrior species from the Unknown Regions. According to Thrawn, they were a big enough threat for both the Chiss and the Empire. They’re a sentient species that kind of remind me of living skeletons. According to myth the Grysk were a vast horde set on overwhelming their victims through sheer numbers, but Thrawn suspected their unfamiliar tactics in battle were what led them to victory, not numbers.

By the time of the Clone Wars, the Grysk were already observing and strategizing against the Galactic Republic, long before it was the Galactic Empire. After Thrawn had climbed the ranks of the Imperial Navy, there were multiple missions he went on that ended up showing Grysk involvement. The most extensive was chronicled in "Thrawn: Treason” and it showed the Chiss Ascendency teaming up with the crew of the Chimaera to stop a Grysk plot. But even after Thrawn’s alliance stopped the advance of the Grysk invasion, he still suspected the invasion of the Grysk was only delayed, not prevented.

While the on-screen events of the Star Wars universe tend to take priority as top-tier canon, with the books being of secondary importance, I’m somewhat doubtful we’ll see the Grysk on-screen any time soon… unless that’s what we’re building up to with Ahsoka… I mean, Thrawn, Ahsoka, and Sabine were last seen in the “Far Galaxy”. Sounds like that’s even further than the Unknown Regions--maybe the Grysk have expanded that direction too. Hard to say exactly, but with Thrawn as the villain it would be the perfect to bring in a new non-Imperial antagonist. Let’s bring those Skeletors into the television/movie content!

Stay tuned! Depending on how far in advance they tell us the premiere date for Ahsoka season two, I might be back with a Thrawn Binge List (a la Ahsoka).

Grysk ship

LDS Geeks Podcast #24: Second Doctor Villains

Technical difficulties aside (hopefully you can't hear them too much) we had fun revisiting the Second Doctor's foes across his time in the TARDIS. Let us know which Second Doctor villains you'd have added to our list. 

--Spencer

Scripture Hero Spotlight: Captain Moroni

Flashback: 2010, my first area and first companion on my mission. Elder Call’s favorite scripture (his family scripture) was Alma 44:4

“Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.”

It’s a wonderfully inspirational scripture and I’m reminded of it and my time with Elder Call whenever I see a “444” on a license plate, a patient’s chart, or anything else. Despite how solemn this scripture describes faith and testimony, I also have ingrained into my mind the Moroni voice that my trainer would use when reciting this scripture.

Silly missionary anecdotes aside, I’m grateful to have studied the military career of Captain Moroni this month in our Come Follow Me lessons. He wasn’t a prophet, like Alma or Helaman, but he’s a wonderful example of stalwart faith in action. So as we finish up Moroni’s story and the Book of Alma, I want to highlight a couple lessons learned from the Nephite captain.

A Man of Conviction

“And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.” (Alma 46:12)

The example of Alma 44:4 could be an example of this as well, but there are so many instances of Moroni demonstrating his faith and conviction as a Nephite leader. The Title of Liberty and boldly sharing his testimony, despite the opinions of the king-men, is inspirational for those of us living in the latter-days. Social media and the internet only make it easier to be intimidated by what seems to be popular opinion–even if it’s not the popular opinion, it’s usually still shouted loudly enough to seem that way. Bearing simple testimony, as Moroni did on his rent coat, can be more impactful than all the loud voices screaming on the internet.

A Man of Faith

“Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.” (Alma 48:7)

Not only did Moroni live his faith and convictions, but he taught them to his people. He was a military captain but he was also a teacher in the faith. He knew that despite the physical wars they were engaged in, the more important war was for their souls. In fact, aren’t most of the war chapters frequently taken as allegories for the spiritual warfare we face on a day-to-day basis? Decades ago, President Packer said, “The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.” (General Conference, October 1986) I truly believe that if we internalize the gospel and are “trying to be like Jesus” there would be no wars (or at least fewer) and Captain Moroni’s job would have been obsolete.

A Man of Strength 

“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” (Alma 48:17)

I love Captain Moroni as an example of strength against the power of the devil. On my mission, we talked about being hell-shakers and I’ve thought of that often in the years since. Captain Moroni is one of the few mortal individuals in scripture or otherwise described to have faith so great to impact the adversary’s power. While becoming perfect sometimes seems unachievable (because we can’t be perfect in this life) the example of Captain Moroni gives me hope that the amount of faith to be a hell-shaker is attainable in this life. That’s a “short-term” goal I can shoot for.

