In 2011, "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe" captivated fans with its intense narrative of Wade Wilson's descent into madness and his brutal campaign against Marvel's heroes and villains. The series' success led to a sequel in 2017, "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again," by the same creative team, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajić. Now, they're set to conclude their trilogy with "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time," expanding the carnage across the entire Marvel multiverse.
IGN recently had the chance to delve deeper into this final chapter with Bunn through an email interview. Before diving into the details, take a look at an exclusive preview of the first issue below, and continue reading to discover more about the chaotic adventure that lies ahead.
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time - Image Gallery
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Bunn has been a key figure in crafting Deadpool's adventures, from "Deadpool: Killustrated" to "Night of the Living Deadpool" and "Deadpool & the Mercs for Money." When asked if he envisioned a trilogy from the outset, Bunn shared, "I never knew that series would go anywhere or be anything more than me having a good time writing a comic. I can't help myself, though. I love thinking about where stories could go. I ask myself constantly... what's next? When I was first working on Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, my first pitch after I completed that series was Deadpool Kills the Marvel Multiverse. At least, that was one of three initial pitches, including Deadpool Kills the Marvel Cosmic Universe, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Zombies, Deadpool's Secret Wars, and Deadpool Killustrated. Two of those happened, but the Multiverse book was the closest to what we've got coming up. And, frankly, now is a much better time to do that story!"
Escalating the stakes in a trilogy where Deadpool already decimated the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four is no small feat. Bunn's solution was to unleash Wade across the multiverse, facing off against Cap-Wolves, Worldbreaker Hulks, and new, twisted versions of Marvel characters. "The multiverse most certainly opens up a lot of new avenues of exploration," Bunn explains. "We wanted this to be different from what you've seen before in the series. We wanted to show Deadpool battling different versions of Marvel heroes (many readers will have seen before, many who are new). I spent a lot of time researching the 'worst' (meaning 'the best') variants of Marvel heroes and villains. What I didn’t realize when I set out is that we were creating the most epic Deadpool story of all time. How's that for an escalation? How's that for throwing the gauntlet down?”
Bunn is excited about the surprises in store for readers but remains tight-lipped about specific matchups beyond what's already been teased. "I'm not going to spoil anything in the book. If I had my druthers, I wouldn't have even mentioned Cap-Wolf and Worldbreaker Hulk," he says. "There are some cool, cool characters showing up in this series. Dozens and dozens of them. And Deadpool is battling some of the most powerful heroes and villains in the multiverse. How's he gonna manage to bring them down? There are some characters showing up in this book that from the ‘I've been reading comics a long time and love some obscure characters’ perspective that haven't been seen in over 30 years. Will those be the most epic of the battles? You'll have to see."
In "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again," Talajić elevated the visual storytelling by mixing artistic styles, juxtaposing the gore with a sanitized view inside the brainwashed Deadpool's mind. Bunn assures fans that Talajić will continue to push the boundaries in this final installment. "With Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again, we wanted to play with different eras and styles of comics," Bunn notes. "With this new book, we're not changing the overall visual style for each kill. Where Dalibor really gets to shine, though, is in his interpretations of different worlds... different versions of our heroes... and a different version of [REDACTED] than you have ever seen before. Dalibor is a master of his craft always, but he's bringing some real insanity to the page in this!"
While labeled as a trilogy, the first two "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe" books aren't directly connected but present different scenarios for Deadpool's murderous spree. The first explores Deadpool's nihilistic rampage after learning he's a comic book character, while the second features a brainwashed Wade manipulated by villains. Regarding the third book's connection to its predecessors, Bunn teases, "It's a fresh start... sort of. The story stands completely on its own. You need not read any of the other series. At the beginning of the story, though, observant readers might pick up on a few interesting tidbits that may connect to what has come before. Most importantly, though--this is its own story."
Despite the violence, the previous books portrayed Deadpool as a sympathetic figure, whether disillusioned by his comic book existence or fighting against mind control. Bunn suggests that this new installment will take sympathy to another level. "I think the Deadpool we see in this book is much more sympathetic than the killer Deadpool in the other series," Bunn states. "With this, we thought ‘What if Deadpool killed the Marvel Universe... and we were rooting for him to succeed?’ It is definitely challenging to set the stories apart. With this one, Deadpool's mission... and his headspace... make this book completely different. His headspace. I can't wait for readers to get that joke."
"Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time #1" is slated for release on April 2, 2025. For more on Marvel's upcoming projects, explore what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and check out IGN's most anticipated comics of 2025.
