| Wade Wilson | |
|---|---|
| X-Men film series and Marvel Cinematic Universe character | |
 Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool inDeadpool (2016) | |
| First appearance | X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | |
| Portrayed by | Ryan Reynolds Scott Adkins (Weapon XI) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Deadpool Weapon XI[a] |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Occupation | |
| Affiliation | |
| Weapon |
|
| Significantothers | Vanessa Carlysle (girlfriend) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
Wade Winston Wilson, also known asDeadpool, is acharacter portrayed byRyan Reynolds in20th Century Fox'sX-Men film series and later theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)media franchise produced byMarvel Studios. Based on theMarvel Comics characterDeadpool byRob Liefeld andFabian Nicieza, he was loosely adapted for his first appearance inX-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), in which he is depicted as a member of MajorWilliam Stryker'sTeam X who is transformed into a genetically alteredmutant killer known asWeapon XI, before being defeated by his former teammateWolverine. This iteration of the character was negatively received by both critics and fans alike for deviating from the source material.
However, the timeline of the originalX-Men film series was reset into therevised timeline following the events ofX-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), narratively allowing for a more faithful,rebooted iteration of the character to be depicted starting withDeadpool (2016). For this iteration, Wilson is a dishonorably dischargedSpecial Forces operative andterminal cancer patient volunteering for anexperimental treatment to activate his latent mutant genes. It gives him a regenerativehealing factor that counteracts his illness but disfigures him, resulting in him adopting the moniker "Deadpool" (a name he borrows from his local dive bar's gambling system), killing themutant scientist responsible and reuniting with his fiancéeVanessa Carlysle. This version of the character received critical acclaim, with praise directed at Reynolds' performance and the faithfulness of the character's background to the comics. The first film's success led to a sequel,Deadpool 2 (2018), in which Wilson forms theX-Force to protect ayoung mutant from atime-traveling mercenary and avert his turn towards tyranny in the distant future. AfterDisney bought Fox in 2019, Deadpool was integrated into theMarvel Cinematic Universe through themultiverse, with Reynolds reprising his role inDeadpool & Wolverine (2024) and will reportedly reprise the role inAvengers: Doomsday (2026).
Artisan Entertainment had announced a deal withMarvel Entertainment in May 2000 to co-produce, finance, and distribute several films based onMarvel Comics's characters, includingDeadpool, a newer character introduced in the early 1990s.[1] By February 2004, screenwriter and directorDavid S. Goyer andRyan Reynolds were working on a Deadpool film atNew Line Cinema. They had worked together on the Marvel filmBlade: Trinity.[2] Reynolds was interested in the part of Deadpool after learning that in the comics the character refers to his appearance as "Ryan Reynolds crossed with aShar-Pei".[3] New Line executiveJeff Katz, who thought Reynolds was the only actor suitable for the role, championed the idea. However, there were rights issues with20th Century Fox and theirX-Men films, and the project did not move forward.[4]
By March 2005, Reynolds learned that Fox had expressed interest in a film featuring Deadpool.[5] The character was set to make a cameo appearance in the 2009 filmX-Men Origins: Wolverine, with Reynolds cast in the part. His role was expanded during the film's production.[6] Katz was an executive at Fox at that point, and said thatDeadpool was "nicely set up to be explored in his own way" in a future film.[4] The film's portrayal deviates from the original comic character, "imbuing him with several superpowers and sewing his mouth shut". Deadpool apparently dies in the film, though apost-credits scene showing him still alive was added to the film shortly before its release. After the successful opening weekend ofWolverine, Fox officially began development onDeadpool, with Reynolds attached to star andX-Men producerLauren Shuler Donner involved. The spinoff was set to ignore theWolverine version of Deadpool and return to the character's roots with a slapstick tone and a "propensity to break thefourth wall".[7]
At Fox, the film went through several directors beforeTim Miller settled on the position, withRhett Reese andPaul Wernick hired to write the script. Meanwhile, Reynolds took the lead role inGreen Lantern, a film that was critically and financially unsuccessful.[8] Due to this poor reception and the fact that a film based on Deadpool would most likely be rated R instead of PG-13, Fox became doubtful about the project, even after Reynolds produced test footage of himself in-character. However, the footage was eventually leaked in 2014 to enthusiastic reviews, prompting Fox to green-light the project. Reynolds attributed Fox's green-lighting of the film entirely to the leak. He, Miller, and the writers had previously discussed leaking the footage themselves, and Reynolds initially thought that Miller had done so. He later believed the leak came from someone at Fox. In exchange for being able to make the film the way they wanted, Fox gave the crew a much smaller budget than is typical for superhero films.[9]
"The character is very crass. His brain is like a half-eatenomelet inside the skull of a 7-year-old."
