By Matt Powell
Like Deadpool, Daniel Way's gonna make you laugh—even if he's gotta kill to do it.
The WOLVERINE: ORIGINS writer has had it out for the title hero of his series ever since the loner X-Man regained full recollection of his memories. With each blood-splattered brawl the scribe has forced Logan to claw himself through you can't help but wonder if Way's on the payroll to take Wolverine out. However, as the writer's newest arc, "The Deep End" rolls on, you can count on just as many guffaws as gore in Logan's current throwdown with Deadpool.
The climax of the confrontation between the two has Logan fueled by his berserker rage, while Wade's got a heap of cash promising better days if he can take the ol'
Canucklehead out once and for all. According to Way this ain't your bargain-basement brawl between these two veteran bruisers, as the writer finds their final battle to be a little more…cinematic.
"[The final fight will be] kind of like 'There Will Be Blood'—but with actual blood," assures Way.
With all the ways Deadpool can guarantee a toe tag for his victims, the mercenary for hire can find just as many—if not more—to make you laugh. In penning Wade Wilson, Way finds the character's humor and versatility a nice change of pace from the leads of ORIGINS and his former series, the hellacious GHOST RIDER.
"The humorous aspects mostly [make me a fan of Deadpool]," explains Way. "Especially when you consider that the other monthly that I'm doing, ORIGINS, is so grim. It's nice to have some balance. With Deadpool, you can place him in any
situation and have a Deadpool story. Deadpool goes to the supermarket, wackiness ensues. The trick is to reign it in—don't let it become just a progression of one-liners."
"I'd say the best thing that ever happened to the character was the cultivation of his sense of humor," continues the writer, who's quick to note that Deadpool's sense of humor didn't exist from his inception.
Wade got a comedic kick-in-the-pants thanks to writer Joe Kelly, whose mid-90's run on the character's self-titled series brought the lovable merc into the hearts of his legion of fans, and "really crystallized the character" for Way. Those shenanigans past and present have allowed 'Pool and a host of readers to laugh at his antics and stand eye-to-eye at the border of comicdom's proverbial fourth wall.
"Deadpool is the only Marvel character who is fully aware of the fact that he is starring in a comic book series," notes Way. "So he makes the most of it."
Arguably the hardest working gun-for-hire in showbiz, Wade's on the eve of debuting a new ongoing series later this year with his comedic cohort, Way, on writing duties.
"The new series launches out of…something else," teases the writer. "Something bigger. With Deadpool, nothing is stable. We have a tagline for the series that we've tossing back and forth—our mantra: 'Madness is his method.' Deadpool gets involved in the rest of the Marvel [Universe] when he wants to, has to, or [when] he's getting paid to. Otherwise, he'd rather watch DVDs."
Way's keeping tight-lipped about the missions—and body count—scheduled for Deadpool's ongoing adventures, but the scribe will disclose a hint about guest stars:
"What I want to avoid is getting too 'B-List' with the guest appearances—I think it might drag the book down. When we have a guest star, it will be a star. I do, however, have some ideas for a supporting cast."
First, 'Pool's gonna have to get through Logan and the writer assures that Wade might not be in the same place "mentally" when he makes the jump to his new ongoing, but trouble will remain right in his crosshairs:
"Deadpool will have much bigger Skrulls to fry than Wolverine. Whoops! Did I say too much?"
The next round of Wolverine vs Deadpool hits in WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #23 on March 19. You can check out more Deadpool at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
)
)
)
)
)
