Why Do Deadpool's Name and Costume Not Match His Personality?
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on Aug. 5, 2020, 4:58 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
With most superheroes, their names and costumes reflect their personalities. For example, Batman is named in honor of a nocturnal animal, so he has a dark costume and a dark and serious personality, whereas Spiderman is more easygoing, so his costume has a brighter color scheme.
However, Deadpool does not conform to that convention. Upon hearing his name, and seeing his black-and-red costume, one would expect him to have a very serious and hard-edged personality, similar to Batman, but he is actually a sarcastic jokester who rarely takes anything seriously. Given his personality, a brightly-colored costume and a less serious name would suit him far better, so I do not understand why there is such a strong contrast between his personality and appearance.
What does everyone else say about this? Why do Deadpool's name and costume not match his personality? Is that the point, to contrast a comical character with a very serious name and appearance?
Juxtaposition is a classic trope in comedy. In this case, you have the tough and violent exterior image, established through his name, choice of weaponry, and outfit (all done to mock Deathstroke, as said above).... but he acts like Deadpool.
The over-the-top comic book mercenary outfit and name is part of the joke.
August 5, 2020 6:56 p.m.
defamagraphy1 says... #4
I'm not so sure that's it's was an intended parody (a parody being an imitation for comic effect) as you say.
When Deadpool started in the nineties, He was a member of the Weapon X project, and intially was written as a serious X-Force villain.
Yes, his character was purposely taken from Slade Wilson right down to the name, but back then a lot of characters between Marvel and DC are direct "rip offs" with slight changes. (Black Cat and Cat Woman being an example.)
It wasn't until the earlier 2000's that Deadpool was revamped into the comedic slapstick character that everyone knows today. His costume was kept the same from his original as too much change may have made the old character unrecognizable.
August 6, 2020 12:18 p.m.
defamagraphy1 says... #5
Marvel and DC went through a series of revamps as the comicbook industry has struggled to survive. This being prior to the major blockbuster movies, TV shows and (more) mass produced merchandise.
Deadpool's character so happened to be on that list of revamps, as the character never really had a "written" past. This move was able to attract new fans, while still keeping older fans interested. (That's why they kept the costume the same)
August 6, 2020 12:35 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #6
defamagraphy1, I did not know that, so why do you think that Marvel drastically changed his personality?
DemonDragonJ says... #2
TypicalTimmy, that does make sense; I was, in fact, aware that Deadpool was a parody of Deathstroke, so I suppose that that does explain the clash between his costume and his personality.
August 5, 2020 6:24 p.m.