In both timelines, Wade possesses a facetiously self-aware sense of humor that disorients and annoys his enemies. He regularly insults and belittles his enemies in light and humorous ways. He has no sense of shame, and can find the humor in any situation, even after months of continuous torture and being shaken by his subsequent transformation. Only a few select people can withstand his seemingly endless talking, resulting in his mouth being sewn shut in the final act ofX-Men Origins: Wolverine.Ajax also threatens to sew Wade's mouth shut inDeadpool when Wade is undergoing (unconventional) cancer treatment because of his nonstop talking.[11]
In the original timeline, Wade's sense of humor is derived from the comics. His personality is significantly more fleshed out in the new timeline. He loves cartoons,potty humor,Skee-Ball,classical music, television shows, rap music, andAmerican pop culture. His favorite band isWham! andGeorge Michael, specifically, the song "Careless Whisper." He remains very movie-cultured, referencingThe Matrix,RoboCop,Alien 3,Yentl,127 Hours,Cocoon,Star Wars,Green Lantern (which also stars Ryan Reynolds), and evenX-Men: Days of Future Past.
Like his comics counterpart, Wade himself is aware that he is a fictional character and makes fun of this by breaking thefourth wall and speaking directly to the audience.[12][13] InDeadpool 2, when his autograph is requested by a fan, he signs it "Ryan Reynolds."
Despite his initial immaturity, Wade is a genuine, kind, good-hearted man, and in time becomes ethical and heroic to the point of sacrificing himself to save themutantRussell Collins. Although he is a mercenary, he agreed to scare off a young girl's stalker without being paid for his troubles, revealing he can be compassionate. On matters of love, he can be sensitive, feeling forced to abandon his girlfriend,Vanessa because of his terminal cancer. He advises his taxi driver, Dopinder, to fight for the object of his affections, Gita. After Vanessa's death, Wade begins to develop a death wish, yet his inability to die further imbalances his already fractured psyche. He is content to die of cancer in the Icebox until he finds a new purpose in protecting Russell from Cable. After his near-death experience, he still has not accepted Vanessa's demise, so he uses Cable's time travel device to save her.
