On February 27, 2014 I compared DC’s Deathstroke to Marvel’s Deadpool in an article aptly entitled Deathstroke and Deadpool. I admit I favored Deathstroke; I stand by my reasons.
In the 2014 article, I wrote of the several similarities between Deadpool and Deathstroke. For the record, Deathstroke pre-dates Deadpool by several years. It is evident that Deadpool is based on Deathstroke; there are just too many similarities, particularly in the characters’ civilian names of these anti-heroes and their costumes & fighting styles. There is no argument: many of Marvel’s characters are versions of DC’s characters (Moon Knight is a version of The Dark Knight, The Batman for instance; Hyperion and Guardian are very much like Superman; Green Arrow & Black Canary as opposed to Hawkeye & Mockingbird; the list goes on) and there are Marvel characters who pre-date their DC equivalents as well (The Submariner Prince Namor and Aquamanfor instance) Imitation, as the saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery.
However, there is a major difference between Deathstroke and Deadpool. Deadpool is comedy relief. Like theShe-Hulk and DC’s Ambush Bug titles, in the Deadpool comics there are many comedic references and inside jokes in satirical situations with the Deadpool character “breaking the fourth wall” (communicates with the reader directly) in his stories. This is not new; it wasn’t invented by the comic book companies. This goes back to Ancient Greek theatre. It also was a tactic used in the classic Warner Brothers cartoons particularly by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as well as other cartoons (Popeye, Donald Duck, and so on).
Being the nut that he is, I referred to Deadpool as Daffy Duck because of their similarities (they’re both a bit touched in the head). I further re-iterated this comparison in a lively debate with the co-hosts of Eclecticka on the air on August 9, 2015. You can watch the fun on our home page or YouTube.
I thought the subject was over and done with until a curious cartoon appeared on the Internet just 8 days after the show above aired. If you look at the cartoon, pay careful attention to who the character in the Deadpool costume is and let me know if this was way too coincidental. Remember, this was posted just 8 days after I said it on air.
Ah imitation..the most sincerest form of flattery.
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