Warning: SPOILERS for Deadpool: The End #1
There is no fictional world or villain safe from Deadpool, and the un-killable assassin has proven it in the least likely way. This time, it’s taking readers on a journey into his own future… becoming Marvel’s own version of The Batman Who Laughs – and drowning the rest of the Avengers in DC drama.
Some explanation will be needed since, even for Wade Wilson, this new crossover between Marvel and DC is a layered inside joke. The joke arrives in the newly released Deadpool: The End, a one-shot issue intended to tell ‘the final story’ of the Merc With a Mouth. Where others in the series have shown the heroic death of Miles Morales decades into the future, or the near immortality of Venom, Deadpool’s last act has turned out to be something else entirely. After all, why would Deadpool die a hero in Marvel’s universe… when he can become the most maniacal villain in DC’s, instead?
For those curious, Joe Kelly and Mike Hawthorne do actually deliver a heartwarming death for Deadpool. But after finding himself in the afterlife, Deadpool reminds the reader that he’s “never been much of a ‘rules guy'” and therefore is too big a figure for just ONE ending. Instead offering readers a multiple choice conclusion, the one labeled Deadpool’s ‘Distinguished Competition’ ending throws off all subtlety — transforming Deadpool into the Batman Who Laughs, sending Tony Stark back to the bottle, and turning Thor into a budding Batman. Take a look:
The expression of pure chaos and nihilism demonstrated by Deadpool is a bit sillier than The Batman Who Laughs, but if it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have another win to celebrate for their Dark Nights: Metal antagonist. Originally introduced as the embodiment of DC’s Dark Multiverse — and the answer to the question, ‘what if Batman became the Joker?’ – the twisted, horned villain became a commercial hit. He’s still tormenting the DC Universe to this day, so Deadpool couldn’t look to any hotter a figure for his own possible fate. But pity for the Avengers forced to deal with him.
Readers can see this and every other possible ending for Wade Wilson today, with the full solicitation details and plot synopsis for Deadpool: The End available below:
- DEADPOOL: THE END
- Written by: Joe Kelly
- Art by: Mike Hawthorne, Victor Olazaba, Ruth Redmond
- Cover Art by: Rahzzah
- THE FINAL DEADPOOL STORY! Wade Wilson may seem like he is unkillable, but there is more than one way to put an end to him… but don’t take my word for it! Quintessential Deadpool scribe Joe Kelly and record-setting Deadpool artist Mike Hawthorne team-up to prove it to you! Deadpool is done for!
Deadpool: The End is available now at your local comic book shop.