Reynolds worked with longtime trainer Don Saladino to get in shape for the role, gaining 7 pounds of lean muscle. Saladino commented that while they aimed to achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance, they also wanted to get Reynolds "actual strength over superficial", so they spent extensive time working on Reynolds' mobility prior to working on actual strength.[14]
After theacquisition of21st Century Fox bythe Walt Disney Company was announced in December 2017 and completed in March 2019, Disney CEOBob Iger said that Deadpool would be integrated with theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) under Disney,[15] and that the company would be willing to make future R-rated Deadpool films "as long as we let the audiences know what's coming".[16] TheOnce Upon a Deadpool version of the film was being watched carefully by Disney andMarvel Studios to see whether it might inform how they could approach the character and integrate him into the PG-13 MCU.[17]
In October 2019, Reese and Wernick said that they had a script in development, but were waiting for approval from Marvel Studios to begin production on the third film. Reese said, "[Deadpool] will live in the R-rated universe that we've created, and hopefully we'll be allowed to play a little bit in the MCU sandbox as well and incorporate him into that."[18] In December 2019, Reynolds confirmed that a thirdDeadpool film was in development at Marvel Studios,[19] which was confirmed by Marvel Studios PresidentKevin Feige in January 2021, with Reynolds reprising his role. The film retained the R-rating of the prior films and is set in the MCU. Feige described Wilson as a "very different type of character" in the MCU.[20][21] In March 2022,Shawn Levy was revealed as the film's director after previously collaborating with Reynolds onFree Guy (2021) andThe Adam Project (2022),[22] while Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick rewrote the Molyneux sisters' screenplay, reprising their duties from the first twoDeadpool films. Filming began in May 2023.[23][24] Reynolds also produced the film alongside Kevin Feige through his production companyMaximum Effort.[25]
In May 2022, screenwriterMichael Waldron confirmed in an interview that there had been discussions within Marvel regarding Reynolds making acameo appearance as Deadpool in themultiverse-focused filmDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), as he himself felt "[it] would've been crazy to not raise that" after the inclusions of otherX-Men related elements in the film such as theSavage Land and the characterProfessor Charles Xavier (played by returningX-Men actorPatrick Stewart). However, Waldron would ultimately feel as if the film was an unfitting place to feature the character.[26][27][28] TheMarvel Studios: Assembled episode on the making ofMultiverse of Madness also featured concept art depicting a "Deadpool dimension", an alternate world cityscape with multiple billboards adorned with Deadpool-themed posters and comic book art.[29] A pair of sneakers inspired by Deadpool's costume appears in the main-on-end credits sequence of themetafictionalDisney+ television seriesShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), featured as part of a collection of Marvel Comics-inspired sneakers owned byAugustus Pugliese (Josh Segarra).[30]
In October 2025, former MCU filmmaker andDC Studios co-chairmanJames Gunn revealed that he had spoken to Ryan Reynolds about a potentialcameo appearance as Deadpool in theDC Universe (DCU) television seriesPeacemaker (2022-2025). Deadpool would have appeared in theseason 2 finale "Full Nelson" as an inhabitant of one of the alternate dimensions observed byA.R.G.U.S. within the Quantum Unfolding Chamber. Despite Reynolds' enthusiasm, the cameo was ultimately scrapped out of concern for the various legal issues involved in licensing out the character from Marvel Studios to appear on the series.[31][32]
In the original continuity, Wade Wilson is acommando,mercenary, andYale graduate with enhanced human reflexes and agility due to being amutant. During theVietnam War, Wade is a member of ablack ops group calledTeam X under the command ofWilliam Stryker. The team also includesJames "Logan" Howlett,Victor Creed,Frederick Dukes,John Wraith,Chris Bradley, andAgent Zero. One mission involved trying to find a mineral used to createadamantium inNigeria. Wade served as a translator for the Igbo-speaking people of a village where they were directed to find the adamantium. After the communications fail to tell the team where the source of the adamantium is, Stryker orders the team to massacre the entire village. Wade, Zero, and Victor all begin slaughtering the people of the village until Logan stops it and leaves the group. After Logan's departure, some of the other team members begin to question the team's morality and leave. However, Wade, Victor, and Zero remain faithful to Stryker.
Six years later, Wade is taken to Stryker's base atThree Mile Island to be used as a catalyst for the Weapon XI project. With Victor and Zero's help, Stryker collects DNA from several mutants (including Wraith, Bradley,Scott Summers, and Logan), whose powers could be used collectively within one body without destroying it. Stryker has Wilsonlobotomized andbrainwashed into doing his bidding, giving him an adamantium skeleton like Logan's, including retractable blades in his forearms. Unlike Logan, Wilson only has one sword protruding from each forearm and the blades are significantly longer, similar to the swords he used before becoming Weapon XI. Stryker also has his mouth sewn shut due to his previous annoyance at Wilson's constant wisecracking. Stryker dubs him as the "mutant killer" known as the "Deadpool". Unlike his counterpart in the comics, this name is conceived as Weapon XI has the powers of several mutants "pooled" into the dead body of Wade Wilson. After freeing the other mutants captured by Stryker and Victor on Three Mile Island, Logan is stopped by the now activated Weapon XI. Logan faces Weapon XI alone, giving the mutants time to escape and eventually Logan climbs atop a cooling tower at Stryker's plant, with Weapon XI teleporting to the top. Logan is about to be decapitated by Weapon XI (under the command of Stryker) until Victor later joins to help Logan. Weapon XI is beheaded and seemingly defeated by Logan. However, Wilson survives decapitation.
