10 Things Marvel Wants You To Forget About Deadpool

10. He's A Total Rip-Off Of A DC Character

Wade Wilson is actually just one of the most popular in a long line of comic book characters that's a total rip-off of an existing hero. In this case, Rob Liefeld brought his design for the character to Fabian Nicieza, and the writer instantly recognised him: the mask, the pirate boots, the colour scheme and the MO were all identical to Teen Titans villain Deathstroke. Instead of warning Liefeld away from potential litigation for copy infringement, Nicieza leaned into the similarity, even giving Deadpool a real name that's pretty close to Deathstroke, who's known to his friends as Slade Wilson. Seriously, look it up, Deadpool is Deathstroke to a tee. Even his alter ego sounds similar. Deadpool has evolved to the point that he's fairly distinct from the overly serious Deathstroke, but it's not an association anybody involved with the movie is going to want as the character comes under closer scrutiny. Especially with Deathstroke being a major part of the Arrow TV series and the Batman: Arkham Origins video game...
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Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/