Enjoy some trivia about the Merc with a Mouth.
Deadpool is a spandex crusader with an edge, and he has enough personality to bring excitement to a Celine Dion song (it’s actually a beautiful song). He’ll slice you up without a second thought and make fun of you while doing it, which makes him endearing and cooler than his peers. Whether you love the character’s zany exploits or hate them, there’s no denying that he’s one of a kind. His fourth-wall-breaking antics make him a hilarious and off-kilter alternative to his superhero brethren, and even after nearly three decades of delivering wisecracks, bloodshed, and meta mischief in the panels of some of Marvel’s most beloved titles, in the past couple of years the universe as a whole has been seduced by his charms.
In an age where superhero movies are all the rage, Deadpool and its sequel occupy their own special niche in the land of big-budget featuring crime-fighting super beings. The marketing campaigns are genius, and the onscreen adventures are violent, self-aware hoots that encapsulate the spirit of the source material. With this in mind, though, we thought it would be fun to dig through the Marvel library so we could share some fun facts about the Merc with a Mouth.
Deadpool Started Life as a Parody of a DC Character
The idea for Deadpool was originally conceived by artist Rob Liefeld after reading DC’s “Teen Titans” comics and becoming fascinated with the antagonist Deathstroke, a morally-ambiguous mercenary with superhuman agility and expert weapon skills. Upon showing then-writer Fabian Nicieza Deadpool’s costume and describing his characteristics, the pair decided to openly acknowledge the obvious similarities. Thus, they called him Wade Wilson as an homage to Deathstroke’s real persona, Slade Wilson.
Deadpool Started Life as a Villain
Deadpool isn’t exactly a typical clear-cut goody-two-shoes type of hero. He’s a mercenary and often immoral, but he’s easy to root for and not exactly a villain either. When the character made his debut in “New Mutants #98” back in 1991, he was an adversary of the titular heroes, hired by the evil Genesis to eliminate them. He was repackaged as an anti-hero later on, but over the years he’s still found himself on the opposing side of Marvel’s finest heroes from time to time.
Marvel Heroes Also Inspired His Creation
Deathstroke wasn’t the only character to inspire Deadpool’s creation. According to Liefeld, Wolverine and Spider-Man were also major influences behind the Merc’s conception. As he told Forbes, “Wolverine and Spider-Man were the two properties I was competing with at all times. I didn’t have those, I didn’t have access to those. I had to make my own Spider-Man and Wolverine. That’s what Cable and Deadpool were meant to be, my own Spider-Man and my own Wolverine.”
The Spider-Man influence is also evident in the character’s build, costume design, and witty wisecracks. Of course, given that stories featuring Deadpool are very self-aware, they’ve been more than happy to mention these similarities throughout the years. Additionally, his very powers came about as a result of an experiment containing Wolverine’s DNA.
The First Solo Run Was Released in 1993
After his first appearance in “New Mutants”, the character went on to make guest appearances in other Marvel titles like “The Avengers”, “Daredevil”, and “Heroes for Hire.” His popularity subsequently rose, then in August 1993, Marvel released Deadpool’s inaugural solo mini-series, “The Circle Chase.” He received another starring mini-run one year later, followed by his first ongoing series in 1997.
One Writer Regrets Getting Involved
In a 1997 Wizard Magazine article titled “Bad Is Good”, Eisner Award-winning creator Mark Waid, who wrote the 1994 Deadpool mini-series, was one of several creators who voiced concern over villainous characters receiving their own series at the time. He commented, “Frankly if I’d known Deadpool was such a creep when I agreed to write the mini-series, I wouldn’t have done it. Someone who hasn’t paid for their crimes presents a problem for me.”
Deadpool is Attracted to Everyone and Everything
Deadpool’s physical appearance is somewhat hideous, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting jiggy with it on numerous occasions. In that time he’s slept with superheroines, aliens, and even flirted with Death, but for years there was much speculation among fans as to what his sexuality really was. As it turns out, he’s omnisexual.
According to the character’s co-creator Fabian Nicieza, his sexuality is anything and everything. In 2015, he tweeted that “Deadpool is whatever sexual inclination his brain tells him he is in THAT moment. And then the moment passes.”
He Can’t Die
Over the years, Deadpool has been shot, stabbed, decapitated, and incinerated. However, thanks to his supreme healing powers, he’s more or less impossible to kill. On top of that, Thanos used the Infinity Stones to curse Wilson with immortality in order to prevent him from dying and living happily ever after with a certain character…
He’s in Love with Death
Deadpool and Lady Death had a thing. Unlike most people who want to date dead things, though, this wasn’t solely about exploring any depraved carnal passions. They caught the feels for each other. She appeared to him during moments of extreme torture, but in order to be together, our hero had to die and stay dead. But Thanos was also in love with Death at the time and jealous of her infatuation with Deadpool — hence the aforementioned immortality curse. In the end, Thanos’s courting paid off and Death even had a child with him.
He Fought Zombie Presidents
In the aptly-titled “Dead Presidents”, the Merc took on the resurrected iterations of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and more former leaders of the free world who’d been brought back courtesy of a necromancer S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with nefarious plans. It’s truly ridiculous and some of the most fun you’re ever likely to have reading a comic book — or anything for that matter.
