Deadpool's New Series Basically Reboots 30 Years Of Canon

Published Mar 21, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Every Marvel hero goes through periods of identity crisis and self-doubt, but whereas icons like Spider-Man and Iron Man eventually choose the honorable path and make the sacrifice play for the greater good, Deadpool can never be trusted, especially during his darkest moments.

Deadpool Is Back To His Mercenary Ways

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #2; Written by Benjamin Percy; Art by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair

Still reeling from his daughter Ellie Camacho's disappearance, Deadpool finds comfort in daily heroics like wiping out criminal gangs and saving people from choking on their food. Wade Wilson feels even more eager to put his skills to good use when he starts receiving anonymous prescient notes that warn him of future tragedies. But after a streak of selfless actions, Deadpool realizes he can profit from the predictions.

With nothing but the decision to start charging for the service of avoiding forthcoming tragedies, Deadpool has officially walked back on his character development and reverted to his heartless mercenary days. As soon as he realizes the potential of this business, Wade pressures an old man in a wheelchair to pay him to escape a burning building. Although Deadpool isn't directly harming or killing anyone, his abusive approach to heroism makes him no different from the murderous mercenary he used to be in the 1990s.

That said, Deadpool's cold-blooded hero-for-hire stint likely won't last too long. First, the sorely betrayed Hammerhead already knows Deadpool is receiving intel from an anonymous informant; and second, Ellie Camacho appears in Wade's nightmares the night he starts charging for his efforts. If Hammerhead and his people don't make Deadpool regret his new gig, then Wade's guilt will likely pull him back down to Earth.

Deadpool Needs A Morality Dilemma To Shake Up His Character Arc

Wade Wilson's Invincibility Requires Him To Suffer A Different Kind Of Challenge

Deadpool’s meteoric rise from a cult-favorite mercenary to a global A-list icon has inadvertently stripped away the very thing that made him a regenerating degenerate. In his recent cinematic and comic outings, Wade Wilson has increasingly leaned into the role of a traditional, albeit foul-mouthed, hero. Combined with his functional immortality and near-instantaneous healing, Deadpool's heroism has made him dangerously close to perfect. When a character can't be killed and always chooses to do the right thing, the stakes vanish.

To remain compelling, both the comics and the MCU need to reintroduce a genuine morality dilemma that forces Wade to choose between his newfound heroism and his selfish, mercenary roots. Besides the mistake of charging for his kind actions, Marvel could look toward the darker iterations of the Merc With a Mouth, such as Earth-1610's Ultimate Deadpool, known for his chilling lack of empathy. Every once in a while, it is refreshing to see Wade return to his anti-hero origins where his services are motivated by a cold, hard paycheck.

Do you like Deadpool better as a hero, an anti-hero, or a villain?

Wade Wilson: Deadpool #2 is now available from Marvel Comics.