The superhero origin story is tried and true, and though they don't always stick to the source material, they're often the most popular outings for comic book figures. Deadpool was one of the most popular comic book figures before his big-screen debut, but his film outings made him even more beloved. The films break his origin story down pretty well, but how close are they to the comics?
Deadpool has enjoyed a strange chain of ownership across his film career. His first appearance had the right casting and the worst presentation of all time. Later examples fixed the problem and mocked the previous failures, but he's always been tied up in legal troubles. Deadpool struggles with his questionable inability to throw around the word "mutant."
Is Deadpool a Mutant?
Whether Wade Winston Wilson counts as a mutant depends on a variety of factors. Generally speaking, the comic book version of the character is not considered a mutant, while the film iteration is. He's broadly described as a "human mutate," which indicates that he was born without powers, but granted them through experimentation. In the comics, Deadpool often claims to be a mutant, to the outrage of the actual mutant community. In the films, he was born a mutant, but his unique genetic traits may have never kicked in on their own. The line is a bit blurry, but mutants in the X-Men universe typically must be born with their mutation. Wolverine was born with his healing factor and bone claws, so he counts as a mutant. Though Spider-Man was arguably mutated by the radioactive spider bite that gave him his powers, he doesn't get included in the ranks of mutants. Deadpool is technically a mutant in his film outings, but both versions earn their powers through similar circumstances.
How did Deadpool get his Powers in the Comics?
Wade Wilson spent most of his early life as a US Army Special Forces soldier. He was gifted, well-trained, and sought after by a variety of extra-military groups. Wade was discharged from the army after refusing an order that offended his morals. At age 19, Wade was hired by a CIA-sponsored mercenary death squad with the assurance that his targets would deserve their fate. Wade spent years being hired out by various powerful international figures, and caught the attention of Canada's Department K. K was the Canadian branch of the Weapon X program that gave the world Wolverine. The illicit super soldier program finally got its chance at Wade when he discovered 34 inoperable tumors. Wade threw his life away and submitted himself to Department K as a test subject.
Department K injected Wade with the genetic material of Wolverine, stabilizing his tumors with a brand new healing factor. This gave Deadpool his new lease on life. This version of the character shares his power with Wolverine because the illicit doctors who built him literally pulled them from Logan's bloodstream. After Wade killed another Department K agent on the job, he was retired and used as a test subject for Doctor Killebrew and his assistant Ajax's constant torturous experiments. His captor eventually tore out his heart and left him for dead, but his sheer rage allowed his healing factor to become even stronger. This version of Deadpool uses Wolverine's healing factor, but the other iteration earned his immortality in a different way.
How did Deadpool get his Powers in the Movies?
Most of Wade's origin story remains the same on the big screen. The 2016 film Deadpool breaks down his time with Department K, despite never mentioning the organization by name. Doctor Killebrew is out, but Ajax/Francis is still around. The big difference is the exact material injected into Wade's bloodstream. Rather than a Wolverine blood transfusion, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool is pumped full of an unnamed serum that awakens any latent mutant genes present in the victim's body. It turns out, Wade was born with a healing factor that never manifested itself. After the serum, Ajax tortures Wade until his mutation shows itself. Other mutants can be seen in the lab, implying that many mutants could live their lives without knowing about their mutations. Is Wade's diagnosis more or less tragic knowing that he had immortality locked away in his genetic code?
In either continuity, Wade Wilson became Deadpool through a long series of horrific experiments. He underwent the worst imaginable pain and suffering so that he could survive anything. The comic book continuity ties him to Wolverine on a biological level, but the films imagine Deadpool having the power inside him all along. With Wolverine properly joining the franchise in the upcoming third entry, it's interesting that their initial connection no longer applies. Wade will still find plenty to talk about with his favorite superhero. The film version of Deadpool is a proper mutant, even if it took overwhelming torture to prove it.