I wasn't a Deadpool fan for a long while. When he first premiered, he seemed like the most basic, surface elements of Wolverine, Spider-Man, and maybe the Punisher all mixed into an LCD sludge -- usually an unfunny parody -- and there was nothing appealing about that to me. A mercenary with guns and a healing factor -- if that hadn't already been done, there were enough rip-offs to make it seem like that's all mainstream comics wanted to be. It took me a while to realize it but Wolverine had more depth than that, at least. I was getting New Mutants back then, maybe just to keep up with what was going on with the hot thing in comics, hopefully more than I was a Liefeld fan at the time. I probably had his first appearance, which I got rid of at some point (probably worth thousands now). It was hard to really care but I kept up as much as I did with anything. I even picked up his first mini-series or so, probably because Waid wrote it, but it didn’t redeem the character and I dropped any interest after that. Then there was a resurgence in interest in him, and I can admit that I would pick up a an issue and land on a random page and it could be funny, but I didn’t read any full stories or follow the character in particular. In the time he exploded in popularity in the comics, enough to warrant more than one series, and while the fourth-wall breaking element wasn’t new, it was a fun aspect to the character. Flash-forward to the movie, which I thought would be a bomb. There’s not way they could get the character right and make something that would be anything more notable than the usual superhero flick for teenage boys. I was overjoyed to have been proven wrong, and they actually got him exactly right, not only making the movie I would have dreamed about but also a movie I never thought they would or could make. It stands as my favorite non-Marvel Marvel movie, by far. So I understand the explosion in popularity of the character, which had probably even sufficient before the movie. Currently he’s the most-requested hero to play in my campaign -- there might have been a few folks who would be playing if they could be him -- but he’s also the main hero that I will decline anyone to play. There’s a provision in the RTJ that if there’s only one hero you want to play in this game then this campaign probably isn’t for you, and this is probably what proves that.
Deadpool isn’t a hero if for only one reason: He kills. It might be killing for comedic effect, but in a superhero story, it’s all fiction so murder is just the same whether it’s for a serious premise or a laugh. “Anti-hero” is not a hero and murder cannot be excused. There are still some great stories with anti-heroes but you cannot call those characters heroes on par with, say, Captain America and Spider-Man. There’s a line and that’s it. (This will be expanded on in the My Problem with the Punisher post.) Yes, Wolverine is still allowed (or isn’t, but for other reasons) and certainly other actual heroes have killed in their stories in the past. So on those grounds, perhaps an exception could be made. But still no.
One of Deadpools’ appeals is breaking the fourth wall -- talking to the reader. This is used to great effect in his comics (unless it’s been done to death by now and they've dropped it) and there it probably works well, but it would not in an RPG campaign. There’s a level of reality I want to bring to the game, or at least some limits of how far it will go. There’s a consistency of believably I’d like to bring to the game, just like in the comics. You can rely on certain elements in the world and you can know what to expect from it. But Deadpool goes outside those limits and it makes the story in the campaign a meta thing that would be a pain to deal with. Deadpool as the character might be talking to the reader when no one else is, and that would get confusing. Yeah, it’s often funny when done right, but it can get old quick, especially from a player who is not as inventive as they would need to be. And while I want the game to be fun and to even allow comedic elements, Deadpool, who is a cartoon at his base, is a degree of comedy that could poison a serious-leaning campaign. Even if the player swore they wouldn't run Deadpool with that element (though it’s hard to separate), there’s still an expectation for it. There’s not much reason to do it that way anyway.
He’s also the most-requested character to play I’ve gotten so far and I’ve flatly said no immediately every time. That might have been a knee-jerk reaction but it wouldn’t be fair to allow anyone to do it now after I’ve said no so often already. Hopefully anyone would be interested in Marvel and this world more than just being able to play Deadpool because he’s crazy and they’d be able to do whatever they want. There are already enough spinning plates and unpredictable elements that can derail plans for a campaign, and with him around and played like a clown there's too much potential for all of it to spin far away. A character with no limits cannot be bound by a world with limits so it’s best to leave that element out of it.
And maybe more than anything, Deadpool holds way too much potential to be effing annoying, whether from when he goes off the page or being run by a player who isn't as funny as they think they are. Even worse when they won’t relinquish the character on the grounds of being too ridiculous and not fitting in, then I’m the jerk, for not allowing that kind of fun, even if the tone of the campaign has been forever tainted. There’s a lot I’d rather tolerate than a player who thinks they’re being funny but are just being irritating and ruining things.
And yet, there could be a space for him. There’s not much I won’t say no to in my campaign, if the players might have fun with it. He could come in one day. But as an NPC, and not for long. I have my limits.
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