So people killing the Marvel universe isn’t a particularly new idea. The Punisher did it back in 1995 and 17 years later, in 2012, Marvel decided it was time to do it again, this time with the ridiculously popular Deadpool, in Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe.
I want to just point out that I’ve never been 100% sold on the character of Deadpool. I love the idea of him and I love the fact that he is almost entirely self-aware. I’m just disappointed that most authors don’t know how to handle his breaking the 4th wall. There are so many possibilities, yet so few have been explored other than using it for inane, idiotic humour.
It’s great seeing all of the characters we’ve grown up reading meet their ends in gruesome and horrible ways, it’s just there’s not enough of it. Crammed into four issues, there’s only so many heroes we can see die, and it often feels rushed. Some characters, such as The Hulk and Moon Knight, get a couple of pages whereas others, like Magneto, get just two panels. I’d have loved more graphic carnage with each character/team possibly getting a whole issue. With so many characters I guess this was never really an option, but it still feels like a slightly missed opportunity.
What we do have, however, is a pretty enjoyable story which has some great highlights and some good humour. Having said that, I feel that some of the humour is too infantile to warrant much notice in this very adult tale. And I also think that the writer, Cullen Bunn, doesn’t quite know what to do with the character in terms of his ‘self-awareness’. What could have been a deep, dark journey through the mind of a very messed up individual comes across as neither light nor dark and sits on some very average middle ground.
Even though it’s nothing special, it’s still a fun read and made me want to read the rest of the series that follows, Deadpool Killustrated and Deadpool kills Deadpool. I guess I just don’t understand why everyone loves the character so much. Yes, he is a character with infinite promise, yet it’s almost never fully realised…
Overall verdict? I’d say this is worth a read for fans of Deadpool, and it’s some good popcorn entertainment for those of us who feel like turning our brains off for a bit. Just don’t expect too much.