Welcome back to my Movie Tropes, and we are now covering of the kinds of anti-heroes. This topic is “lighthearted” or comical anti-heroes, which are a funny mock-up of a typical anti-hero. Remember the anti-hero introduction on the previous post mentioning Deadpool as a light-hearted anti-hero? Deadpool is one of the lovable anti-heroes, in a way that they are charming and funny rather than just edgy and cool like the Punisher. He is a crazy anti-hero who likes to spout out some quirky nonsense, being completely cool with a situation at hand, and doing some crazy, super-violent anti-hero antics like he always does. According to Thomas Golianopoulos, Deadpool became a total celebrity in the world of comic book movies due to his wicked costume (inspired by Spider-Man) and his mocking sense of humor (Golianopoulos, 2016). Deadpool is a famous comic book anti-hero due to his merc-with-a-mug-styled costume, which is already based on another popular comic book hero, as well as his tendency for savage roasts and sense of humor. Deadpool is an anti-hero for a reason, he tends to deal with the bad guys in violent ways but likes to put in a witty banter or some snide references while occasionally breaking the fourth wall. The video above this paragraph would provide some nice examples of Deadpool’s hilarious lines and moments in his first movie. According to Will Leitch, Deadpool is clearly the main protagonist of his own movie and is constantly aware that he is the main protagonist of his own movie (Leitch, 2016). The constant moments of self-awareness is a perfect example of moments where Deadpool claims the fourth wall as one of the victims of his violent rampages. Fourth Wall jokes tend to land better when done so wisely and does not spoil the moment in a way that is less than humorous. The anti-hero aspect of his personality comes out with his origin story, which is also based on another comic book hero, known this time as Wolverine. Will Leitch describes it as Deadpool starting out as Wade Wilson, a violent vigilante who falls for some gal named Vanessa, only to be diagnosed with cancer and chooses to partake in an experiment to bring out his hidden powers in a desperate attempt to save himself from his cancer, only to become disfigured and invulnerable (Leitch, 2016). Since then he had become the ultraviolent anti-hero who knows when to crack an entertaining joke. The point of Deadpool as an anti-hero is that he is an extremely violent, mutant, super-soldier, while the comical part of his character is the constant commentary that he always spouts out throughout the movie. Not to mention that he has a tendency to swear in the movie, sometimes as commonly as he butchers bad guys left and right. Deadpool is also relatable in a way in what you want to do with your powers if you have them. According to Will Leitch, Deadpool is a clever anti-hero who can use his powers for either good or evil, all he wants to do is just have fun with his powers (Leitch, 2016). The thing about all this is that it is essentially realistic in how people could react to getting superpowers, basically doing what they want with their new-found powers, whether it was for good or for evil. Deadpool, overall, is an anti-hero that is considered more humorous than the usual anti-hero. Deadpool tends to be brutal and murderous with the bad guys, but also has a witty quip to dish out whenever he feels like and tends to make us laugh with him during the commentary. Next time we discuss anti-heroes, we will cover the more violent and darker anti-heroes, though comical ones are just as violent if they happen to be Deadpool.
Sources:
Golianopoulos, T. (2016, Feb 07). Antihero artist, antihero character: Arts and leisure desk. New York Times Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1762871933?accountid=10705
Leitch, W. (2016, February 12). Deadpool: A Superhero Who Makes Fun of Himself. Retrieved December 4, 2019, from https://newrepublic.com/article/129850/deadpool-superhero-makes-fun.
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