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Wade Wilson
X-Men / Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Deadpool Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool in Deadpool (2016).
First Episode Appearance
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) (original continuity)
  • Deadpool (2016) (new continuity)
Created byFabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld
Based onDeadpool
Adapted by
  • David Benioff & Skip Woods
    (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
  • Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
    (Deadpool)
Character played by
In-universe information
Full nameWade Winston Wilson
Alias
  • The Merc with a Mouth
  • Weapon XI (original continuity)
  • The Red Guy (new continuity)
  • Mr. Pool (new continuity)
Occupation
Affiliation
  • Team X (original continuity)
  • Weapon X (original continuity)
  • X-Force (new continuity)
  • X-Men (new continuity)
SpouseVanessa (wife) (new continuity)
NationalityCanadian

Wade Winston Wilson is a character portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Originally appearing as a character in the X-Men film series and reprising the role for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise. In the films, Wilson is a wisecracking mercenary with accelerated healing but severe scarring over his body after undergoing an experimental regenerative mutation.

As of 2020, Wilson played a major role in two films of the X-Men film series and having a supporting role in his first appearance. He will have more of an upcoming central role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Concept and creation[]

Characterization[]

Appearances[]

X-Men film series[]

  • Wade Wilson makes his first feature film appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds.[1] He is a highly skilled, wisecracking, and amoral mercenary who wields a pair of katanas with peak athleticism and skill sufficient to deflect fully automatic weapons fire. He is supposedly killed by Victor Creed, but is later revealed to have been transformed by Colonel William Stryker into mutant killer "Weapon XI" (stunts performed by Scott Adkins) who possesses other mutants' powers, including Scott Summers' optic blasts, John Wraith's teleportation, Wolverine's healing factor, and a pair of extendable blades resembling the character's prized swords; Stryker is able to completely control him thanks to Chris Bradley's technopathy. He is referred to by Stryker as "the Deadpool" because the compatible powers of the other mutants have been 'pooled' together into one being. Wolverine and Victor fight Deadpool in the film's climax and manage to defeat him by decapitating him and sending him falling into a cooling tower of a nuclear power plant, although a post-credits scene appearing in DVD releases and some theatrical presentations of the film implies Deadpool is still alive, as his hand is shown reaching out for his still-living head amid the rubble of the destroyed tower.[citation needed]
  • Following the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, which reset the X-Men film series timeline, Ryan Reynolds reprised his role in Deadpool, which premiered in February 2016. This version depicted Wade as a mercenary who after being diagnosed with late-stage cancer turns to Ajax who has offered a cure. Ajax tortures Wade in order to catalyse the treatment, which eventually results in regressive mutant genes activating, causing his disfigurement and healing factor. Wade goes on a vendetta to force Ajax to fix his disfigurement, and eventually kills him on Ajax's admission that this was impossible. This film also introduces to Reynolds's incarnation his most famous weakness from the comics: his Truman Syndrome that adds to the comedic effect by giving him the ability to reference not just X-Men movies and casts, but also Ryan Reynolds and his filmography.
    • Before screenings of the film Logan in U.S. territories a pre-film sequence, that was later titled Deadpool: No Good Deed and released online, was shown serving as a teaser of sorts for Deadpool 2.[2] Rhett Reese, the writer, confirmed that the film was a short and "not a teaser or a trailer".[citation needed] The plot of the short revolves around Deadpool attempting to change into his costume in a phone booth fast enough to stop a nearby mugging. The man is shot before Deadpool can finish putting on his costume. Deadpool apologizes as he could have just called the police since he was already inside a phone booth. He then lies down and initiates a one-sided conversation with the dead man.
  • Deadpool 2, then announced to be in development shortly after the first film's release, is directed by David Leitch and premiered in 2018.[3][4] After the death of his girlfriend Vanessa, Deadpool ended up in the series of events to protect an angst-ridden boy named Russell Collins (Julian Dennison) from Nathan Summers / Cable (Josh Brolin). Reynolds also plays himself and reprises the Weapon XI version of Wade from X-Men Origins, both killed by Deadpool in the mid-credits.

