Deadpool: 4 Facts Only Real Marvel Fans Know About 'The Merc With The Mouth'
In the span of just over 30 years, Deadpool has made the unlikely journey from being a largely unknown supporting character to becoming one of the most popular heroes in the Marvel Universe. When Deadpool first appeared in "The New Mutants" #98 (by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld), Wade Wilson acted very differently than he does in the comics now. Initially little more than a ripoff of DC Comics' Deathstroke, the Merc with a Mouth would later gain and refine his wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking personality from other writers such as Joe Kelly and Gail Simone, leading to the hero building a higher and higher profile.
After Deadpool morphed into a fan-favorite hero, the character was adapted into live-action in the 2016 "Deadpool" film starring Ryan Reynolds (we don't talk about his appearance in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). The film launched Deadpool's popularity even higher and grossed more than three-quarters of a billion dollars. "Deadpool 2" was a similar success and even introduced more characters from the "X-Force" universe, including Domino, Cable, and (briefly) Shatterstar. Now, Deadpool is set to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in "Deadpool 3," which will see Wilson take on several characters from the 20th Century Fox universe in what appears to be a "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe"-style multiversal adventure.
But despite Deadpool's massive popularity, there are still some things many readers and viewers don't know about the character. Here are four facts that only real Marvel fans know about the sword-wielding hero.
Deadpool & Spider-man have a child
Deadpool and Spider-Man technically have a child together, whose complicated history ties to one of Wade Wilson's closest allies-turned-enemies.
In "Spider-Man/Deadpool" (by Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Livesay, Jason Keith, and VC's Joe Sabino), readers learn that Weasel (who became the villain Patient Zero) was brought back to life after making a deal with Mephisto to help defeat Spider-Man and take his soul. Upon his resurrection, Patient Zero acquired DNA samples from Spider-Man and Deadpool and used them to transform a woman into Itsy Bitsy, who has the powers of both Spider-Man and Deadpool. From regenerative healing to Spider-Sense, the multi-armed villain was a horrifying science experiment.
Itsy Bitsy would refer to both Spider-Man and Deadpool as "daddy," much to the chagrin of the heroes. While the pair saw Itsy Bitsy as a dangerous threat, she desperately tried to convince them that they could work together and team up against crime. However, the potential relationship went sideways when Parker and Wilson (the latter of whom adopted a no-kill rule alongside Spider-Man during the arc) said they could only work with her if she stopped killing people. Itsy Bitsy's violence frustrated both heroes, as they didn't want her to represent them, which she did by wearing a combination Spider-Man/Deadpool logo on her costume. Deadpool eventually dropped his temporary no-killing rule when his "daughter" continued to morph into a monster. She was seemingly killed a few issues after her first appearance, but thanks to her healing factor, Itsby Bitsy is still out there, though when she was last seen she was the size of an actual spider. It will be interesting to see if Spider-Man and Deadpool's villainous "daughter" will ever appear again in future Marvel stories or cameo in the MCU.
Deadpool has killed just about everyone in the Marvel Universe
Deadpool has also wreaked havoc across the Multiverse — several times. First, in "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe" (by Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajic, Lee Loughridge, and VC's Joe Sabino), Deadpool is brainwashed by the Fantastic Four villain, Psycho-Man, and is driven into a bloodthirsty rage that can only be satiated by murdering heroes and villains across Marvel's timeline. From brutally killing members of the X-Men, gods such as Hercules and Thor, and even Uatu the Watcher, the storyline represents one of the most unpredictable and violent versions of the Merc with a Mouth readers have ever seen.
