Wade Wilson (film character)

Wade Wilson
X-Men film series and Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool in Deadpool (2016)
First appearance	X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Based on	Deadpool by Rob Liefeld Fabian Nicieza
Adapted by	Ryan Reynolds Rhett Reese Paul Wernick Tim Miller David Leitch Shawn Levy Skip Woods[a] David Benioff[a] Gavin Hood[a]
Portrayed by	Ryan Reynolds Scott Adkins (Weapon XI)
In-universe information
Alias	Deadpool Weapon XI[a]
Species	Human mutant
Occupation	Assassin Mercenary Soldier
Affiliation	Canadian Special Forces "The Others" Team X[a] Time Variance Authority Weapon Plus X-Force
Weapon	Dual katanas Dual Desert Eagle Mark XIX handguns Boot knife Dual push daggers
Significant others	Vanessa Carlysle (ex-fiancée)
Nationality	Canadian

Wade Winston Wilson, also known as Deadpool, is a character portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series and later the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise produced by Marvel Studios. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, he was loosely adapted for his first appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), in which he is depicted as a member of Major William Stryker's Team X who is transformed into a genetically altered mutant killer known as Weapon XI, before being defeated by his former teammate Wolverine. This iteration of the character was negatively received by both critics and fans alike for deviating from the source material.

However, the timeline of the original X-Men film series was reset into the revised timeline following the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), narratively allowing for a more faithful, rebooted iteration of the character to be depicted starting with Deadpool (2016). For this iteration, Wilson is a dishonorably discharged Special Forces operative and terminal cancer patient volunteering for an experimental treatment to awaken his latent mutant genes. It gives him a regenerative healing factor that counteracts his illness but disfigures him, resulting in him adopting the moniker "Deadpool" (a name he borrows from his local dive bar's gambling system), killing the scientist responsible and reuniting with his fiancée Vanessa Carlysle. This version of the character received critical acclaim, with praise directed at Reynolds's performance and the faithfulness of the character's background to the comics. The first film's success led to a sequel, Deadpool 2 (2018), in which Wilson forms the X-Force to protect a young mutant and avert his turn towards tyranny in the distant future. After Disney bought Fox in 2019, Deadpool was integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Reynolds reprising his role in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
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