Marvel Cinematic Universe[]

After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company was announced in December 2017 and completed in March 2019, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Deadpool would be integrated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Disney,[5] 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".[6] The Once Upon a Deadpool version of the film was being watched carefully by Disney and Marvel Studios to see whether it might inform how they could approach the character and integrate him into the PG-13 MCU.[7]

In October 2019, Reese and Wernick said that they have 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."[8] It was also indicated the same month that Reynolds would continue to play Deadpool.[9] In December 2019, Reynolds confirmed that a third Deadpool film was in development at Marvel Studios.[10]

Fictional character biography[]

Original Continuity[]

In the original continuity, Wade Wilson was a soldier and mercenary with enhanced far beyond human reflexes and agility due to him being a mutant. During the Vietnam War, Wade was a member a Black Ops group called Team X under the command of William Stryker. The team also included James "Logan" Howlett, Victor Creed, Chris Bradley, Agent Zero, John Wraith, and Fred Dukes. After Logan leaves the team, Wilson was captured and taken to Stryker's base and was experimented on for the Weapon XI project. Stryker collected DNA from mutants whose powers could be used collectively within one body without destroying it. With Creed's help, Stryker gathered the DNA of several mutants, including Wraith, Bradley, Scott Summers, and Logan, with Wilson being the host body. After a battle against Logan and Creed atop a cooling tower at Stryker's plant, Weapon XI was beheaded and seemingly defeated by Logan. However, he survived decapitation.

Days of Future Past[]

Though not indirectly involved with the events, Wilson's life and history was altered when the X-Men altered history by time-traveling into the past and erasing the Sentinels from existence.

New Continuity[]

In the new continuity, Wilson was a former Special Forces soldier with 41 confirmed kills and was dishonorably discharged. He became a mercenary operating at Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Girls, where he met, and eventually proposed to, Vanessa. Unfortunately, Wilson was diagnosed with late-stage cancer shortly after. He was approached by a representative of an unknown organization, who offered him a cure in addition to powers "most men only dream of". While he initially declined, he eventually returned to accept the offer. However, not all was as it seemed, as he soon realized they were actually attempting to create an army of superpowered individuals under their control.

Becoming Deadpool[]

Wilson underwent numerous forms of torture by the hands of Ajax and Angel Dust, though he never lost his sense of humor. Eventually, Ajax was successful in activating Wade's dormant mutant genes, which allowed him to heal and regenerate from any wound. The only problem, however, was that it also horrifically deformed his entire outer layer of skin. Wade attempted to escape and destroyed the facility in the process, but ultimately lost to Ajax in battle. Wade was presumed dead, but thanks to his new-found abilities, he had survived. Afraid to confront Vanessa in his current appearance, Wade took on the moniker "Deadpool", after remembering when his best friend Weasel bet in the Sister Margaret's group "dead pool" that he would die, and began hunting for Ajax to force him to fix him. He eventually tracked him down, though his attempt to kill him was interrupted by the X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. The two attempted to apprehend Deadpool, however he managed to escape by severing his hand.

Shortly after, Ajax targeted and kidnapped Vanessa to get back at Wade, hoping to lure him out and kill him for good. Upon learning of this, Deadpool contacted Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead for their assistance. The three confronted Ajax and his men, where Deadpool was able to save Vanessa and ultimately kill Ajax, much to Colossus' dismay. Despite his appearance, Vanessa still accepted Wade, and the two embraced

Death of Vanessa[]

Two years later, Deadpool had been working as a successful mercenary-for-hire, taking down the most despicable and untouchable of criminals. On the day of his anniversary with Vanessa, Deadpool was going to take down Sergei Valishnikov. However, when Deadpool attacked his base, Valishnikov hid in a panic room. Since waiting for Sergei to get out was going to take too much time, Wade decided to let him go for the time being in order to spend time with Vanessa. Unfortunately, Valishnikov and his men decided to retaliate against Deadpool and attacked him at his apartment. Wilson would've partially successful in fending off the attackers, though a stray bullet from Valishnikov hit Vanessa and killed her.

