Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #2 Review

In this What If?-style parallel reality tale, thanks to super-villain Psycho Man, Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth has had the relatively harmless voices in his head replaced by a new one; one that's driving him to destroy the tights 'n' capes of the Marvel Universe; heroes or villains--whatev's--they're ALL gonna get it!...

*EXCLUSIVE FIRST REVIEW*

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* *MATURE READERS*

After offing Psycho Man, The Fantastic Four and The Watcher last issue, Ghost Rider, Doctor Doom, The Beast and Howard the Duck are among those who have 'bought it' at the hands of Deadpool since then (Howard's been cooked). This is relayed to us by The Beast's former girlfriend/news reporter Trish Tilby, before we jump right into where Wade's at now on his killing spree: taking on Spider-Man!

With Deadpool hanging onto Spidey's leg in an aerial battle, nicely rendered by artist Dalibor Talajic (whose art style fits the feel of the book very well), it looks as though Wade and his sword might be outclassed by Spider-Man and his webs--which soon send Deadpool plummeting into the bonnet of a cop car. Spidey proclaims that Wade's lucky he doesn't kill him for what he's done. Climbing to his feet as his healing factor gets to work, Deadpool counters that 'they' wouldn't let Spidey break character, even if he wanted to. Dismissing Deadpool's words as meaningless banter, the web-slinger berates Wade for 'stealing' his wise-cracking 'routine,' and just adding blades to the equation--which hasn't proven to be a match for Spidey's ablities. Wade pulls his gun, and it's Spider-brains all over the sidewalk...

Stumbling off, asking the voice in his head for his next target, the voice replies that it doesn't matter who's next; they all have to die. But, illustrating that he's not simply blindly following 'Voicy', Deadpool argues that it does matter. He needs something big & meaty--that's the Merc with a Mouth's style... But the voice says that's 'old Deadpool' talking; spectacle is what 'they' want; he doesn't have to play their game anymore. Deadpool argues that he's already broken free of 'their' chains; 'they' wouldn't have let him kill the wall-crawler. This is what he wants... Something big...

And that something comes in the form of Iron Man, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Thor, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, Luke Cage and Hawkeye--the Avengers now assembled to take him down. But Wade's got hold of some of the 'Pimp Articles' that he squandered in the regular series' recent 'Deadpool Reborn' arc, and before the Avengers can say, "What's that floating in my coffee?" Earth's Mightiest go boom!!!

When the last of the smoke clears there's only The Mighty Thor left standing--and Deadpool's a little conflicted about offing him, as he's unsure about who's 'pulling Thor's strings.' But he brushes this concern aside and utilizes the 'Pimp Articles' once more--to devastating effect on the God of Thunder. There's more discussion between Wade and the voice in his head as they justify their actions with the belief that Deadpool is the only one that sees things how they are; they're all just puppets--and having managed to break free of his 'strings' thanks to his new head-buddy, Wade has done the Avengers a favor!

Only, there's a sometime-Avenger who's shown up late for the party; enter The Hulk, promptly tearing Wade's head off, before going to rest in a cave.

Hulk may just have proven to be more than Deadpool can handle, but when Hulk sleeps, there is Hulk no more... there is only Bruce Banner. And Deadpool's healing factor having now done its job + puny Banner equals...

... 'Work' over for the day... Is there no-one who can stop this madman's maniacal rampage?!?

YES!

Aunt May...

...and the fallen heroes' other bereaved have got together and pooled their resources to hire someone who just might be able to do the job...

...which is good because although Deadpool's using his smarts rather than solely relying on shooting and stabbing, Cullen Bunn's script feels like it's letting the Merc have things too easy. The introduction of this new antagonist should be a game-changer--though it's unfortunate that both he and the 'Pimp Articles' were so recently used in Deadpool #55-#57, lessening the impact they'll make here on regular Deadpool readers... But the central driving force in this mini-series, pushing the envelope of Deadpool's Fourth Wall-breaking capabilities, belies the impression of senseless violence that could be assumed of this title, and if a rumor I've heard about who the Merc with a Mouth's final target is gonna be proves true... Well, let's just say there's a reason, other than the obvious one, why the book's called Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe.

Join me back here next Wednesday for my review of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #3, and if you haven't been following Deadpool's regular book and haven't had enough spoilers, you'll be able to work out who's hired to take Deadpool down and what the hell 'Pimp Articles' are by checking out my review of Deadpool ##57 here!

BIG DEADPOOL PREVIEW

(Gold Town: 'A Whole Other Thing' from Pandemonium Spotlight #2. Right click then 'Open' to read up close).

As I continue to make moves to showcase to Marvel that I can write the Merc with a Mouth-- sending them my latest, in which white boy wannabe-gangsta Pete the Pimp goes to Gold Town in Twilight Star Productions' Pandemonium Spotlight #2, and working on my major Top Secret comic (sneak peak below this post and plenty more to come), which will be my biggest and best shot yet--there're big things happening for Deadpool in his ongoing book, with major story arc 'Dead' looming. Let's get up to speed and take a look at what's coming up for everyone's favorite wise-crackin' psychotic...

For any that haven't been following the Deadpool ongoing series: After taking down Numero Uno intergalactic merc Macho Gomez and stealing his spacecraft, Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool jetted off into outer space and took Gomez's mantle as the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter... But, disheartened by the non-reaction to this, "In space, no one can hear you win," Deadpool returned home to Earth--only to be confronted by the surviving Gomez and a bunch of Wade's supposed friends, who proceeded to try and kill him. And succeeded. Temporarily. And in that moment, Wade was reunited with the love of his life, the embodiment of Death--and realized this was what he wanted from his friends--to be reunited with her. To be dead.