A Man of Service

“Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.” (Alma 48:19)

This scripture talks about Helaman and the spiritual leaders being “no less serviceable” than Moroni, but that statement also works in reverse. Sometimes I’ve felt that I’ll never match the strength and spirituality of powerful spiritual leaders who have impacted me–Elder Holland, my mission president, and more. Stories like this help to remind me that I don’t need to be in the spotlight to make a difference in the spiritual lives of the people around me.

A Man of Passion

“And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.” (Alma 61:9)

A few years ago I wrote about Moroni’s letter to Pahoran, so I won’t rewrite that lesson here (just the link). Suffice it to say that I admire Captain Moroni’s passion for protecting his people from harm, physically and spiritually. Even when I overstep and make mistakes, they can be used for the benefit of those around me. Moroni never wanted to bully his way into getting what he wanted, but he did speak boldly and fiercely for the right. 

Heading into the fall season and the last portion of the Book of Mormon, I look forward to reading the pivotal visit of the Savior in 3 Nephi and the final lessons from Mormon and Moroni. For right now, I’ll bask in the lessons I’ve learned from the Captain himself.

Stripling Warriors: Momma's Boys

I grew up in the Los Angeles area and as such had the opportunity to frequent the Los Angeles Temple and its visitor center often. The visitor center has been changed and undergone some major upgrades since that time with a plethora of interactive media and family history experiences, but when I went, there were 2 pieces of technology that stuck out to me. One was the statues in front where a button could be pushed and a story or series of scriptures would be shared. The other was a large theater where you could request a church film or Living Scripture movie be played. My favorite Living Scripture movie to request was the story of Helaman and the stripling warriors. Given the fact that this story is included in this week’s study of Come Follow Me, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the film and the scriptural story it portrays.

Admittedly, as a child, the movie of the Stripling Warriors was my favorite because it had the most action. That being said, this story became one of my favorites and I can still remember being able to share about Helaman and his sons with a fellow member of my stake while on a bus ride to youth conference. He asked me what my favorite scripture story was and I pointed him to the story of Helaman and his sons. During high school, I had a t-shirt given to me that had the phrase “Stripling Warriors are Momma’s boys” which I loved to wear in public places such as Disneyland (back when I lived only a half an hour away and could go without having to take out a personal loan). It was a surefire way to get noticed by other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of course I had to be careful that “stripling” was read correctly or else it became a little awkward…

The sons of Helaman were indeed “momma’s boys.” I love that they credit their mothers for their faith. In Alma 56: 47-48, we read: 

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”

These young men were taught the gospel of Jesus Christ by their mothers and as result, were firm in their belief that the Lord was in control, regardless of the outcome of the battle.

Back to the Living Scriptures movie. Yes there was fighting and action and it was so cool to see the Stripling Warriors win, but as I reflect back on the film, a couple of things stand out to me that are different from the scriptural account. 

First, as they were fleeing from a speedy march from the Lamanites, Helaman was in the back of the army in an effort to head off the Lamanites should they come upon the rear of his army. Wow! He was willing to take on a whole army with only one other guy if he thought he could slow down the advance of the Lamanites and give his boys a better chance of escape. 

Second, the Stripling Warriors helped out each other. The stronger warriors protected those who were weaker. This reminds me of a teaching from Doctrine and Covenants 84:106: 

“And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.”

This verse has often been applied to ministering or missionary companionships, but I think it can be applied to marriages, friendships and pretty much any relationship we have. Recently, my wife was not feeling well so I was responsible for attempting to take care of my daughter. This experience was taxing on me and later that day, my wife took care of my daughter so I could recover.

Lastly, I loved Helaman’s reaction upon learning that all of the Stripling Warriors were alive. He dropped to his knees and while it was not an uttered prayer, I imagine him giving thanks to the Lord for sparing his army. I love the idea of being grateful under any circumstances. In 2020, President Nelson shared a video around Thanksgiving highlighting the importance of gratitude and then proceeded to pray a prayer of gratitude. It was a great example to me of the importance of expressing thanks to Heavenly Father.

It has been a long time since I have seen the Living Scriptures account of the Stripling Warriors, but I think it is fair to say that it started me on the path that led to a lifelong love of this wonderful scriptural account. I hope you enjoy your Come Follow Me study this week!

