Summary
Contains spoilers forDeadpool & Wolverine: WWIII!The latestDeadpoolteam-up in Marvel Comics with Wolverine is bringing back one of the worst aspects in the mercenary’s history. Like many other Marvel fans, I was not thrilled by Wade Wilson’s time as “Deadpool” inX-Men Origins: Wolverine(2009), to say the least. Since I was young, it was my first introduction to the character - and it’s the worst introduction possible.
A few years later, I began a complete read-through of Deadpool’s comics and found a completely different and much more fun character. However, withDeadpool & Wolverine: WWIII,the same mistake has been made with Wade’s beloved character. While the three-issue series delivers some great commentary on Wolverine’s journey and Deadpool’s perception of him, Deadpool as a character ultimately falls flat - on purpose.
Although Wade’s larger than life, zany personality and talkative nature can be tiring to Wolverine, it’s what makes him who he is. This series provides one of the best, albeit grotesque, merges of the two’s power, but it also strips away the core aspects of Deadpool that make him so beloved.
Deadpool’s Spaceship Has the Perfect Name (In the Same Spirit as MCU’s Star-Lord)
Deadpool’s chaotic team of his own variants had the perfect spaceship name in Deadpool Corps, rivaling Star Lord’s naming conventions in the best way.
Deadpool Undergoes the X-Men Origins: Wolverine Treatment
It Actually Makes Sense for Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII, However
Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIIIhas the creative team of Joe Kelly, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin, and Joe Sabino. The series involves the Merc with a Mouth trying to reinvent himself by undergoing an experimental procedure that threatens his life. It nearly kills him, but ultimately proves the combined strength of hisand Logan’s healing factors. However, instead of being a team-up that shows the ferocity of both unexpected heroes when they join forces against a world-threatening foe, the “WWIII"label stands for Wade Wilson the third - as in the third reinvention of Wade.
Even though it leads to incredibly heartfelt moments with Wolverine, as well as immense growth and appreciation from the iconic X-Men for Deadpool, Wade’s “becoming” is less than stellar.
This series, particularly the second issue, shines in the moments where it focuses on Wolverine and his perception of Wade as Deadpool versus the Wade he’s faced with following intervention from Delta, the villain of the day. After being directed by Wade to follow him, Wolverine finds Wade as a shell of himself with discussions that are highly out of character. With a depressive outlook and a serious demeanor,this version of Deadpoolis highly depressing and unusual given his usual chaotic nature. Wolverine recognizes this and is determined to return the mercenary to his former glory.
Deadpool Grows on Wolverine Once His Signature Qualities are Forcibly Taken Away
Deadpool’s chaotic nature, banter, and tendency to be destructive are what make him so exciting to follow as a sometimes hero. His struggle to do heroic deeds but make money to support himself provides an interesting dichotomy. He can get away with numerous things other Marvel characters can’t and famously irritates iconic heroes like Wolverine. Taking his core traits away leaves ahusk of what Deadpool isand what his potential could be.
Even though it leads to incredibly heartfelt moments with Wolverine, as well as immense growth and appreciation from the iconic X-Men for Deadpool, Wade’s “becoming” is less than stellar. As a team-up, this series isn’t their best traditional partnership. As a way to bring them closer than ever, it succeeds byremoving Deadpool’s core characteristics- handling it far better thanX-Men: Originsdid, since it actually had an emotional purpose, leaving a true impact.
Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIIIis available now from Marvel Comics.
Deadpool
The merc with the mouth first appeared in an issue ofNew Mutantsin 1990, and since then has gone on to get his own series and a massive cult following. With his incredible powers of healing and regeneration, Deadpool was initially depicted as an X-Men villain but went on to become an anti-hero. After getting his own movie series starting in 2016, the third Deadpool movie finally brings the wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
