If you know anything about Deadpool, it's probably this. Ryan Reynolds is a life-long fan of the comic book character, and got his first shot at playing him in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine but that film was terrible and, barring a brief opening sequence where he nailed the Merc With A Mouth's irritating/unique qualities, the character got killed off. Kind of a waste. Seemed like that might be the end for Reynolds as Deadpool (despite a characteristically fourth wall-breaking post credits scene for the character), but he campaigned. Oh boy, did he campaign. Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds had a heretofore unseen level of connection with this character. And so it's largely thanks to his petitioning that the Deadpool film is getting made, and he's playing the character. Wade Wilson is a mutant who went through the same Weapon X experimental program that saw Wolverine get his metal bones...only Deadpool had his cancer cured, was horribly scarred, got the same healing factor and went insane.
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/
