Everything You Need To Know About Deadpool

It’s okay. With the treatment that The Merc With A Mouth has thus far received on the big screen, you would be forgiven for being a little unclear as to who he is, where he comes from and, most importantly, what we can expect from him on February 12th, 2016. In cinema, this very special character has been mis-handled, mis-represented and mis-used - but all signs point to those injustices being rectified in full with the release of Tim Miller’s Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds. While he is a Marvel character, Deadpool currently falls firmly on the 20th Century Fox side of the fence, along with his X-Men cohorts. This means that, unfortunately, we’re unlikely to see him at an Avengers Tower party – hysterical, though that would be. There is still plenty of opportunity for enough inspired raucousness to fill a lengthy franchise, though - so as we prepare ourselves for the arrival of the anti-hero, let’s have a look at everything you need to know about Deadpool before the movie hits. Who Is Deadpool? Thanks to the lengthy and enjoyable marketing campaign, everyone knows by now that Deadpool is Ryan Reynolds in a figure-hugging, all-over red and black suit. But, he is so much more than that. Deadpool is, in essence, a parody of ‘serious’ comic book fare. He is a self-aware comic character, in that he knows, absolutely, that he is a work of fiction. He is completely in on the joke. This means that he continually engages directly with the audience (an action commonly referred to as ‘breaking the fourth wall’), and while this creates scope for great comedy, it has also given rise to an enormous amount of vagueness regarding his origin, throughout his history. While his alter-ego is widely accepted as being Wade Winston Wilson, even this fact has been used in comic book storylines as a means of speculation – with at least one supporting character suggesting that the Wilson identity is simply one he stole from one his previous victims. This ever-shifting backstory hinges on the fact that Deadpool is mentally unstable, and is unable to remember his own story himself. His fourth-wall-breaking tendencies even lead to him telling the readers, on occasion, that their perception of him is dependent upon which writer they prefer. Though many different claims have been made within the comic books as to his origin, the most consistent story is that Deadpool is former United States Army Special Forces operative, Wade Wilson, who entered the Weapon X program as a volunteer after being diagnosed with cancer. Within Marvel, this program is a secret endeavour by the government to create living weapons by experimenting on mutants - to enhance their innate powers - and on humans, to create mutation. Wolverine was an early product of the program, and Deadpool (it is suggested) is the result of a second phase of Weapon X, which saw subjects receive the DNA of Wolverine, creating superhuman healing abilities. It is this accelerated cell regeneration, coupled with his cancer, that lead to Deadpool’s distinctive scarred appearance under his mask. As a character, Deadpool has evolved significantly over time. He was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, and first appeared as a villain in The New Mutants #98 in 1991. His guest slots grew in popularity until he earned his own limited miniseries in 1993, with a second following in 1994. His ongoing title launched in 1997, and Deadpool was seen to subtly change from being a supervillain to being a morally ambiguous anti-hero. His exploits have seen him cross paths with many iconic Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Norman Osborn, Doctor Doom, Nick Fury, Captain America and, of course, The X-Men – and there is even a comic book storyline (Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe), in which he rampages through the various Marvel series, killing all the heroes and ultimately confronting the writers and readers themselves. What Can Deadpool Do? He can, essentially, live forever. In submitting himself for experimentation in the Weapon X program, Wade Wilson has been fundamentally altered to have superhuman healing abilities. Any destroyed or damaged tissue is regenerated at an accelerated rate, which means that he has previously been seen to resurrect himself after otherwise fatal injuries - such as decapitation. He is also immune to disease, as well as from attacks by those with psychic or telepathic abilities, due to the speed at which his dying neurons regenerate within his brain. The drawback of this accelerated neuron activity is increased mental instability, and the inability to remember his own story. It has been implied in the comic books that the Weapon X process merely exacerbated an existing mental condition, but this is never made explicit. This instability can sometimes be seen as being advantageous, however, as it makes him as unpredictable in combat as it does in his day-to-day life. Outside of the cell regeneration ability, Deadpool is highly trained in martial arts and weaponry, and has developed an impressive skill-set as assassin and mercenary. He is multilingual, and possesses a special bag from which he can draw a limitless supply of weapons and ammunition. He has also been known to use teleportation devices, and holographic disguises. But perhaps his most unique and impressive power lies in his epic self-awareness. Secure in the knowledge that he is merely a fictional character in a graphic story, Deadpool can sometimes be seen reading past issues of comic book series in order to gain tactical advantage over his opponents. Who Are Deadpool’s Enemies? In his own story, Deadpool’s nemeses are often those associated with Weapon X. The program’s lead physician, Dr. Killebrew, presents a sinister figure, but Deadpool has a specific, ongoing clash with Killebrew’s enforcer – a man codenamed Ajax. Previously known as Francis, Ajax had tried to kill Wade Wilson, which saw his regenerative abilities reveal themselves for the first time – and the two have been locked in conflict ever since. Ajax has himself been physically altered by Dr. Killebrew to afford him greater strength, speed and an increased pain threshold. Other than Ajax, the nature of Deadpool