Link to President Nelson’s talk and prayer

6 Pokemon You Forgot Could Talk

Pokemon are known to speak their name only (or maybe that's just in the anime, not the games–I'm not clear on that). Team Rocket’s Meowth is unique among Pokemon in his ability to speak with humans. If you recall from "Go West Young Meowth" it was not an easy task. Conversely, there are a number of other Pokemon who have spoken human speech with little or no problem. Most of them were mythical or legendary Pokemon, but it’s still no small thing. I won’t count Pokémon who communicate telepathically, like Mewtwo or Lugia, or Pokemon pretending to be human (like Zorua/Zoroark). Obviously, Meowth would fit here, so I’m going to skip right past him, but here are some Pokemon that have been known to speak our language over the years.

Gastly (“The Ghost of Maiden's Peak”)

Maybe this Gastly was using some ghostly power to communicate through a mix of speech and telepathy, but by all accounts this Gastly was able to speak to Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket. Though, since this Gastly also made illusions to outwit the trainers, it’s entirely possible that his human speech was an illusion too.

Slowking (“The Power of One”)

Various Pokedex entries in the games describe Slowking as a Pokemon with “incredible intellect and intuition” so perhaps it’s because of his intellect that the Slowking on Shamouti Island had learned to communicate with humans. That being said, the island seemed pretty desolate, which leaves me with one question: Who did he learn to speak from?

Murkrow (Gold/Silver/Crystal and HeartGold/SoulSilver)

It’s a small one but when taking down the Team Rocket HQ in Mahogany Town, the player encounters a Murkrow that blurts out the password to the generator room. Could just be parroting human speech like Chatot (before Chatot existed), but it still technically counts.

Manaphy (“Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea”)

To be fair, Manaphy’s speech was very limited. But as this mythical Pokemon bonded with May, it was able to learn a handful of words, enough to say “happy” and “love you”. But that Manaphy was freshly hatched from an egg, so I imagine as it matured it would probably gain a much bigger vocabulary. 

Hoopa (“Hoopa and the Clash of Ages”)

Like Manaphy, Hoopa didn’t seem to have a full grasp of language and speaking. Instead, Hoopa was heard to say repetitive phrases and words, both in Confined Form and in Unbound Form. All the same, Hoopa was able to communicate well enough with Ash and his friends, even when consumed by anger.

Rotom ("Pokemon The Series: Sun & Moon")

I debated on whether to include Rotom in this list, but technically we had a Rotom talking throughout the anime in Alola. To be fair, that was because of Rotom's ability to bond with technology. Ash's Rotom Dex frequently spoke to him and his friends. Rotom on its own... probably not so much. I'd say it was more because of the Pokedex's audio features and Rotom's use of it, but all the same it kind of fits in this list.

I’m sure I missed a few talking Pokemon, but these are the ones I’ve watched at least. From Bulbapedia, it seems Arceus spoke as well in “Arceus and the Jewel of Life”–as the creator of all Pokemon I’m not surprised–but I’ve yet to watch that movie… kind of got stuck part-way through the Sinnoh anime. But who else have I missed? Maybe when I’ve finally watched the Arceus movie I’ll write about that too. For now, I’m going to continue working my way through the Alola anime on Hulu.

Two “Liddell” stories 100 years apart; “Ken” you believe it!

I have already written once about running. I have also alluded to the fact that I am a sports fan. And the Olympics are in full swing. So, I’m going to run with this theme and tie a classic sports film in with a current event from this year’s Olympics. 

In 1981, the Oscar for best picture went to the movie, “Chariots of Fire.” To this day, running on the beach is one of my favorite things to do at the beach because of the opening scene from this movie. There’s also the theme song which is a moving piece of music. The movie is based on true events (and a book about those events by the same title is also a great read!)  follows the experience of the British track team leading up to the 1924 Olympics (which also took place in Paris, how about that!!), specifically, Harold Abrams, a Jewish man and Eric Liddell, a devoted Christian. There are many great takeaways from the movie that I could highlight, but for now, I will focus on a race that takes place prior to the Olympics. It is a race that Eric Liddell is running and during the opening moments of the race, he falls down. Now, as a physical therapist, falling is something I try to help people avoid. As a track athlete, a fall can often cost you the chance to win. For Eric Liddell, he proceeded to get up from the fall, kick into high gear and win the race. He went on to compete in the Olympics, but being a devout Christian, he did not run on Sunday. Another athlete ended up giving up his spot in a different race that took place on a different day, so Eric ran that race and won the gold medal.