And then Deadpool's super-healing factor kicked in.

Brought back to life, Wade embarked on an unhinged mission to annoy the hell out of The Hulk, believing 'Ol Green Skin the only one with enough muscle to smoosh him out of existence for good--and he succeeded--kind of.

The Hulk smashed him, but knew his healing factor would bring him back, and realizing the mental state Wade was in (bad--even for Deadpool), the Hulk's alter ego Bruce Banner had his cousin, lawyer Jennifer Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk fix it for Wade to be committed to Crossmore Institution for the criminally insane, in Britain.

There, Wade was helped by shrink Dr. Ella Whitby... helped to escape, that is--as Whitby was nuttier than Wade, crazy in love with him, offing people in Deadpool's name--and had even collected dismembered parts of Wade that he'd lost over time in battle and regenerated--stored in her freezer!

Heartbroken at the revelation that Deadpool was in love with someone else, the unhinged Whitby killed herself--and Wade, disgusted at his 'frozen bits', dumped them... following which, they merged to form Evil Deadpool. Which brings us to now.

Both 'good' Deadpool and Evil Deadpool are headed separately for New York city in a 5-part story arc beginning in Deadpool #45. "[With Deadpool,] every bad turn was always voluntary. He always had a choice. Either turn back or turn into it and he always took the wrong path. I don't think he intentionally did it, but I think that kind of informs his morality as it stands now," says Deadpool writer Daniel Way in an interview with Comic Book Resources. Way continues, "Evil Deadpool was born in a dumpster. He has no background and is not attached to anything. He's got some short term memories. There's no childhood there. He's never experienced love. He's never experienced loss. He's basically what Deadpool would be if he had never been one of us."

Way has been doing 'big picture'/'pieces of the puzzle' work on the book, and speaking in interviews with Comic Book Resources and Newsarama recently, has revealed that Deadpool has by no means given up on his quest for death--and that the Evil Deadpool arc will provide Deadpool with his 'Krytonite;' something that goes back to the origins of the character. Something that will actually kill him.

The first issue alone of 'Dead' (Deadpool #50) will see the return of the Kingpin, Typhoid Mary and The Hand--tying into Joe Kelly's run on the previous Deadpool series--plus Wade's team-mates X-Force--as well as the return of regular Deadpool artist Carlo Barberi. But ahead of this issue, following the Evil Deadpool arc, we have Deadpool #49.1: 'Deadpool: The Musical,' which brings back some other old 'friends' and promises to bring readers up to speed ahead of 'Dead.'

I'm invested in what Way's bringing to the character, and looking forward to all of this stuff, 'Dead' in particular, though not sure what to expect from this much-teased arc--a feeling that is clearly deliberate on the part of Marvel and Way, as speaking with Newsarama, he says, "A lot of readers have become jaded with the whole, 'In this issue...a hero will fall' thing, and I don’t blame them. I’m one of them. That’s why 'Dead' is what it is; and it’s nothing like what you think it’ll be. Bluntly, I don’t think readers can prepare for this one."

Deadpool Preview

Having spent the last three months promoting my Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman's color debut in Digital Visions #4--which is still available to download free at the post below--it's time to show my other favorite merc some love in a don't say 'finger-lickin' family bucket-sized Preview!

If you've been following Wade's adventures in the Deadpool ongoing you'll know that he kicked alien bounty hunter Macho Gomez's ass, ditched the idea of trying to be a hero, and jetted off into space, taking Gomez's job as top banana intergalactic merc.

Well, after his space adventures wrap up, Deadpool's back on Earth in Deadpool #36, and so's Gomez--and this time he's brought friends. Deadpool's friends.

One of these, I'd love to see brought back as a fixture. As some of you know, I'm gunning to work on Deadpool and have recently been developing my ideas--and those I've spoken to about this will know who I'm talking about--but right now I'm working on breaking that Merc-with-a-Mouth-shaped door down.

Which of Wade's buddies will feature in Gomez's 'kill Deadpool crew' has yet to be revealed, but all of those present have an axe to grind with Wade, and things seemingly don't go well because following this, Wade wants to die!... which, as any Deadpool fan will know, isn't an easy task because of his healing power... so he has to figure out a way...

"It has to be big. It has to be powerful beyond description. It has to be... green?..."

The Hulk also features in 3-part crossover event Identity Wars--running through the Amazing Spider-Man, Deadpool and Incredible Hulks annuals in April-June.

Written By John Layman (Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness, Chew) and illustrated by Lee Garbett (Judge Dredd, Batgirl), this sees Spidey, Hulk and Deadpool thrown into an alternate reality, facing--and switching places with--alternate versions of themselves, where Spidey is the world's most popular and powerful hero, The Hulk wields magic, and Wade is a super-sane criminal mastermind!

Talking about the event at Marvel.com, Layman said the Deadpool Annual is "bonkers chaos;" "the great fun to the Deadpool story is pitting cold, calculating, ruthless sanity against Deadpool’s trademark goofy madness."

And speaking of 'goofy madness', in Marvel's big crossover Fear Itself, Wade gets his Hammer on.

Written by Christopher Hastings (the creator of webcomic Dr. McNinja) and illustrated by Merc with a Mouth's Bong Dazo, in 3-issue mini-series Fear Itself: Deadpool--coming in June--Deadpool decides the Marvel Universe being gripped by fear is a great way to make money--but when he's chosen as one of 'the worthy' and granted an enchanted hammer, fate may have other plans...