R.I.P. Deadpool: Marvel Killing Off The Merc With A Mouth In April
By Nick Tylwalk
Deadpool is a hard guy to kill. He’s got a healing factor, for starters, and as we recently saw in the pages of AXIS, even separating his head from his shoulders doesn’t mean you’re going to be rid of him.
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He’s also quite possibly at the peak of his popularity, but Marvel sees the end of the road for the unique mutant hero anyway. Today on Nerdist, writer Gerry Duggan and editor Jordan D. White revealed that they are killing off Deadpool and ending his series with #250 in April.
(Note: it would only actually be issue #45 of his current ongoing title, but Marvel got to 250 issues by counting all the other mini-series and such that he’s been in. Obviously, that’s a lot.)
Marvel is making no bones about the fact that Wade Wilson will be dead at the end of the comics, as you can see in the official solicitation:
"FINAL ISSUE!That’s right—if you add together all the Deadpool series (creatively) issue 45 is the big 250th issue of Deadpool! What better way to celebrate than to end the series? In our over-sized main story, ULTIMATUM comes at Deadpool for revenge, so he has no choice but to take them on—ALL OF THEM. Then, in an Infinity Gauntlet crossover, what would Deadpool do if he got the six gems from Thanos? Plus: a slew of stories showcasing Deadpool’s closest friends and allies by special guest writers! Also, SPOILER: Deadpool dies at the end of the issue."
So what gives here? I’m sure some people will latch onto the idea that Fox has a Deadpool movie coming out in 2016, and Marvel has been … shall we say, less than cooperative concerning the comic book fates of characters whose movie rights are owned by other studios (see also: Fantastic Four). There’s no real way of knowing that’s what is going on here, but everyone can draw their own conclusions.
Also, it’s worth noting that the timing could be significant. Deadpool’s death is coming in the spring, right before Marvel launches into Secret Wars, an event that looks so big, prety much anything could be on the table. Certainly, I wouldn’t be shocked if it planted the seeds for some deceased characters to rejoin the land of the living down the road.
While you ponder all of that and get ready to say your goodbyes to Deadpool, check out the entire Nerdist interview for everything Duggan and White have planned for #250. It’ll be sad to see Wade go, but at least he’s getting one heck of a send-off.