Joining the X-Men and Forming X-Force[]

Colossus managed to convince Wilson to join the X-Men as a form of physical and mental healing after the death of Vanessa. He became a trainee and accompanied Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead to a standoff between authorities and an unstable young mutant named Russell Collins at an orphanage where Russell lives. Wilson subsequently killed one of the staff members after releasing they were abusing Russell, leading to his and Collins' arrest. They were taken to the Ice Box and their powers were inhibited with special collars.

A cybernetic soldier from the future, Cable, arrived in 2018 to murder Russell before he could kill his first victim, as Cable's family is murdered by a future version of Russell. Cable's breaking into the Ice Box allowed for Wade and Russell to escape their cell, and when Cable came to kill Russell, Wade's collar was broken in the melee. With his powers restored, he attempted to defend Russell, but was beaten by Cable, who took the Skee-Ball token Vanessa gave to Wade on their anniversary. Wade forced Cable out of the prison, but Russell overheard Wade tell Cable that he didn't care about him and he fled. Cable beat Wade to near death and he had a vision of Vanessa in the afterlife where she convinces him to go after Russell and save him.

Wilson returned to life and fleed the Ice Box. He returned to Vancouver and formed a superhero team of his own called X-Force. They attempted 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 and Domino, a mutant whose powers pertain to luck. The two assault the convoy alone, encountering Cable already on the scene. While Domino drove the truck and Cable fought Wilson, Russell released fellow prisoner Juggernaut, who agreed to assist Russell in killing his abusive former headmaster. Before escaping, Juggernaut destroyed the convoy and tore Wade in half, allowing the two of them to escape unhindered.

Cable reluctantly agreed to work with Wilson and Domino in order to stop Russell's first murder, including agreeing to let Wade try to talk Russell down, though still planning to kill Russell if Wade's plan failed. The team was initially overpowered by Juggernaut while Russell terrorized his headmaster until Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and her girlfriend Yukio arrived and helped to hold him off. Wade attempted to talk Russell down, even putting on an inhibitor collar to negate his powers as a show of good faith. This ultimately failed, however, and Cable shot the boy. Wade jumped in front of the bullet and was fatally wounded since his healing factor was negated by the collar. Feeling it was his time to go, he refused to let anyone remove the collar, choosing to be reunited with Vanessa in the afterlife. Russell was inspired by Wade's sacrifice and chose not to kill the headmaster, which prevented the death of Cable's family in the future. Cable decided 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. Wade still took the bullet for Russell, but this time it was stopped by the Skee-Ball token and Wade survived. Despite this, Russell was still inspired by Wade's sacrifice and did not kill the headmaster. As the group left the scene, however, Wade's taxi-driver friend Dopinder arrived and ran over the fleeing headmaster, killing him anyway.

Alternating history[]

Later on, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio managed to fix Cable's time-traveling device, and Wade used it to make several alterations to the timeline. Wilson went back and saved both Vanessa and former X-Force member Peter, who had no powers. He then visited the original continuity and killed that universe's Wade Wilson by shooting him in the head. After this, he made a stop in another timeline and shot Ryan Reynolds in the back of the head before he could sign onto the Green Lantern movie.

Reception[]

Accolades[]

Year Film Award Category Result Ref(s)
2010 X-Men Origins: Wolverine MTV Movie Awards Best Fight
(shared with Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber)
Nominated [11]
People's Choice Awards Favorite On-Screen Team Nominated [12]
2016 Deadpool Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actor in an Action Movie Nominated [13]
Best Actor in a Comedy Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Male Performance Nominated [14]
Best Action Performance Nominated
Best Kiss
(shared with Morena Baccarin)
Nominated
Best Comedic Performance Won
Best Fight
(shared with Ed Skrein)
Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor: Action Nominated [15]
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit Won
2017 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated [16]
People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actor Won [17]
Favorite Action Movie Actor Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Actor Won [18]
2018 Deadpool 2 People's Choice Awards Favorite Action Movie Star Nominated [19]
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Comedic Performance Nominated [20]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer Movie Star: Male Nominated [21]
2019 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actor in a Comedy Nominated [22]
Prix Aurora Awards Best Visual Presentation Won [23]

