Throughout the history of comic books, there have been certain heroes and villains who’ve obviously taken a page or two out of the playbook of others. For example, Namor paved the way for Aquaman just as Darkseid laid the groundwork for Thanos. Really, if you go over the material, you’ll find that it’s not uncommon for Marvel and DC to borrow from each other.
Of course, one of the more obvious instances has been that of Deathstroke/Slade Wilson serving as the blueprint for Deadpool/Wade Wilson. And though the latter perhaps shared more in common with the former around the time of his creation, one can at least say he’s generously diverged over the years by becoming a more distinctive character.
What’s funny is that this situation has come full circle recently due to DC introducing Red Tool, an analog for Deadpool, in the pages of Harley Quinn. Granted, this move was probably executed because it was the closest those “shipping” the Merc with a Mouth and the former Clown Princess of Crime could get to making their fantasy pairing a reality, but the full breadth of this is a discussion for another day.
Getting back to the ballad of Slade and Wade, the latest trailer for Teen Titans Go! To The Movies had some fun at the expense of the similarities shared between the two badasses when the adolescent heroes joked that Deathstroke looked a lot like Deadpool.
Now, I don’t need to reiterate who came first because we went over this earlier, but there was some humorous back-and-forth regarding this as the promo dragged on. And as it so happens, Ryan Reynolds responded on social media with the following:
To date, I’ve been amused by Reynolds’ ability to take things in stride and/or address a situation in a way similar to how I’d picture his character doing. It’s these minor touches that continuously reaffirm he was the perfect casting choice.
As for when you can catch these folks on the big screen, know that Deadpool 2 arrives in theaters on May 18, with Teen Titans Go! To The Movies bringing up the rear on July 27.
