Absolutely loved this, laughing all the way through it. What a tonic! In this multiverse story Deadpool is approached by a man named Paradox, wonderfully portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen, who intends on vaporising his entire universe because apparently, it’s not supposed to go on living without the now deceased hero Wolverine. Deadpool kidnaps another version of Wolverine to replace but this only results in Paradox banishing both Deadpool and Wolverine. Loved Deadpool’s references to Hugh’s life away from Wolverine. Now, there were a lot of references to Wolverine and Wade’s past that I was not aware of, so decided to go back in time. Way back to 2000.

So, here we are at the beginning. What an amazing ensemble cast is attached to this one, led by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. In a world where both Mutants and Humans fear each other, Marie, better known as Rogue, runs away from home and hitches a ride with another mutant, known as Logan, aka Wolverine. Professor Charles Xavier, who owns a school for young mutants, sends Storm and Cyclops to bring them back before it is too late. Magneto, who believes a war is approaching, has an evil plan in mind, and needs young Rogue to help him. Well, I’m hooked. What amazing special effects.

I must say that my personal favourite character here is Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler. He is wonderful. And then there’s Brian Cox and Bruce Davison. In this instalment, several months have passed since the X-Men defeated Magneto and imprisoned him in a seemingly impregnable plastic chamber. One day, a mutant by the name of Nightcrawler infiltrates the White House and attempts to assassinate the President, setting off a chain reaction of anti-mutant measures by the government, while Logan is trying to discover his past. I’m really getting involved in this X-Men universe.

I’m still stuck in the X-Men universe, and another favourite character has popped up in Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ McCoy, plus bovver-boy and ex footballer Vinnie Jones. When a “cure” is created, which apparently can turn any mutant into a “normal” human being, there is outrage amongst the mutant community. While some do like the idea of a “cure”, including Rogue, many mutants find that there shouldn’t be a “cure”. Magneto, who still believes a war is coming, recruits a large team of mutants to take down Warren Worthington II and his “cure”. And Jean Grey has returned and joined with Magneto. I love these parallel universes.

There are quite a few familiar faces popping up in this instalment. We follow two mutant brothers, Logan and Victor, born 200 years ago, who suffer childhood trauma and have only each other to depend upon. Basically, they’re fighters and killers, living from war to war throughout US history. Moving forward, Colonel Stryker recruits them and other mutants as commandos. Logan quits and becomes a logger, falling in love with a local teacher. When Logan refuses to rejoin Stryker’s crew, the Colonel sends the murderous Victor. Logan now wants revenge. I think I’m starting to get a tad confused with all these worlds colliding!

Well, now we have more amazing talent coming into the fray, with James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Fassbender and everyone’s favourite, Mr. Bacon. Now, we’re going way back to before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, when they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-MEN. Even Jason Flemyng has popped up!

Peter Dinklage comes into the story here as the dastardly Dr. Trask. In the future, the mutants and the humans who help them are slaughtered by powerful robots named Sentinels. Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Magneto, Storm, Kitty Pryde, and her friends meet at a monastery in China and Xavier explains that the invincible Sentinels were created using the DNA of Mystique that was captured in 1973 when she tried to assassinate their creator Dr. Bolivar Trask. Xavier says that their only chance is to return to 1973, to convince Mystique to give up her intention. Now, I really am getting in a muddle. I may have to get my son to elaborate on a few plot directions. One point I haven’t mentioned is the fantastic soundtrack attached to all of the films.

So, my search for knowing more about Wolverine ends here as I’ve run out of time… yes, a few parallel universes would come in handy. I must admit that I didn’t enjoy this film quite as much as those that went before. The dialogue wasn’t quite as witty. Set in today’s Japan, Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own near-immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before. I’ll catch up with Logan in another universe.