Fast forward 100 years to this year’s Olympic trials for the men’s steeplechase. This is a race run around a track with obstacles that must be jumped over, including water. During the qualifying race, a runner by the name of Kenneth Rooks fell during the beginning portion of the race. He picked himself up and proceeded to run again and ended up winning the race, earning a qualifying spot in the Olympics. Someone said that Rooks was ranked #571 in the world as a steeplechase runner, but he qualified for the Olympics and subsequently made it to the medal race, the only American to do so. He did not fall during this race, but was in the back of the pack for most of the race. During the final lap, Rooks made a move and led for the majority of the last lap. He earned Silver as the previous winner of the steeplechase race (Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco) passed Rooks during the final sprint to the finish. 

Maybe Rooks’ race was  not as prestigious as Eric Liddell winning gold, but a silver medal at the Olympics is pretty impressive. The parallels between these 2 are pretty amazing. I’ll highlight a few here:

-Both fell during races leading up the Olympic games and subsequently won the race they fell during

-Both are devout Christians

-Both participated in the Olympics in Paris (100 years apart)

Sometimes, movies and stories are told in a dramatic way which is great. But sometimes, the story is already there and we just get to witness it happen before our eyes. For both Liddell and Rooks, the drama unfolded of its own accord and I am just glad to have been able to witness one of these stories during my lifetime.

5 Moments Disney Broke the Fourth Wall

A couple weeks ago Marvel released Deadpool & Wolverine, a triumph for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In honor of the merc with a mouth, who’s famous for breaking the fourth wall, I was thinking about some of the best moments of Disney characters (villains and heroes) breaking the fourth wall. There are obviously a number of others who comment on aspects of the Disney franchise, or like Winnie the Pooh characters addressing the narrator or Jiminy Cricket telling the story of Pinoochio, but I’m going to focus mostly on the characters who speak directly to the camera. So let’s have some fun with those moments.

Kuzco (Emperor's New Groove)

The most obvious of all Disney fourth-wall-breakers is Emperor Kuzco the llama. Granted, he’s also the narrator, so I suppose that’s already kind of breaking the fourth wall. But there’s the iconic moment in which Kuzco stops the movie in order to remind us who the protagonist is in the movie (him, not Pacha). But then again Emperor’s New Groove is absolute nonsense (and that’s why I love it).

Timon and Pumbaa (The Lion King)

I think one is the most well known of the Disney fourth-wall moments (besides Kuzco). There’s this moment during “Hakuna Matata” in which Pumbaa was about to say he farted. Apparently that was a bad word for kids back in the 90s, because Timon stopped him saying “Not in front of the kids.” As a kid most of us probably thought he was referring to Simba, but as we grew up (and the internet pointed it out) we learned that “kids” (plural) referred not to Simba, but to the viewers. 

Tamatoa (Moana)

After Maui and Moana escape from the giant crab and return the heart, we have a happy ending with Moana returning to her family. After the credits finish rolling, we get this post-credit scene with Tamatoa still stuck on his back moaning and groaning until he comments to the camera that someone would help him if he were as charming as Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid). It’s a cute callback to the classic princess movie.

Genie (Aladdin)

After Aladdin releases his new friend from the lamp, there are plenty of funny moments with the Genie with Robin Williams and his beautiful comedic timing. He references other Disney movies and future events that ancient Arabia wouldn’t know anything about. There are two points in particular where he tries to interact with the audience. At one point, amidst trying to convince Aladdin to be honest with Jasmine, Genie is playing chess with the magic carpet; he loses the game and says, impersonating Rodney Dangerfield, “I’m losing to a rug.” And then of course there’s Genie’s abrupt interruption as Aladdin and Jasmine fly away at the end of the movie.

Olaf (Frozen 2 and Olaf Presents)

In Frozen 2, there’s a moment during “Some Things Never Change” that Olaf looks directly at the camera and says “You all look a little bit older.” Granted, he has some kids run past him immediately after the line, so he could be referring to them, but there’s still a moment that he seems like he’s talking to the viewer, who would naturally be a few years older compared to viewing the first movie at its release. There’s also the series of Olaf Presents shorts in which he tells various Disney stories to the camera. That could be breaking the fourth wall or he could have an audience there (like the enchanted forest people during Frozen 2 or the other snowmen in the post-credit scene). 

There are plenty of other Disney moments breaking the fourth wall of course, like Hades, Doofenshmirtz, and others who are more self-aware than anyone would think to allow in a Disney movie. Let us know which fourth-wall-breaking moment is your favorite in Disney or any other franchise too. And a hearty welcome to the X-Men arriving in the MCU!

