PHOTO BY JAY MAIDMENT / 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

After years when Marvel’s presence at the multiplex was more or less constant, 2024 features only one new entry in the vaunted Marvel Cinematic Universe. After some high-profile missteps and delays due to the studios’ feud with its workers, this weekend marks the one and only time the ur-narrative hits theaters.

And who is tasked with righting the ship for the mighty franchise?

Deadpool. Foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed, gore-frenzied Deadpool. An unlikely hero rises.

This time, though, the Merc With the Mouth, played once again by a still-delightful Ryan Reynolds, has a high-profile friend. Wolverine, played once again by Hugh Jackman, joins “Deadpool and Wolverine” to add some heavy muscle (and heavy drinking) to the proceedings, officially making his debut in the MCU after decades in Fox’s “X-Men” series.

The previous “Deadpool” films were the R-rated cousin of that series, always implied to be occurring in an adjacent universe to the mainline Marvel flicks. In “Deadpool and Wolverine,” that universe is dying; without Wolverine, it seems that this particular reality is decaying. It’s up to Deadpool to put his frenemy Logan (old version or otherwise) back where he belongs, thus saving his own reality.

If this sounds like a meta-commentary on the fractured storylines, it certainly is — sometimes explicitly and sometimes more subtly. But, while there’s surprising depth to the implications about fandom and corporate-controlled narratives, such considerations are icing on a frenetic, fun cake.

That’s the most significant thing about “Deadpool and Wolverine,” to me: how fun it is. Many of the recent Marvel films have devolved into self-seriousness and even maudlin territory; the recent “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Thor” entries took once-buoyant characters and saddled them with impossibly heavy circumstances.

With this team-up, Marvel wisely shoves such pathos aside and remembers that these movies are supposed to be fun. It’s funny, quick and often surprising — even in a universe known for its jaw-dropping guest appearances, you’ll be shocked — and, like its predecessors, the film’s reliance on blood and bad words feels more mischievous than vulgar.

It’s frivolous, but it should be: We’re supposed to enjoy these movies.

My Rating: 8/10

“Deadpool and Wolverine” is now playing in theaters.