Probably out of morbid curiosity I revisited the story with Marvel Explained, a YouTube channel that breaks down all things Marvel. http://youtu.be/oywLx8AJ29c. Robert Jefferson is the narrator and producer of these videos; he's done an impressive job! His is a casual narrative of Deadpool kills… using the pages from the book, showing the action and drama.
Obviously, this story takes place in an alternate reality. Deadpool is a mercenary and a mutant. "The Merc with a mouth" is his handle. In the story, he's remanded to an asylum by Professor Xavier and the X-Men. There he completely freaks when he begins hearing a new, dominant voice in his head. He breaks out and goes on a killing spree of superheroes and villains. He dispatches the likes of Spider-Man (who he shoots in the head), the Fantastic Four, and even the Hulk. The most memorably gruesome scenes are what he does to the X-Men.
It’s hard not to appreciate writer Cullen Bunn’s work because it’s so compellingly done. He's in his element. The book has been described as a parody, but I think readers (and writers) love to see these beloved Marvel characters get skewered. You can trace that back to battle scenes in the Infinity Gauntlet saga. So, it often feels like people simply want to see the mindless goring of characters. And it's that inherent, blood lust that I think is worth noting, because it sheds light on our faulty morality.
I’m not condemning this book. But I can’t ignore the real world implications. The “voices” that Deadpool experiences are undeniably demonic. The book is heavy with darkness-- it's tantalizing, but its a little taste of hell too. There are scenes where Xavier and Taskmaster are given a glimpse into Deadpool’s mind, and the sight of it causes them to shut down. I think they both saw pure, unrestrained evil and cold terror. What I believe people see when they first enter the futility of hell. I found myself rooting for Wolverine (often as much a bully and a murderer as Deadpool). It was a let-down that so many of the heroes had a seeming nihilistic- if not apathetic- attitude in confronting Deadpool to defeat him. As if they already knew they faced certain death. Again, the sense of futility is all over this book. It’s like a nightmare set on a sunny, beautiful day.
When the Punisher tries to take out Deadpool, there’s an interesting insert about how what’s happening may be a holy vengeance from above. In a real world setting, where a man was empowered to wreck destruction, demons would no doubt believe that to be true. Demons are not deceived about their ultimate fate. Neither is the world.
Written by Cullen Bunn who appropriately has written similar fare like, The Damned, and art by Dalibor Talajic who has illustrated the comic book adaptation for the Dexter TV series. Incidentally, I discovered their credits after I came to my conclusions.
Ryan Reynolds is set to reprise the role of Deadpool in his own feature film on February 2016.
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
– James 2:19
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