There's a comical, if not a bit morbid, history behind Marvel's resident assassin Deadpool. In an interview with Vulture, co-creator Rob Liefeld sheds light on how his parents helped Wade Wilson get his infamous and iconic moniker.
Wade Wilson is one of the Marvel Universe's most efficient killers. Thanks to a combination of his proficiency with weapons and his ability to regenerate from the worst sort of injuries, the Merc with a Mouth has made a killing in the business of killing. While he's sometimes allied himself with several of Marvel's more noble heroes such as Spider-Man, Deadpool's comfortability with murder has kept him largely in his own corner. But whether it's aliens, demons, robots, or clowns, Wade Wilson's lethal skills have proven to be more of an asset than a liability. He might not get the approval of the Avengers, but he's certainly more a hero than a villain.
And though Deadpool already has a bit of an edge to his name, his co-creator, Rob Liefeld, gives his character a much more morbid origin than fans may have thought. In an interview with Vulture, Liefeld discusses how his character went from a bit character in the Marvel Universe to a star of the silver screen. The interview brings up Liefeld's success in revitalizing The New Mutants which went from a floundering title to a huge hit among comic readers. The success allowed Liefeld to start creating original characters for the book. And while he had idea for what his new antihero would be, he was stuck on a name. The comic legend recalls how his parents believed celebrity deaths would often occur in threes and that when one passed, the couple would place bets on who would be next, something they called a "dead pool".
Deadpool's Name Origin Is Perfect For Him
Betting on deaths isn’t exactly unheard of. The idea of celebrity dead pools have existed for some time, with people actually getting the chance to win large sums of money by correctly guessing the next high-profile person to kick the bucket. Variations of the game have even appeared in movies such as The Dead Pool and even the 20th Century Fox adaptation of Deadpool. It might not be something that Liefeld's parents invented themselves, but they certainly helped get the creative gears moving when it came to Deadpool's creation.
Is it unseemly to bet on who will be the next to die? Perhaps. Was it a bad idea to name Deadpool after such a concept? Absolutely not. Yes, there may be some moral implications to Rob Liefeld’s story, but truth be told, acknowledging the connection between Wade Wilson and the notion of a dead pool is refreshing. The game is in bad taste and revolves around death, just like the mercenary. Deadpool is erratic and unpredictable and anyone around him could die at any moment. For as chaotic and gross as the dead pool gamble is, Rob Liefeld's parents couldn't have helped him pick a better name for Deadpool.
Source: Vulture