means that he has a largely antagonistic relationship with everyone around him, meaning that they are all his enemies at one point or another. In terms of actual villains, he has been seen to significantly clash with comic book evil-doers Carnage, Hit-Monkey and Psycho-Man, and has also been at odds with Cable – the son of Cyclops of the X-Men. This animosity was soon set aside, however, and Deadpool and Cable were paired for adventures for a time. Previously, On Screen... Deadpool has popped up in small screen animation from time to time, over the years. He has made appearances in the X-Men animated series, Marvel Anime: X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers. He also featured in the animated movie, Hulk Vs Wolverine, and development of a Deadpool solo film reportedly began with Marvel Entertainment in 2000. By 2004, the project had landed at New Line Cinema, and Ryan Reynolds was associated with the role, but it was quickly put into turnaround. 20th Century Fox took it under consideration, but the character, with Reynolds in the role, was segued into its first foray onto the silver screen, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the character was butchered – figuratively and literally. He is first introduced as Wade Wilson, played as a wisecracking, highly skilled mercenary by Ryan Reynolds. We find that Wilson is a member of Team X, and Logan (AKA Wolverine) is invited to join the group. Tensions develop, however, and Logan soon finds himself at odds with the group – and facing down a newly activated, mutated Wilson, who is now “Weapon XI,” or Deadpool. The thing is, the Deadpool seen at the climax of X-Men Origins: Wolverine has his mouth sewn shut. The comic book character known as The Merc With A Mouth literally cannot speak – which is, you know, kind of his thing. Needless to say, the treatment of Deadpool in the film was not well received by fans, or by audiences in general – and the entire project received a mixed reception. It re-ignited interest in the character, though, which Ryan Reynolds continued to build upon, until he could deliver to us the most authentic Deadpool possible. The Deadpool We Deserve While the Deadpool conversation really seemed to pick up pace in 2009 with the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it didn’t begin to coalesce until 2011, when VFX artist Tim Miller clambered aboard the struggling project. It has long since passed into film legend that actor Ryan Reynolds consistently championed the Deadpool character as a lead in his own movie, but the arrival of Miller led to the creation of test footage in 2012, which was leaked onto social media in 2014. Fandom seized upon it, and 20th Century Fox were, evidently, suitably convinced of the demand for a movie. Thus, Deadpool was officially announced, and there was joy throughout the land. Unsurprisingly, given its agonisingly slow development phase, the production seemed to come together relatively swiftly, once the greenlight was received. So, what can we expect to see? Well, a superhero movie unlike any other, rated an 'R' of the hardest kind. The inventive and ingenious marketing campaign waged by actor Ryan Reynolds during the 12 months preceding the release of Deadpool has given us many clues as to the scope of the project and, while there will undoubtedly be surprises, we can also assume some things. Far from being a merc with his mouth sewn shut, this Deadpool will be his infamously chatty self once more. He will break the fourth wall in all the ways we would like him to, and he will be exactly as unstable and unpredictable as we hoped he would be. But, he will also have a strong cast of supporting characters. We will see the girlfriend of Wade Wilson – Vanessa – played by Morena Baccarin. In the source material, Vanessa is Vanessa Geraldine Carlysle, also known as the shape-shifting mutant, Copycat. We will also see Weasel (also known as Jack Hammer), played by T.J Miller. Weasel is a young man who went to the same high school as Peter Parker, and was destined for employment by the villainous Norman Osborn, until Deadpool altered his history and he became a criminal weapons dealer instead. He is also Deadpool’s closest friend. His arch-nemesis, Ajax, will feature, played by Ed Skrein. Angel Dust – also known as Christine, and played by Gina Carano - will play a large part as an enforcer for Ajax. Angel Dust is, herself, a mutant who can increase her adrenaline flow and temporarily give herself super-human strength. We will also see Negasonic Teenage Warhead – also known as Ellie Phimister, and played by Brianna Hildebrand. She is a telepath with precognition abilities, and is known in the comic books as the student of Emma Frost, who featured in X-Men: First Class (played by January Jones). Colossus – also known as Piotr Nikolaievitch, played by Stefan Kapicic – will also appear, as the character has done in X2, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days Of Future Past. He is a Russian mutant who can transform himself into a metal creature and is physically the strongest of the X-Men. Finally, and most intriguingly, we will see the character of Blind Al, played by Leslie Uggams. In the comic books, she is a somewhat mysterious, elderly character, who appears to be a housemate of Deadpool, but is also sometimes shown to be his prisoner. Various attempts have been made to explain her identity over the years, the most consistent being that she is a former agent of British Intelligence, and Deadpool once spared her life, but kept her in captivity. He is, on occasion, seen to abuse her verbally, and by locking her in a small space. Their dynamic is as uneven as Deadpool’s mental state, however, and she is also shown to be one of his closest confidantes, whose counsel he often seeks. Her presence in the movie is reassuring, although it is, as yet, unclear how faithful the rendering of this bizarre association will be. The character of Blind Al is an important one, however, as she provides a window onto the inner machinations of the Deadpool character. But, whichever strategy director Tim Miller and his team use to depict the character of Blind Al, we can rest assured that this rebooted Deadpool is likely to be exactly the Deadpool we deserve.