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'Deadpool 2' and the Significance of "Take On Me" by a-ha

Spoilers—If you haven't seen the film you might want to sit this one out.

By Nathaniel CornsPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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**THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DEADPOOL 2**

Last night I finally went to see Deadpool 2 and it was great, although many say it was not as good as the first one. In part I do have to agree, although I must admit it was nice to see some LGBT representation (and by the way, I’m not just talking about the hint dropping that goes on between Deadpool and Colossus; I’m talking about the very obvious line of “she’s my girlfriend” said by Negasonic about Yukio).

Some of the jokes did land a bit flat especially towards the end—in particular, I’m thinking of the scene where Deadpool was “dying.” It was funny that he wasn’t actually dead the first time but then he pretended to die about three more times. It just felt a bit unnecessary and long-winded in a film that is already two hours long.

Anyway, I digress. There is one scene in particular that really stood out to me and that I want to talk about. I was very grateful for it as it just so happens to be the scene after the scene I just mentioned. I am, of course, talking about the scene where Wade finally crosses the barrier to meet Vanessa.

In case it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, Vanessa is shot and killed at the beginning of the film (Side note: slightly sexist I’ve got to say. The female love interest dying in order to fuel the male’s story arc? Not that ground-breaking.) When Vanessa first died, I felt like a lot of the attempts to make the audience feel heartbroken missed the mark. The whole “I’m the b*stard that got away,” trope is overused and cliché. I’d have much preferred if they showed he was sad, rather than said he was sad. However to my surprise, right at the end, they did get me to the verge of tears.

After Vanessa’s death, a suicidal and depressed Wade Wilson is constantly finding himself on the cusp of death trying to cross an invisible barrier to get to her. Every time he is stopped by the barrier and can’t reach her. For Wade, ‘heaven’ appears to be his old apartment with Vanessa—indicating that the thing he loved the most in life was coming home to her. It’s also important to note that with the death of Vanessa and his suicide attempt, his home is quite literally destroyed, just like his plans for the future with her. Everything he loved in life has gone. His ‘heaven’ allows him to be with her in their cozy apartment for the whole of eternity—but not yet. Vanessa explains to him that his F-word (his family—the X-Men) still need him to be alive for a little while.

When Vanessa finally pulls him across the barrier and the pair embrace for the first time since her death, there is the beautiful MTV Unplugged Summer Solstice version of a-ha’s "Take On Me" playing softly in the background. In terms of sound, this song and this version of the song is a perfect choice for this scene. Simply the tone of the song can get you weeping, even with nothing on the screen. Significantly, it’s another 80s pop reference (clearly David Leitch knows his audience) and the lyrics fit really well with Wade’s situation: “I’ll be coming for your love/I’ll be gone in a day or two/Stumbling away, slowly learning that life is okay/”

But it’s in the visuals where the symbolism and emotion really lie. The iconic music video to “Take On Me” features a woman, madly in love with a comic book character, who is pulled across a magical barrier to reach her soulmate in another plane of existence. Sound familiar? It should—this music video directly mirrors the scene we see towards the end of Deadpool 2.

It’s a very subtle pop culture reference in one of the sweetest moments of the film. It shows that even in the most emotional of moments, there is still hope. And that really is the spirit of the Deadpool franchise.

pop culture
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About the Creator

Nathaniel Corns

A 21 year old trans man stumbling his way through life. Recent English Literature and Film Studies graduate. Pagan, activist, bisexual.

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