In anew continuity created through the aversion of the war betweenSentinels, humans, and mutantkind,[b] Wilson is now a former Special Forces soldier who was dishonorably discharged, becoming a mercenary operating at Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Girls, where he meets and eventually proposes to hustlerVanessa Carlysle.
Wilson is diagnosed with late-stageStage 4 cancer shortly after being engaged to Vanessa. He is approached by a representative of anunknown organization, who offers him a cure in addition to powers "most men only dream of". While he initially declines the offer, he eventually returns to accept it. However, not all is as it seems, as he soon realizes the organization is actually attempting to create an army of superpowered individuals under their control. Wilson undergoes numerous forms of torture at the hands ofAjax andAngel Dust, though he never loses his sense of humor. Eventually, Ajax is successful in activating Wilson's dormant mutant genes, which allows him to heal and regenerate from any wound. While Wilson's healing factorcures his cancer, it also horrifically deforms his entire outer layer of skin. Driven partially insane by the ordeal and his disfigurement, Wade escapes and destroys the facility in the process, but ultimately loses to Ajax in battle. Wilson is presumed dead, but survives thanks to his new-found abilities.
Afraid to reunite with Vanessa in his current appearance, Wilson takes on the moniker "Deadpool", after remembering when his best friendWeasel bet in the Sister Margaret's group "dead pool" that he would die, and begins hunting for Ajax to force him to fix him. He eventually tracks him down, though his attempt to kill him is interrupted byColossus andNegasonic Teenage Warhead, members of theX-Men. The two attempt to apprehend Wilson; however he manages to escape by severing his own hand. Shortly after, Ajax targets and kidnaps Vanessa to get back at Wilson, hoping to lure him out and kill him successfully. Upon learning of this, Deadpool contacts Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead for their assistance. The three confront Ajax and his men, where Deadpool is able to save Vanessa and ultimately kill Ajax, much to Colossus' dismay. Despite his appearance, Vanessa still accepts Wilson, and the two embrace.
Two years later, Wilson continues working as a successful mercenary-for-hire, taking down the most despicable and untouchable of criminals. On the day of his anniversary with Vanessa, Wilson is assigned to kill mobster Sergei Valishnikov. However, when Deadpool attacks his base, Valishnikov hides in a panic room. Since waiting for Sergei to get out was going to take too much time, Wilson decides to let him go for the time being in order to spend time with Vanessa. Unfortunately, Valishnikov and his men decide to retaliate against Deadpool and attack him at his apartment, inadvertently killing Vanessa, after which Deadpool finishes the hit in vengeance. For the next six months, Wilson tries to commit suicide by blowing himself up. This ultimately fails, however, due to his healing factor, and his pieces remain alive to be found and reassembled by Colossus.
Colossus manages to convince Wade to join theX-Men as a form of physical and mental healing after the death of Vanessa. He becomes a trainee and accompanies Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead to a standoff between authorities and an unstable young mutant namedRussell Collins. After trying to calm Russell down and prevent any more damage, Wilson realizes that the orphanage where Russell lives, labeled a mutant "reeducation center," has abused him and Wilson subsequently kills one of the staff members, leading to his and Russell's arrest. They are taken to the Ice Box and their powers inhibited with special collars. Without his healing factor, Wilson's cancerreturns, leaving him resigned to his fate. Meanwhile, a cybernetic soldier from the future,Cable, arrives in 2018 to murder Russell before he can kill his first victim, as Cable's family is murdered by a future version of Russell. Cable's breaking into the Ice Box allows for Wilson and Russell to escape their cell, and when Cable comes to kill Russell, Wilson's collar is broken in the melee. With his powers restored and cancer cured again, Wilson attempts to defend Russell, but is beaten by Cable who takes Vanessa's Skee-Ball token. Cable nearly beats Wade to death, and Wade experiences a vision of Vanessa in the afterlife where she convinces him to go after Russell and save him.