Heaven's Eyes

 Once my daughter was able to sit up in her high chair and begin eating food by herself, I used that time to load/unload the dishwasher and generally clean up the kitchen. While doing so, particularly on Sunday mornings, I would play music from the Tabernacle Choir. But I often found myself playing their renditions of “Where you are” and “Circle of Life” more than “I am a Child of God” or “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” I particularly became fond of “Through Heaven’s Eyes” from The Prince of Egypt as sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell. The lyrics are a powerful reminder of the importance of perspective (I removed some of the repetition and “La-lai-lai-lai-lai-lee-lai-lai” in the interest of space)

“A single thread in a tapestry

Though its color brightly shines

Can never see its purpose

In the pattern of the grand design

And the stone that sits on the very top

Of the mountains mighty face

Does it think it's more important

Than the stones that form the base?

So how can you see what your life is worth

Or where your value lies?

You can never see through the eyes of man

You must look at your life

Look at your life through heaven's eyes

A lake of gold in the desert sand

Is less than a cool fresh spring

And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy

Is greater than the richest king

If a man loses everything he owns

Has he truly lost his worth?

Or is it the beginning

Of a new and brighter birth?

So how do you measure the worth of a man

In wealth or strength or size?

In how much he gained or how much he gave?

The answer will come

The answer will come to him who tries

To look at his life through heaven's eyes

And that's why we share all we have with you

Though there's little to be found

When all you've got is nothing

There's a lot to go around

No life can escape being blown about

By the winds of change and chance

And though you never know all the steps

You must learn to join the dance

So how do you judge what a man is worth

By what he builds or buys?

You can never see with your eyes on earth

Look through heaven's eyes

Look at your life through heaven's eyes”

The song is beautiful and the lyrics are stirring! If only I could bottle up the feelings I have when I hear this song and keep them with me always!

Of course sometimes in life we have the opportunity to see or feel things through “heaven’s eyes”. It can come through being a parent for the first time. It can come through a particularly uplifting church meeting or temple session. Perhaps it comes when praying sincerely and earnestly. Or in a myriad of other ways.  My father recently shared that he experienced this at a funeral for his best friend from high school. Words failed to fully express how he felt about it all, but I could feel the meaning of what he was sharing. He said that he felt joy and that the joy swallowed up all of the pain and suffering that had occurred. Perhaps this is what Alma meant as he described he experience to his son Helaman: 

“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” (Alma 36:21)

It wasn’t that the negative or bad experiences had not occurred or were not still “bad,” but in the moment, they were swallowed up in joy. That is one of the great miracles of the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the most recent General Conference, Elder Brian K. Taylor quoted Sister Lynda Reeves regarding a heavenly perspective on trials. This is the full quote from Sister Reeves in 2015:

“Sisters, I do not know why we have the many trials that we have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward, we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that was required?” I believe that if we could daily remember and recognize the depth of that love our Heavenly Father and our Savior have for us, we would be willing to do anything to be back in Their presence again, surrounded by Their love eternally. What will it matter, dear sisters, what we suffered here if, in the end, those trials are the very things which qualify us for eternal life and exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior?”

As I wrote earlier, the trials and hard things that my Dad experienced were not dismissed or not still present. He was fully aware of the fact that he would be going to work again on Monday. He would have to make business decisions, he would have to make choices for his calling, he would have to potentially deal with people who were upset. He could still remember the challenging situations he had experienced, but he felt that those things were swallowed up in the joy of Jesus Christ. This must be one way in which he saw his life through Heaven’s eyes. 

I close with the words of another song, “You Raise Me Up” as sung by BYU’s Vocal Point: 

“There is no life, no life without it's hunger

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly

But when you come and I am filled with wonder

Sometimes I think, I glimpse eternity”

When we invite the Savior into our lives, He will raise us up and sometimes He will raise us so high that we have the chance of seeing things as He does, even if for a small moment.

LDS Geeks Podcast #23: The 50th Hunger Games

Back in June, Suzanne Collins announced another Hunger Games prequel book, Sunrise on the Reaping. This book (and the subsequent movie adaptation) will focus on the 50th Hunger Games (aka Second Quarter Quell). From the narrative in the Catching Fire book we know much about these games already. So Russell and I got together to discuss it.