He Has a Daughter
Sleeping around has consequences, so it was only a matter of time before the fruits of Deadpool’s loins came to be. Eleanor Camacho was the result of a one night stand Wade had with Carmelito Camacho, though in Deadpool’s defense he had no idea she even existed until years later when his old flame tracked him down to ask for child support.
He Killed the Marvel Universe
In 2011, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajic had sinister intentions for the Merc. As the title of their mini-series “Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe” suggests, our hero let out his inner psycho and embarked on a killing spree throughout the Marvel universe. He blew Spider-Man’s brains out, crushed Thor with his own Hammer, and eradicated other chumps in gloriously brutal ways. The series isn’t considered part of the official Marvel canon, but there’s no denying that if Deadpool wanted to, he could smoke most of these so-called superheroes.
He Also Killed the Characters Who Inspired Marvel’s Finest
What’s the best way to eradicate the Marvel universe? That’s right: kill the characters from classic literary who inspired their creation in the first place. In “Deadpool Killustrated”, Moby Dick, the Three Musketeers, the Headless Horseman, Sherlock Holmes, and other literary figures who helped propel pop culture faced the brunt of Deadpool’s killing rampage. The fun of this series, though, is that it acknowledges the iconic works that informed Marvel’s roster. In “Killustrated’s” own weird way, it’s like a love letter to fiction.
…And He Killed Himself
Deadpool’s quest to erase the Marvel universe didn’t end at the plight of his super counterparts and their literary predecessors. In the final installment of the “Killogy”, he set his sights on the ultimate target… himself. More specifically, every version of himself scattered throughout space and time. These included Lady Deadpool, Kidpool, Dogpool, and more. Who doesn’t want to see this happen on the big screen?
He Cares About Children
Although Wade Wilson acts like a morally questionable character who’s prone to outbursts of bloody slaughter and doing whatever it takes to suit his own agenda, he still has a code of honor and lines which he won’t cross. When it comes to children, he’s a big teddy bear at heart. He’s shown time and time again that he’s willing to go out of his way to save them from danger, including one time where he rescued his daughter from the clutches of a terrorist organization. That’s great parenting right there.
He Revisited an Old Spider-Man Comic
The initial full-scale Deadpool series by Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, and Pete Woods remains some of the best stuff Marvel has ever put out. Not only did it establish the wacky character we know and love today as a mainstay in the universe, but it contained offbeat stories like the one where the Merc gets sent back in time to relive other superhero stories from yesteryear. Case in point: In issue 11, Wade gets sent back to “The Amazing Spider-Man #47”, released 30 years before.
In the story, Wade spends time in Peter Parker’s shoes and relives the events. However, that doesn’t stop him from acting like a horny creep towards the women in Parker’s life either. Furthermore, the artwork is a complete recreation of the panels in Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.’s classic Spidey yarn. It’s so quintessentially Deadpool, as well as a delightful throwback to a golden age in comics.
He Almost (Accidentally) Destroyed the Marvel Universe, But Marvel Had Other Plans
In the year 2000, during the first ongoing series, J. Calafiore was asked to create a one-shot just in case something went wrong with an issue and they needed a substitute. So he created a story where Deadpool causes an alien invasion and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must fix the mess he’s made. While the issue was more or less completed and ready to go, Marvel didn’t need it in the end. That said, if you want to read the story for yourself, there is a version available online.
Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds Go Way Back
It’s hard to imagine any other actor besides Reynolds playing the Merc with a Mouth. He fits into that spandex like a hand in glove and has the perfect comedic timing to pull of his zany sensibilities. But did you know the Deadpool of the comics always felt he bore similarities to the Canadian actor as well?
Back in 2004, in “Deadpool and Cable #2”, the Merc described himself as a cross between Reynolds and Shar-Pei. Reynolds thought the joke was funny and knew right there and then that he had to play the character someday.
He’s Afraid of Cows
Deadpool has bovinophobia, which is the fear of cows. Their stares scare the crap out of him because he believes that they’re waiting for the opportune moment to strike. As for a more common phobia, he’s also terrified of clowns, which he considers the greatest threat to Earth after Galactus. Fear of clowns is no laughing matter, but neither is fear of cows.
The Yellow Speech Boxes Have Significant Meaning
In the comics, you’ve probably noticed that whenever the character speaks, his speech bubbles are yellow. This is to indicate that his voice is unique, as well as to make readers aware that he knows he’s in a comic book. Generally, though, this technique is used in comics to differentiate certain characters from the rest. For example, sometimes old English fonts are used for Thor, whereas Hulk’s bubbles have been green.
He Was Named After a Betting Pool
The origins of Wade Wilson’s spandex-clad anti-hero are well-known by this point, but here’s a quick refresher anyway. After being struck with cancer, he agreed to take part in the Weapon X Program, a government experiment designed to create super soldiers. However, given that the program was highly dangerous and not a sure-fire bet to work, those involved in its creation took bets on who would die first. Deadpool adopted his moniker based on this sick game due to his warped sense of humor. That said, the comics’ creators chose the name simply because it resembled Deathstroke.
He Killed His Parents
Wade Wilson’s family history is a mystery in the comics. Due to his scattered memories and all-around insanity, he has often struggled to remember what life was like before the Weapon X Project used him as their guinea pig. He recalled a troubled home life, but nothing was ever certain about who his folks were — at least not until he burned them to death while under the manipulation of the evil Butler. As it turned out, he set their house on fire, but he had no idea what he was doing at the time and eventually got payback against the baddie who’d been messing with his head.