Wilson returns to life and forms a superhero team of his own calledX-Force. They attempt to assault a convoy transferring Russell and several other Ice Box prisoners by parachuting from a plane, but the only survivors of the team end up being Wilson andDomino, a mutant whose powers pertain to luck. The two assault the convoy alone, finding Cable already on the scene. While Domino drives the truck and Cable fights Wilson, Russell releases fellow prisonerJuggernaut, who agrees to assist Russell in killing his abusive former headmaster. Before escaping, Juggernaut destroys the convoy and tears Wade in half, allowing the two of them to escape unhindered.
Cable reluctantly agrees to work with a recovering Wilson and Domino in order to stop Russell's first murder. The team is initially overpowered by Juggernaut while Russell terrorizes his headmaster until Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and her girlfriendYukio arrive and helped to hold him off. Wilson attempts to talk Russell down, even putting on an inhibitor collar to negate his powers as a show of good faith. This ultimately fails, however, and Cable shoots the boy. Wilson jumps in front of the bullet and is fatally wounded, as his healing factor is negated by the collar. Feeling it is his time to go, he refuses to let anyone remove the collar, choosing to be reunited with Vanessa in the afterlife. Russell is inspired by Wilson's sacrifice and chooses not to kill the headmaster, preventing the death of Cable's family in the future. Cable decides to use his final time-traveling charge to go back and hide Vanessa's Skee-Ball token inside Deadpool's uniform, in the spot where he would be shot. Wilson still takes the bullet for Russell, but this time it is stopped by the token and Wilson survives. Despite this, Russell is still inspired by Wilson's sacrifice and does not kill the headmaster. As the group leaves the scene, the gloating headmaster mocks them until Wade's taxi-driver friend Dopinder runs him over with his car, killing him anyway.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio manage to fix Cable's time-traveling device, and Wade uses it to make several alterations to the timeline. He first goes back and saves both Vanessa and former X-Force memberPeter. He then goes back and shoots theWeapon XI version of Wade Wilson several times, confusing the bystandingWolverine. After this, he makes a stop in the late 2000s to shoot Ryan Reynolds in the back of the head as he is reading the script for the filmGreen Lantern (2011), before traveling toAustria-Hungary in 1889 in order to kill a newbornAdolf Hitler and prevent his turn towards dictatorship. Because Wade saved Vanessa, who was killed at the beginning of the second film, much is not certain about the events ofDeadpool 2.
Wade also travels toEarth-616 and attempts to join theAvengers, but is turned away byHappy Hogan. Afterwards, Wade destroys Cable's Time Slider.
Six years later, Wade has retired from superhero activity and is working as acar salesman with Peter after breaking up with Vanessa. During his birthday party, theTime Variance Authority (TVA) captures Wade and brings him toMr. Paradox, who offers Wade a place on Earth-616, referred to as the "Sacred Timeline" by the TVA. Wade briefly glimpses a video of himself injured inThor Odinson's arms until Paradox cuts the feed, and is equipped with a new suit and weapons. However, Paradox reveals that Wade's world,Earth-10005, is deteriorating as a result of the death ofLogan,[c] who was its "anchor being", and plans to use a device called the Time Ripper to immediately "mercy kill" Wade's timeline rather than spending thousands of years waiting for it to naturally die. Realizing that he would lose his friends and loved ones, Wade steals Paradox'sTemPad and uses it to travel to Logan's grave, hoping to resurrect him and save their timeline. When this fails, Wade kills several TVA agents sent by Paradox and uses the TemPad to travel the multiverse in search of an alternate universe "variant" of Logan that can replace his world's.
