“Deadpool & Wolverine” is honoring the days of Marvel’s future past.

Released on Friday, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” directed by Shawn Levy, is not only a great Deadpool movie, but the “Spider-Man: No Way Home” of Fox Studios’ Marvel Universe. After Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) discovers his universe will be destroyed, he must travel the multiverse in search of the only mutant who can help him save his world, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Together, the two embark on a buddy cop adventure through the Marvel wasteland to stop Charles Xavier’s evil twin sister, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), from destroying every timeline in the multiverse. Because “Deadpool & Wolverine” loves and learns from what came before, it brings the excitement back to cinemas in a world of superhero fatigue.

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After 24 years of audiences watching Jackman play Wolverine, this film finally delivers a Wolverine who’s the best at what he does – and what he does isn’t pretty. Where 2017’s “Logan” was a beautiful exploration of the man, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is the best onscreen portrayal of the moniker. By revisiting Wolverine in his prime in a rated “R” setting, it allows him to be vulgar and vicious. In previous “X-Men” films, audiences hardly got the sense Wolverine liked being an X-Man since he was barely with the team. But “Deadpool & Wolverine” explores this side of the character, offering new insight. Viewers get to see a Wolverine who cares about what it means to be an X-Man and the more heroic side it brings out of him. Although it took over two decades, it is gratifying that people finally get to see this version of such a beloved superhero.

Another benefit of the movie’s acknowledgment of the past is the expert costume design. Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe shifted to using primarily CGI costumes around 2016, they have been lackluster to say the least. In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” however, viewers are taken back to a simpler time of comic book movies in which the heroes actually have to take their costumes on and off. Watching Deadpool physically remove his mask is extremely satisfying, and seeing Wolverine’s perfect yellow and blue costume get bloody and ripped apart, adds verisimilitude to the film. The decision to make the costumes practical instead of CGI allows the film to feel real while also paying homage to the superhero films that pioneered the genre.

Going into the film, one of the more anticipated aspects was seeing how Reynolds would lampoon and play in the sandbox of the Marvel multiverse – and play he does. Aside from being a merc with a mouth usually loaded with rapid-fire lewd humor and innuendos, which are just as funny as ever, Reynolds’ Deadpool also makes clever remarks about the Marvel brand under both Fox and Disney. While there are plenty of on-the-nose jokes that fans will get a kick out of, Reynolds also knows how to make fun of these corporations in an incredibly cheeky manner. Throwaway lines about the troubled production of the MCU’s “Blade” movie or Fox’s unreleased “X-Men” films adds a layer of intelligence to the humor. While the more “in” jokes about the comic book industry will go over the casual viewers’ heads, they show Reynolds’ passion for the genre.

Similarly, the cameos in “Deadpool & Wolverine” are not just for show but help tell the story. It would have been very easy for this movie to throw in every Fox Marvel character only to have them be disregarded in typical Deadpool fashion – with gruesome violence. While this would have been entertaining enough, the movie treats these characters with the respect they, frankly enough, didn’t even receive in their own films. Actors return to play their forgotten portrayals of legacy characters who are all given individual moments and stakes in the plot that help carry the film’s message. In a time where genre media will throw in pointless flash-in-the-pan cameos, it is refreshing to see a movie with genuine regard for its predecessors.

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As a love letter to the Fox era of Marvel films, “Deadpool & Wolverine” doesn’t just hark on the bad or focus on the good: it reflects on the legacy of the Fox movies as a whole. It points out how the “X-Men” films were lost without Wolverine but also makes it known that without Wolverine and the X-Men, there would be no MCU. While “Daredevil” and the “Fantastic Four” movies were far from great, they gave audiences portrayals of iconic characters that helped to usher in a new generation of comic book fans. “Deadpool & Wolverine” – these versions of the characters and the film itself – marks the final chapter in the Fox’s Marvel Universe, and it is heartbreaking to see it end. However, the movie closes the book in such a crowd-pleasing and respectful way that it feels right to say goodbye.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is a comic book movie whose love for the genre bleeds through the entire film, making for hilarious and brutal fun – just maybe not for the whole family.