 --Spencer

Deadpool & Wolverine - What You're Missing

This is a funny film to review on Latter-Day Saint Geeks, considering it's not only rated R but REALLY rated R, but as the morally flexible heathen I am I was happy to go see Deadpool & Wolverine and can't wait to tell y'all what you may've missed. 

Spoilers. 

Quick Recap

So for those not following the Deadpool movies here's a summary: Deadpool is what happens when you give Bugs Bunny a whole ton of guns and tell him to go nuts. The irreverent Merc with a Mouth is a mutant, same as the X-Men, except he was given his powers through a shady experiment by bad guys who wanted to make an army of mutants they could control. He went through the procedure to cure his extremely aggressive cancer, which his newfound healing powers did, but it left him incredibly disfigured. 

First movie he spends his time trying to find the guy that did this to him so he could be with his girlfriend Vanessa since he thinks she wouldn't love him if he was ugly. Turns out there is no cure and that Vanessa loves him for who he is. 

Second movie Vanessa is killed as a result of his vigilante/mercenary work. In his grief Deadpool tries to find ways to negate his powers so he can finally die and be with her. He meets up with Cable, a time travelling soldier of fortune and they have their own shenanigans before Deadpool takes his time travel device and saves Vanessa. 

Still following? Okay let's get into movie three. 

Multiverse of Hilarious

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool has hung  up the suit and is a car salesman, trying to make an honest life after his time indiscriminately killing people caused his longtime girlfriend Vanessa to break up with him. Despite his depression he is grateful for the group of weirdos he's adopted along the way that make up his family. He's celebrating this when he gets abducted by the TVA, the same guys Loki was messing with in his show on Disney+. They want to put Deadpool into the MCU, which would give him a chance to be an Avenger and prove to Vanessa that he isn't just a serial killer with a sense of humor. However, the TVA manager he's working with, Paradox, tells him that he's being pulled out because his universe is degrading. Despite this being a process that can take thousands of years, Paradox has decided that he wants to prune the timeline in memory of the former TVA who patrolled the Sacred Timeline (Watch Loki for how this nonsense works). Deadpool is told that his adopted family can't come with him so he goes on his own quest to save his timeline. 

Come to find out, to my great annoyance, that the timeline is dying because its anchor being (Read "Most profitable character") is dead, which happens to be everyone's favorite sentient piece of toxic masculinity Wolverine. Deadpool hops multiverses looking for a new Wolverine to replace his, finds one that he likes, and then is dumped to the wasteland at the bottom of the multiverse where everything the TVA deems either too dangerous or too unimportant to be in the mainstream goes to die. 

Eventually the duo get out, save the world, and the girl is saved. 

Oh but wait, Spider-Fans, there's more!

Wasteland of Misfit Fox Movies

One of several running gags in the film is that Deadpool is leaving Fox and moving to Disney, along with the X-Men. We could go into the behind-the-scenes stuff on this but suffice it to say that before we had the MCU we had a whole ton of questionably connected superhero movies which internet nerds like me argue about the quality and significance of until the MGM lion chokes. When Deadpool and Wolverine reach the wasteland they get to meet a handful of former Marvel heroes in more celebrity cameos than a Muppet movie. The film then becomes a tribute to all the Marvel movies that helped pave the way for the MCU to exist at all, and a thank you for the fans who showed up to see their favorites get live-action adaptations. Even my black, jaded little heart squeed at the appearance of Wesley Snipes Blade and Tyler Mane's Sabretooth, but none warmed my heart than Channing Tatum's Gambit. 

The Gambit movie was in preproduction years ago, with hype around Tatum learning card tricks and taking accent lessons to play the Ragin' Cajuan before the movie was canned, much to my disappointment. Gambit is my favorite X-Man and after his portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine I was excited for a GOOD live-action version of Gambit only to get.... Nothing. Tatum feeds my fanboy in Deadpool & Wolverine by giving us the GAMBIT WE NEED, even if just for a little bit. 

Oh and a handful of Avengers show up throughout but who cares. 

What Does This Mean for the MCU? 

Well... Honestly we don't know. At the end of the movie status quo is restored as Deadpool's universe is once again safe and still separate from the main MCU. This opens the potential for the X-Men and the Avengers to come together down the line if there's yet more multiverse shenanigans, but with the Kang the Conqueror currently being reworked it's unsure what Marvel/Disney is going to do with the mutants now. We're sadly just going to have to wait and see. 

-JOE

P.S. Notice that this post is shorter than my usual rants. You try writing about a Deadpool movie and keep it PG!