Wade returns to the TVA witha variant of Logan, but is told by Paradox that not only can an anchor being not be replaced by a variant in any case, but that this variant is considered to be the worst Wolverine by the TVA due to failing to save his fellow X-Men from a group of mutant-hunting humans. When Wade realizes that Paradox is acting without the knowledge of his superiors and threatens to tell on him, Paradox sends Wade and Logan to theVoid. After exchanging insults, Wade and Logan fight until Wade falsely promises that the TVA can fix his timeline. The duo, along withJohnny Storm / Human Torch, are captured and sent toCassandra Nova, whom Logan identifies as the twin sister ofCharles Xavier. Upon arriving at Nova's lair, she demonstrates her power to manipulate people's minds and explains her agreement with the TVA to stay in the Void as a gang leader. She kills Johnny after Wade reveals that he insulted her and tries to mentally break Wade with false memories of Vanessa rejecting him. Suddenly,Alioth, a being that devours everything in its path, approaches the base, but Wade and Logan escape before it can consume them.
Logan and Wade meet variants of Deadpool called "Nicepool" and "Dogpool", who give them a car and direct them towards a resistance group who have been fighting against Cassandra. During the car ride, Wade accidentally reveals that he lied to Logan about the TVA fixing his timeline, justifying it by calling it an "educated wish". An infuriated Logan insults Wade over his immaturity and personal failures, leading to another fight until they are both left unconscious. They are found by the resistance group, consisting ofElektra Natchios,Eric Brooks / Blade,Remy LeBeau / Gambit, andX-23 / Laura, the daughter of Earth-10005's Logan. Wade proposes an alliance with the resistance group to fight Cassandra, but Logan refuses to join. However, he eventually relents after a heartfelt conversation with Laura about his inability to save the X-Men in his universe.
Wade, Logan, and the resistance confront Nova and her henchmen together. Nova briefly mentally incapacitates Logan until Wade placesJuggernaut's helmet on her to block her powers.Pyro shoots Nova and reveals himself as Paradox's sleeper agent assigned to kill her before Logan knocks him unconscious. Logan persuades Wade to remove the helmet to allow Nova to heal, and in exchange, Nova uses a sling ring from aDoctor Strange variant to open a portal for the duo to travel to Earth-10005 to confront Paradox. Upon arriving, they realize that Paradox has already completed the Time Ripper.
Nova quickly learns about Paradox's plan from Pyro before executing him as she arrives through another portal and kidnaps Paradox. Wade and Logan battle theDeadpool Corps recruited by Nova while she takes control of the Time Ripper to destroy all timelines, leaving only the Void. Nicepool is killed by the Deadpool Corps due to lacking a healing factor as the unaware Wade uses him as ahuman shield, but the Corps are convinced to relent by Peter, who has donned Wade's previous Deadpool suit and dubbed himself "Peterpool".
Paradox tells Wade and Logan that one of them could destroy the Time Ripper by disrupting its power flow, but doing so would kill them. Wade and Logan destroy the Time Ripper together, killing Nova in the process, and are able to survive by sharing the burden. Paradox is arrested byHunter B-15 of the TVA, who reveals that the actions of Wade and Logan have saved Earth-10005 from deteriorating. Wade asks Hunter B-15 to save the resistance group from the Void and change the history of Logan's world. She explains that the latter is unnecessary because Logan's history is what led to him being the hero he needed to be. Later, Wade invites Logan to meet his friends. During a gathering that includes Laura and Dogpool, Logan encourages Wade to reconcile with Vanessa.
Similar to Wade Wilson in the original continuity, this version is a soldier and mercenary with enhanced human reflexes and agility and is a member of ablack ops group calledTeam X under the command ofWilliam Stryker. Six years later, Wilson was taken to Stryker's base atThree Mile Island where he is experimented on for the Weapon XI project. Stryker dubs him as the "mutant killer" known as the "Deadpool". After freeing the other mutants captured by Stryker in Three Mile Island, a version ofLogan is stopped by the now activated Weapon XI. He is then shot several times withadamantium bullets and killed by atime-displaced Wade Wilson, confusing the bystanding Logan. Wilson then proclaims of "just cleaning up the timeline" to Logan before time-traveling.