References[]

  1. Marc Graser; Tatiana Siegel (February 19, 2008). "Reynolds, will.i.am join 'Wolverine'". Variety. https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981136.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved February 20, 2008. 
  2. "There's a secret teaser for 'Deadpool 2' in front of 'Logan' screenings" (in en). Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/logan-deadpool-2-teaser-2017-3. 
  3. Kit, Borys (February 9, 2016). "'Deadpool' Sequel Already in the Works". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161028135900/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/deadpool-sequel-works-863418. Retrieved October 28, 2016. 
  4. Kit, Borys (November 9, 2016). "-Fox's X-Men Issues: Jennifer Lawrence Unsigned, 'Deadpool' Defections, 'Gambit' on Hold". The Hollywood Reporter. {{cite web}}:
  5. White, Peter; Hayes, Dade (December 14, 2017). "Disney-Fox Deal: Bob Iger Discusses Digital Future, James Murdoch, Hulu and $2B Cost Savings". Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. https://www.webcitation.org/6vk3zBc4n?url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/disney-fox-deal-bob-iger-digital-future-hulu-and-2b-cost-savings-1202226884/. Retrieved December 16, 2017. 
  6. Couch, Aaron (December 14, 2017). "'Deadpool' Can Stay R-Rated at Disney, Says Bob Iger". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. https://www.webcitation.org/6vk4DhgDC?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/deadpool-will-stay-r-rated-fox-disney-merger-1067651. Retrieved December 16, 2017. 
  7. Boucher, Geoff (November 5, 2018). "'Once Upon A Deadpool': Ryan Reynolds (and Fred Savage) On Franchise's PG-13 Plunge". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. https://www.webcitation.org/73k22sXTa. Retrieved November 6, 2018. 
  8. Kaye, Don (October 13, 2019). "Deadpool 3 Waiting on Marvel Studios Green Light". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019. {{cite web}}: ; October 14, 2019
  9. https://www.inverse.com/amp/article/60135-deadpool-3-in-mcu-release-date-ryan-reynolds-marvel-instagram
  10. Ridgely, Charlie (December 27, 2019). "Ryan Reynolds Confirms Deadpool 3 at Marvel Studios". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2019. {{cite web}}:
  11. "MTV Movie Awards 2010: Full Nominees List!". MTV News. Retrieved 4 March 2017. {{cite web}}:
  12. "People's Choice Awards: Fan Favorites in Movies, Music & TV - PeoplesChoice.com". www.peopleschoice.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017. {{cite web}}:
  13. Tapley, Kristopher (December 1, 2016). "'La La Land,' 'Arrival,' 'Moonlight' Lead Critics' Choice Movie Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2016. {{cite web}}:
  14. Lovett, Jamie (8 March 2016). "Deadpool, Avengers, And Star Wars Nominated For MTV Movie Awards". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016. {{cite web}}:
  15. Vulpo, Mike (May 24, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Announced: See the "First Wave" of Potential Winners". E!. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016. {{cite web}}:
  16. "Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016. {{cite web}}:
  17. "People's Choice Awards 2017: Complete List of Nominations". E! Online. Retrieved November 15, 2016. {{cite web}}:
  18. McNary, Dave (2 March 2017). "'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 4 March 2017. {{cite web}}:
  19. "'Black Panther,' 'Deadpool 2' Among People's Choice Nominees". Los Angeles, CA Patch. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2020. {{cite web}}:
  20. "2018 San Diego Film Critics Society's Award Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2020. {{cite web}}:
  21. "Teen Choice Awards 2018 Winners: The Complete List". E! News. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020. {{cite web}}:
  22. Tapley, Kristopher; Tapley, Kristopher (10 December 2018). "'The Favourite,' 'Black Panther,' 'First Man' Lead Critics' Choice Movie Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020. {{cite web}}:
  23. "2019 Ballot | Aurora Awards". Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020. {{cite web}}:

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