OVERLAY REPORT

In the film *Deadpool 2* (2018), the most crucial action made by the lead character, Wade Wilson (Deadpool), is his **selfless sacrifice to save the soul of the young mutant Russell Collins (Firefist).** This action is the narrative and emotional climax of the film, as it represents Deadpool’s transition from a self-interested mercenary to a genuine hero. ### The Most Crucial Action: The Sacrifice During the final confrontation at the Essex House for Mutant Rehabilitation, Russell is on the verge of killing the abusive Headmaster. Cable, a soldier from the future, knows that this murder will set Russell on a dark path to becoming a serial killer who eventually murders Cable’s wife and daughter. To prevent this future, Cable attempts to shoot Russell with his last bullet. Wade, who has spent the movie trying to find a sense of belonging after the death of his girlfriend Vanessa, realizes that the only way to save Russell’s "soul" is to show him that someone truly cares for him. Wade puts on a **mutant-power-dampening collar** (which inhibits his healing factor, making him humanly vulnerable) and throws himself in front of Cable’s bullet. As Wade dies from the gunshot wound, his act of pure self-sacrifice moves Russell so deeply that the boy chooses not to kill the Headmaster, effectively changing the future and saving Cable’s family. ### Who Helped Him While the choice to jump was Wade's alone, several characters were instrumental in helping him "make" this moment happen: * **Vanessa (Vision):** Throughout the film, Wade has near-death visions of Vanessa. In his final vision before the climax, she tells him that his "heart is in the right place" but he needs to figure out what that means. This guidance is what drives him to stop trying to die for himself and instead die for someone else. * **Colossus and the X-Men:** Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Yukio provide the necessary muscle to distract the **Juggernaut**, who was protecting Russell. Without Colossus holding off the Juggernaut, Wade would never have been able to reach Russell in time to make his plea. * **Cable (Josh Brolin):** While Cable was the one who fired the shot, he is the one who ultimately ensures Wade's survival. Moved by Wade's sacrifice, Cable uses his **final time-travel charge**—originally intended to return him to his family in the future—to go back several minutes. He secretly places a **lead skee-ball token** (a memento from Wade and Vanessa's first date) over Wade's heart. When the scene plays out again, the bullet hits the token instead of Wade's chest, allowing him to survive while still achieving the emotional impact needed to save Russell. * **Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio (Post-Credits):** In the mid-credits scene, these two fix Cable’s time-travel device. This allows Deadpool to perform a second set of "crucial" actions: traveling back in time to save Vanessa and Peter, and "cleaning up the timelines" by killing the *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* version of Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds himself before he can star in *Green Lantern*.