Multiple "variants" of Wilson in addition to therevised timeline variant appear inDeadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Nicepool is an unscarred, good-tempered non-regenerative variant of Wilson, also portrayed by Ryan Reynolds,[38] who was jokingly credited as his made-up identical twin Gordon Reynolds.[39]
The creation of the Nicepool character inDeadpool & Wolverine was called into question after the production ofIt Ends with Us (2024) became mired incontroversy due to disputes between the film's actressBlake Lively and the film's directorJustin Baldoni.[40] In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni and his production companyWayfarer Studios, accusing them ofsexual harassment and intimidation.[40] Denying the allegations, Baldoni suedThe New York Times forlibel over their siding with Lively's account of events, and later sued Lively, Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloan for civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.[40]Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney in the lawsuit alleged that Reynolds' character of Nicepool inDeadpool & Wolverine was based on Baldoni, given their nearly identical hairstyle and jokes in regards to Lively's Ladypool character and her baby.[41] However, Reynolds has disputed this claim.[42][43]
A crossbreed between aPug and aChinese Crested Dog, the canine variant of Wilson dubbedDogpool orMary Puppins, is played bydog actorPeggy.[44]
Members of the "Deadpool Corps", an army of 100 Deadpools in service ofCassandra Nova who roam the Void, include:
In an alternate universe observed by theWatcher, Deadpool carries a massive arsenal of weapons.[49]
In 2024, Deadpool made appearances inAvengers Campus atDisney California Adventure andWalt Disney Studios Park.[59] Additionally, the same year the character appeared in the show "Story Time with Deadpool" inHollywood Land at Disney California Adventure.[60] The holiday version of the show returned to the park in Fall 2025.[61]
Reynolds's initial portrayal of Wade Wilson / Deadpool / Weapon XI inX-Men Origins: Wolverine received significant critical and fan backlash. Many observed the lack of connection between the film's depiction of the character and his traditional counterpart in the comics. Writing for theHuffington Post in an advance-screening review, Scott Mendelsohn panned the film's depiction of Deadpool and subsequent transformation into Weapon XI, amidst other characters featured in the film from theX-Men comics, affirming that "The climax, for reasons that I won't reveal, will absolutely infuriate devotees of [Deadpool] (for comparison, imagine if, at the end ofSpider-Man 3,Eddie Brock turned intoThe Vulture)".[62] In her retrospective of the film, Rachel Edidin ofWIRED described the film's take on the character as "Deadpool, with his mouth sewn shut, which kind of fundamentally misses the point of the Merc with a Mouth",[63] whileCollider's Matt Goldberg deemed Wilson's codename of "Weapon XI" as, "a fitting symbol for the film because it's a bunch of mutant powers dumped into a dummy".[64]
In contrast, Reynolds's portrayal of the title character in the standaloneDeadpool films was critically acclaimed. Writing forThe Guardian, Peter Bradshaw calledDeadpool (2016) "the funniest Ryan Reynolds film sinceVan Wilder: Party Liaison", while going on to observe that "Ryan Reynolds is developing something self-deprecatory and knowing in his handsomeness, aClooneyesque goof, which works with the comedy here".[65] Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times praised Reynolds' subsequent redemption as the character, highlighting the firstDeadpool film as proof that "the director,Tim Miller, and Mr. Reynolds can do more than hit the same bombastic notes over and over again", while calling his performance, "career rehab (or penance) forGreen Lantern, the 2011 dud he fronted forDC Comics".[66] In his review forVariety, Justin Chang commented on the film's ability to leverage Reynolds' "funnyman sensibilities", going on to exclaim that "through sheer timing, gusto and verve (and an assist fromJulian Clarke's deft editing), Reynolds gives all this self-referential potty talk a delirious comic momentum".[67]
Reynolds has received numerous nominations and awards for his portrayal of Wade Wilson / Deadpool.
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