It’s an age-old debate, as famous as the chicken vs. the egg, dogs vs. cats, pizza vs… well pizza beats everything. Nonetheless, comic book fans have been arguing about Deathstroke and Deadpool since the characters made their debuts in the ’90s. Some have made the outrageous claim that Deadpool, a.k.a. Wade Wilson, is nothing but a cheap knockoff of Deathstroke, a.k.a. Slade Wilson. Preposterous! Now, Deadpool fans finally have an advocate in Rob Liefeld, the character’s co-creator, who discusses the differences between the two characters in this new Nerdy Pop video, found on CBR.
The differences mentioned are mostly visual, such as Deathstroke’s… pirate costume? Yet there are many key distinctions not mentioned. For one, Deadpool just had the most successful R-rated film of all time, and Deathstroke has yet to appear in a feature film and probably won’t for quite a…oh.
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016
Okay then, Ben Affleck.
Well, the main difference is that Deadpool is a fourth-wall breaking, super-cancer having, Merc With A Mouth–while Deathstroke is a much more serious character. Both are incredibly popular characters, but Deadpool has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in the past few years, with Marvel Comics pushing the character heavily. Perhaps, if Deathstroke truly will appear in a future Batman or Justice League film, he will experience a similar resurgence. Though he has appeared on TV in both Teen Titans and Arrow, the big screen is another level.
A self-proclaimed fan of the character, Rob Liefeld would likely appreciate Deathstroke’s success, especially if it means a little healthy competition with Deadpool.
What do you think? How different are Deathstroke and Deadpool? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Nerdy Pop
