Wade Wilson/Deadpool (aka Merc With a Mouth)

After the 2016 release of the R-rated film Deadpool, awareness of the antihero was expanded beyond the comic book fandom and into the hearts of many moviegoers. Known for his witty wisecracks and humor in the face of life's most difficult trials, Wade Wilson has become a much-beloved character.

Gender/Sexuality

Wade is male and pansexual. His sexuality was confirmed by Deadpool writer Gerry Duggan via Twitter.

Universe

Deadpool is a Marvel character. Marvel has several different universes within itself. Wade Wilson exists in the X-Men universe, meaning that he lives in the same world as crowd favorites such as Professor X, Storm, Phoenix, and Cyclops. The Avengers live in a separate universe, although many fans have fantasized about a crossover. These desired meet-ups frequently happen in the comic books, but there has never been a film crossover of the two universes.

Superpowers

Regenerative Abilities - Think Wolverine's powers, but even more powerful. Deadpool cannot die, unlike Wolverine, who was shown being shot and lying unconscious for several minutes in one of the X-Men movies. In Deadpool, Wade is stabbed in the head and retains consciousness. This is also how Deadpool was cured of cancer: his powers kill the cancer as quickly as it can form. His regenerative abilities are also what allowed him to become so exceptional at fighting, since he can train for hours without feeling sore or injuring himself.

Scattered neurons - This isn't exactly a power, but it is worth mentioning. Wade's regenerative abilities go a bit haywire in his brain. The result is his insane, off-putting personality and his flippant attitude towards human life.

First Appearance

The New Mutants #98

Backstory

Note: Within the comics, Wade's backstory is often subject to change and in some comics, he is actually cited as having a mental illness that causes him to forget most of his past. The plot points below are generally agreed upon or are from the movie Deadpool.

Wade Wilson had a troubled childhood. His mother died of cancer when he was very young and his veteran father was physically abusive. In Deadpool, he also admits that he didn't have a real bed and was sexually abused by his uncle.

Wade joined the military but was dishonorably discharged. Before then, however, he was a dangerous assassin. In Deadpool, he quips that he killed his targets at the same rate most people receive haircuts.

After the military, Wade fell back onto the only skill that he possessed - killing people. He became a mercenary, limiting his kills to people he truly felt deserved to die. During this time he met and fell in love with Vanessa, a prostitute who had similarly been through hell. Wade's dangerous career, however, routinely put her in danger, and when he discovered that he had cancer, he broke up with her rather than condemn her to the sorrow of watching him die.

After breaking up with Vanessa, Wade discovered a secret project supposedly curing people of their cancer. He underwent treatment that was incredibly torturous and physically draining, which forced his mutant gene to emerge. The result: Wade had become a mutant. Along with unlocking superpowers, he was hideously deformed, looking as though he had scar burns all over his body. He was unable to grow any hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows. In several comic series, however, such as Spiderman/Deadpool, he has found ways to change his appearance.

In one comic series, Vanessa also became a mutant with the ability to shapeshift. This was not carried over into the movie franchise.

Wade got the idea for his superhero name due to a bar he used to frequent. Since it was a seedy bar full of violent criminals, there was a weekly deadpool, in which money was bet on whoever the better thought was most likely to die each week. Once Wade contracted cancer, his friend bet on him, joking that he was now sure to win. Wade chose the name Deadpool as a cruel sort of irony. In Deadpool, when he is choosing his name, he initially goes with the name "Captain Deadpool," but eventually drops the "Captain."

From here, Wade's story branches into dozens of guest appearances and stand-alone comic book series, as well as eventually culminating into an incredibly successful movie franchise.

Fun Facts

In a 1990s comic book, Deadpool makes a quip about looking like a cross between a radioactive sharpay and actor Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds would later go on to play the antihero in the movie franchise.

Ryan Reynolds lobbied for the movie Deadpool for nearly a decade before it was created. The actor had previously had a far less successful superhero role as D.C.'s Green Lantern.

Reynolds is, in many ways, the perfect Deadpool actor. He shares Deadpool's original hair and eye color, has the same body type, and shares a similar sense of humor.

Deadpool has a daughter named Ellie who lives with an android S.H.I.E.L.D. agent but he visits often. She is the only person whom he truly cares about, and he often worries about her safety and well-being.

Deadpool is multilingual. One of the languages that he speaks is American Sign Language, and in a comic, he is shown speaking it to Hawkeye since the comic book version of the hero is deaf.

Deadpool had a love affair with Death and was married to the queen of Hell until her insanity got to be too much even for him.

Deadpool consistently breaks the fourth wall. This means that he is fully aware of his status as a fictional character.

Seven years before Deadpool was released, the antihero made an unfortunate cameo in X Men: Origins. His character had no mouth and strange, tattooed lines covering his body. Most fans, including Reynolds himself, were dissatisfied with this portrayal, since the antihero did not speak and was uncharacteristically somber.