Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine doesn’t hold back in any aspect, especially in its jokes about DC. The vulgar hero’s meta jokes and fourth wall breaks are what put him on the map. When Disney regained the rights to the 20th Century Fox Marvel characters, a huge Deadpool character worry was whether the company would try to give the character a more family-friendly appeal. Luckily, Deadpool & Wolverine proved that the character would be staying true to himself in his new home.

Many of the jokes and references made in Deadpool & Wolverine are pretty shocking for any project associated with Disney, especially the direct jabs at other companies. The film goes in hard on DC and their inconsistent track record at the box office. As two comic book juggernauts, Marvel and DC have always had a rivalry. With the MCU’s slow recent years and DC Studios getting a revamp, some said that Marvel was falling behind. However, Deadpool adamantly reminds fans of Marvel’s own wins against the DCEU.

Deadpool & Wolverine Doesn’t Pull Any Punches On DC

The Film’s DC References Include A Shocking Cameo

In one of Deadpool & Wolverine’s most surprising cameos, Henry Cavill appears as a Wolverine variant. Wade acknowledges Cavill in a meta way, as he calls the actor the “Cavillrine.” From his physique to his aura, Deadpool tells Cavill that he would make the perfect Wolverine and that Marvel would treat him better. It’s a direct jab at DC’s questionable treatment of Cavill’s Superman over the years, which hits especially hard given Cavill has since been recast in the DC reboot. Deadpool even throws in a jab at DC’s many live-action Batman costumes, wondering how the actors would move their heads with tight cowls.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s other DC jab was more subtle but just as savage. Deadpool drags the intoxicated Wolverine variant to the TVA hoping that he can be the new anchor being. Deadpool attempts to convince Paradox by saying that Wolverine will “change the hierarchy of power in the MCU.” It’s a reference to the many, many times Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson said that his film would change the hierarchy of power in the DCU, with it eventually bombing at the box office. What makes the joke even deeper is the fact that Ryan Reynolds and Johnson previously worked together on Netflix’s Red Notice.

Why Deadpool & Wolverine’s DC Jokes Are Perfect

Deadpool Has Always Been Snarky

The rivalry between Marvel and DC has always been talked about by fans, and it is sometimes even referenced in other media. It’s rare that the actual MCU or DCEU projects themselves ever go for a meta joke at the expense of the other studio, and in any other MCU project, a jab at DC would probably feel out of place and forced for the sake of the rivalry. However, Deadpool is the perfect character to execute these types of jokes with his snark and sarcasm.

The DC jokes in Deadpool & Wolverine felt natural with Deadpool’s usual tone and frequent references to pop culture. It felt especially fun to emphasize the rivalry at a time when both studios are undergoing an era of change. The DC jabs risked feeling cheap, but it helped that Marvel Studios themselves were not immune to Deadpool’s sharp tongue. Deadpool emphasized the MCU’s past few years of struggles and blatantly said that he was joining Marvel at the studio’s lowest point. The playing field between Marvel and DC feels even with the film acknowledging the struggles of both studios.

Has Deadpool Always Poked Fun At DC?

Deadpool & Wolverine Is Not The First Time

Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t the first time that the franchise has poked fun at their rival’s expense. When Wade is getting tortured to awaken his mutant genes in Deadpool, he quips that Ajax better not make his suit green or animated. It’s a reference to Reynolds’ starring role in DC’s Green Lantern, which was critically panned. The franchise takes an even more direct approach in Deadpool 2, with Wade going back in time to shoot Reynolds to stop him from accepting the role of Green Lantern in the first place.

Deadpool 2’s other DC jokes include Deadpool wanting to go to a planet and be their god “like Superman,” calling himself Batman when Cable first asks for his identity, and saying that Cable’s dark and depressing world belongs in the DC universe. While recounting events to Vanessa, Wade says that he and his opponent clashed because they both found out their mothers’ names were Martha, which is a reference to the oft-criticized moment in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Deadpool has always poked fun at DC, and Deadpool & Wolverine shows that he’ll continue doing so even under Disney.