Deadpool: Psychotic Villain or Psychotic Hero

Any way you look at it, Marvel’s “Merc With a Mouth”, Deadpool, is absolutely psychotic. He can’t help it. The effects from the Weapon X program and his already existing mental problems make him that way. But does it make him good or bad? Frankly, I’m a little confused because he has been a little of both throughout the years. So, my question is: Is Deadpool a psychotic villain or a psychotic hero?

Starting with a little background information, let’s review his character traits. A product of the Weapon X program, Deadpool’s superhuman ability is his accelerated healing capability. Even after decapitation, he’s been able to put his head back on his neck and go on with life. Basically, he’s immortal. He’s a skilled mercenary with training that includes a variety of martial arts, marksmanship and swordsmanship, with his swords of choice being two katanas that he wears sheathed on his back. His fighting style is so erratic and impulsive that opponents have found it hard to go up against because there’s no pattern to follow. In other words, he has no “tells.” Also, he is fully aware that he’s a comic book character and he uses that to his advantage, which brings me to one of my favorite things about him. He talks to his readers Not only does he talk to you, but he’s funny and sarcastic. It’s kinda like a running stand-up routine and I'm really looking forward to the new movie coming out next Friday (Feb. 12) to see what kind of one-liners they come up with for him.

He must be a villain because he is a true mercenary who will kill anyone for enough money. Deadpool loves a good and bloody encounter and can’t seem to get enough of them. So, he has been employed by the Kingpin, Taskmaster and Tolliver – all villains. In one storyline, he goes on a killing spree and offs all of the other Marvel characters – both villains and heroes. He also kills the writers of his comic by breaking into the “real world,” which seriously isn’t fair. When that doesn’t satisfy him, he goes on a killing spree and takes out all of the classic literature characters like Sherlock Holmes, Count Dracula and Tom Sawyer. Since he knows he’s a comic book character, he’s also been known to read his past comics and other comics so that he can get a jump on his opponents and that’s cheating! Plus, he’s really snarky about it.

On the otherhand, there have been times when he’s shown compassion and even helped to save Copycat with some of his healing powers. Unlike other supervillains, he actually has friends. Albeit, Blind Al is a cross between a prisoner and his mother figure and his best friend, Weasel, is his arms dealer. In several storylines, Deadpool has teamed-up with a variety of superheroes including Spider Man, Hercules and, now, Captain America with the Avengers Unity Division, to battle villains. Also, Ghost Rider’s “Penance Stare” didn’t work on him, so, that may suggest that he is inherently good or his quick regenerating brain cells counteract the effects or he really doesn’t have a soul.

Many have classified Deadpool as an anti-hero but that doesn’t seem to ring true to me. Since, he plays both sides, maybe, he should be classified as a semi-hero. He’s a loose cannon in the Marvel Universe because he’s completely unpredictable due to his mental instability. He acts impulsively, based on his state of mind moment-to-moment. This doesn’t make him a good candidate for villain or hero status. He can’t be counted on by either side but both sides have benefitted from his power and skills. The only thing that you can count on with Deadpool is that he’s the ultimate survivor, so good or bad, the “Merc With a Mouth” will definitely be sticking around for a while.

Here’s a few of Deadpool’s quotes that you just might appreciate:

Shenanigans? Did you just curse me out in Irish?

Aw Geez, if this is a dream I sure hope Carol Channing doens't show up naked again...

"Pwangg?" Trees don't go "Pwangg--" Llamas don't go "Pwangg--" Nothing found in nature goes "Pwangg", which means -- we're officially hip deep in the smelly stuff.

You should talk. Your costume's so tight you can tell what religion you are. Ever hear of a cup?