In "Deadpool Killustrated" (by Bunn, Matteo Lolli, Sean Parsons, Veronica Gandini, and Sabino), Deadpool takes his killing spree to the world of literature, where he murders multiple classic characters. In the story, Deadpool goes up against the likes of the Headless Horseman, Captain Ahab from "Moby Dick," and even Sherlock Holmes. Bunn would return for another round of murderous adventures in "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" (also by Salva Espin, Gandini, and Sabino). This was his most meta-story in the "Deadpool Kills..." series, with Wade Wilson hunting down multiple variants and different versions of himself, causing even more mayhem across the Multiverse. A brainwashed version of Deadpool would eventually be introduced as Dreadpool, leading to an epic last stand between the murderous mercenary and his Earth-616 counterpart.
The comics are a lot of fun, as Deadpool interacts with and kills many familiar faces from the Marvel Universe. For those readers looking for a bloody good time, the Deadpool "Killogy" is definitely worth checking out. As an added bonus, the story would work well for the Marvel Cinematic Universe if the MCU's timeline ever needs to be cleaned up.
Deadpool once survived an encounter with Galactus
"Deadpool Team-Up" #883 (by Skottie Young, Ramon Perez, Andres Mossa, and Jeff Ecklesberry) spins a humorous story that sees the Merc with a Mouth having money issues, leading him to call several villains to ask if they need help killing anyone in exchange for much-needed cash. Having no luck finding a gig, Deadpool answers a "Herald Wanted" ad online, with the position promising great rewards for a full-time job. When Deadpool reaches out, he's teleported into space, where he learns Galactus is looking for a new Herald.
Despite Galactus' initial apprehension about working with Deadpool, the cosmic force of balance in the Marvel Universe agrees to hire him, imbuing Wade Wilson with the Power Cosmic. Deadpool enjoys finding and bringing Galactus planets to feed on, but his constant talking and singing start to annoy the powerful being he serves. Galactus repeatedly tells Deadpool to shut up, threatening to "end" him if he doesn't. Deadpool leaves Galactus after making him angry and encounters the Silver Surfer, who isn't thrilled about Wade's new role. After getting badly beaten in a fight with the former Herald of Galactus, Deadpool returns to Earth and forms a support group called H.O.G. Anonymous, where past Heralds (including Nova, Destroyer, and Firelord) meet and talk about being free from the Devourer of Worlds.
Even after doing a seemingly good job at sating Galactus' hunger and expertly finding planets for him to eat, Deadpool's big mouth cost him the cosmic role of Herald, proving the Marvel hero can even be annoying on a cosmic scale.
Captain America is Deadpool's ultimate idol.
Deadpool doesn't have a great relationship with most heroes, but the Merc with a Mouth idolized Captain America long before getting his own superpowers.
Deadpool's history with Captain America was revealed in "Deadpool" #31 (by Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Christian Dalla Vecchia, Ruth Redmond, and VC's Joe Sabino). As a kid, he idolized Steve Rogers, owning action figures, magazines, and other things featuring the hero. He reveals that the first time he fought Captain America, he was nervous to tell him how big of a fan he was. Deadpool also says that when Rogers made him an Avenger, it was one of the "best" and "weirdest" days of his life. Unfortunately, his idolization of Captain America led him to work alongside Hydra Cap during the "Secret Empire" storyline, where Deadpool killed S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson and even joined a Hydra version of the Avengers featuring several supervillains and mind-controlled heroes.
Thankfully, Deadpool's blind spot for Captain America would eventually be overcome, and Wade Wilson would eventually flip on the faux-hero and help take down Hydra from within. The arc showed Deadpool respected Captain America so much, he was willing to commit diabolical acts while believing Hydra Cap was the real hero, and while Deadpool still admires Captain America, due to the events of "Secret Empire," Wilson now understandably thinks twice before listening to him despite respecting Steve Rogers more than any other hero. It's too bad that Chris Evans' Steve Rogers' doesn't have a significant role in the MCU anymore, as seeing the characters interact after "Deadpool 3" would be incredible. Who knows, maybe it would work to keep Deadpool's love of Captain America in the live-action Marvel Universe but make him a fanboy of Sam Wilson instead.