What you need to know about Deadpool

This Valentine’s season, you have a choice. Either you can watch Deadpool or you can go out on a romantic date with your loved one. Or, even better, you can watch Deadpool with your significant other! Isn’t that an awesome deal or what? If you haven’t seen the barrage of Deadpool promotions, posters, and trailers plastered everywhere, Deadpool is the first superhero movie to come out this year. And, despite the overabundance of Deadpool everywhere, it’s perfectly understandable if you don’t know who this so-called Merc with a Mouth is. Here’s a little primer before you go jumping right onto the Deadpool bandwagon.

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Deadpool is a Marvel inside-joke of a DC character. You can’t be faulted for mistaking Deadpool for DC’s Deathstroke. If you’ve played the Arkham and Injustice video games, watched CW’s Arrow and the latest Suicide Squad trailers, or read his comics, you probably know who Deathstroke is. He’s an assassin operating mainly in Gotham, and is a member of the Suicide Squad. Now, Deadpool started off innocently, but his writers noticed the similarities, later on giving him the unmasked identity of Wade Wilson. (Deathstroke’s true name is Slade Wilson, for comparison.)

Deadpool is what happens when you mix a cancer survival story with comic book mayhem. Wade Wilson was a brain cancer patient. Initially, he was a soldier, but he got kicked out, which led him to the mercenary life. His brain cancer forced him to seek out the Weapon X program, a government project to create the perfect supersoldier, which should cure him of his cancer. The program successfully imbued him with a healing factor derived from Wolverine himself. Unfortunately for him, his cancer was never cured. So while he’s immortal, his body is endlessly decaying and healing due to the cancer.

Deadpool knows you’re watching him. What makes him one of the most interesting comic book characters is that he figured out that he’s a comic book character. He’s one of the few superheroes who can break the fourth wall. In fact, in a lot of his comics, you’ll find him talking to you, the reader directly. You’ll find him referencing the Marvel comic book universe through meta-jokes. And he’s got a smart mouth.

Deadpool <3 Spiderman. One of the ongoing jokes of the Deadpool universe is his “friendship” with Spiderman. Well, according to lore, Mr. Pool thinks Spidey is his best friend forever, but Spidey, on the other hand, wishes they never met. That kind of friendship. MCU crossover? Nah, unless we see a Deadpool-Spiderman bromance.

Deadpool wants you in his life. The movie is just starting hits theatrical run, but we already have a sequel in the works. He’s also due to have a role in the upcoming X-Force movie next year.