Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth,Deadpool, has an instantly iconic superhero name that works well for a character whose overly violent tendencies and constant fourth-wall-breaking humor define him as Marvel’s go-to mercenary for hire. When fighting alongsideThe Avengersduring the epic Thor-centric comic event,War of the Realms,Deadpool’s time on the roster gave him yet another nickname, one that succinctly and accurately describes him as the murderous wise-cracking guy he is.
Getting an origin for his name in 1998’sDeadpool & Death Annual #1, Wade, while imprisoned and experimented on in the clandestine facility known as the Workshop, would partake in a “dead pool” with his fellow inmates: a game that saw them bet on who would survive their torturous procedures.
After Wade’s healing factor activated, he took on the name “Deadpool,” with his appearance on the Avengers inWar of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1, seeing him give himself anew nickname — “Ol' Murder Clown” — a perfect encapsulation of his entire shtick and appeal as the Regenerating Degenerate.
Deadpool Dubbed Himself “Ol’ Murder Clown” When Fighting in the War of the Realms
War of the Realms: Strikeforce -The War Avengers #1- 2019 (Dennis Hallum, Kim Jacinto and Ario Anindito)
Joining a powerhouse Avengers squad consisting of Captain Marvel, Lady Sif, Venom, Weapon H, and eventually, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Captain Britain,Deadpool and the “War Avengers”were tasked with holding the line as the carnage ofWar of the Realmsraged around them, ensuring that the rest of their heroic colleagues could “break through” and continue the fight. Annoyed at their predicament and lack of winning, Deadpool says, “Everybody spends a lot of time telling Ol’ Murder Clown all the thing this super-team can’t do,” officially gifting himself a moniker that also calls him out as a character.
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Though it doesn’t roll off the tongue as nicely as “Merc with a Mouth” or “Regenerating Degenerate,”Wade calling himself “Ol’ Murder Clown” is too accurate not to appreciate, especially when he tells an incredulous Sif that he chose it because he’s “decided to own it” — meaning the criticism that he just kills people and cracks jokes all the time. To make this name even better, whenDC Comics introduced their riff on Deadpool— Blood Pouch — they gave him an actual clown mask and a similar deadly arsenal, proving that it isn’t only Wade who thinks himself a murderous clown.
Deadpool’s Different Nicknames Say a Lot About Who He Is as a Comic Book Hero
As fans may remember,2016’s now canonMCU filmDeadpoolsaw Wade take his name from a similarly structured “dead pool,”only instead of it being played as a sick game of distraction in a top-secret torture facility, it was played for fun at Sister Margaret’s School for Wayward Children, the mercenary bar Wade frequented. Whether going byDeadpoolor his other various nicknames, Wade owning his status as a kill-happy comedian and adopting a new name because of it is a fun way to show what matters most to thisAvenger: death, dismemberment, and a good fourth-wall-breaking laugh.
War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1is available from Marvel Comics.
Deadpool
The merc with the mouth first appeared in an issue ofNew Mutantsin 1990, and since then has gone on to get his own series and a massive cult following. With his incredible powers of healing and regeneration, Deadpool was initially depicted as an X-Men villain but went on to become an anti-hero. After getting his own movie series starting in 2016, the third Deadpool movie finally brings the wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
