Hopefully everyone has gotten a chance to get a copy of Deadpool (2015-) #20 by now.
Obviously, trigger warnings for suicide
So, Deadpool #20 is a standalone issue that specifically targets the issue of suicide and we’re going to jump right to the ending to start off with: the writer’s, Gerry Duggan, message
I don’t actually think it’s outlandish to try to do a helpful story about suicide prevention with Deadpool as the protagonist. Like
Duggan
said, it wouldn’t be the easiest story to write, but it makes sense in an odd way. Deadpool is probably the most suicidal character ever if only because he is immortal and yet is constantly trying to kill himself and lets people murder him when it’s easier than fighting.
It’s also coincidentally the right time for this type of story with this type of character.
If this story came out in the 90s when Deadpool first debuted I don’t think it would be well received. The bro fans would complain about it being an afterschool special and people in general with think it’s in bad taste for character like Deadpool to be in a PSA like this, that’s Superman’s job (which we’ll get to in a second)
That was a Generation X audience; very disenfranchised, cynical and very angry about it.
This is a millennial audience, very disenfranchised, cynical and resigned to it all.
It’s an unarguable fact that the Baby Boomers are the worst generation ever and so when Generation X came along and got the shit end of their decadence and eventual complacency about civil rights they were understandably angry. Even grunge was pretty angry; you would sing with melancholy “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me” but this was underlined by rebellion. It was the clapback to the failed “give peace a chance”
Fuck you and your bigoted warmongering capitalism. I’m out, I’m done so why don’t you kill me?
Generation X is the exhausted end of this anger and is clearly exhibited by meme culture. Fuck you, everything’s a joke, how the hell are we can it dig ourselves out of this pit? Might as well kill myself
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Anger and aggression has become the joke. Celebrities are reading “mean comments” on Jimmy Kimmel that say things like “fight me, you piece of shit” and don’t understand that that means “I’m a really big fan of yours and am probably sexually attracted to you”
So why is a character created out of this angry high adrenaline culture the best one to speak to an exasperated culture that mocks angry high adrenaline?
Because he isn’t condescending.
You want to kill yourself? So does everybody else but there’s a lot of stuff on Netflix we still need to get to so let’s try to make the best of it.
Deadpool isn’t a happy person telling sad people to cheer up.
Arguably the most popular/cited superhero comic about suicide prevention was made for Generation X audience in 2006’s All-Star Superman #10
It was effective for a lot of people and pleasantly regarded by the general public but some people didn’t like it.
I’m obviously arguing that if this were to come out now the majority of people wouldn’t like it.
This girl is a complete stereotype. She could easily be the poster girl for the “rebellious” trope.
You can totally tell she’s depressed because look how dark her clothes are.
And then Superman comes along knowing fuck all about her giving her a shallow complement based on absolutely nothing and then hugs her.
He tells her it’s not that bad.
It is bad.
Things are really bad.
I think Deadpool #20 is better even if it only conveys camaraderie in the badness.
The cover alone conveys that
Deadpool sees a girl, conventionally attractive but within ordinary aesthetic, about to jump to her death
He jokes about it in a very deadpan and abysmal millennial way. Much like Superman, Deadpool knows nothing about this girl but he doesn’t condescend to her
He’s not the right guy for the job
He doesn’t know her or have any stake in her well-being
He doesn’t belittle her decision but implores her to give it a little time
What does Deadpool know best? Showtunes and beating people up so he does what he knows best and the distraction gives her the ability to feel and just do something, anything
Then what? He still doesn’t know what the right thing to do or say is. There is no right thing to do or say. He gives for the resources to talk to people that have at least been trying to figure out the best way to help in this situation longer than he has
He doesn’t force her to use these resources and he offers to go with her as an equal
As a few people pointed out, going into inpatient care is not fun, nor is any other option. The problems are numerous and frightening but we have to make do until we can build better systems, but that’s not really the point of the comic. It’s how to handle these things in the current system and when you have no idea what to do. Whether it was because the Deadpool team got consultants on the issue of whether they lucked into it I believe they nailed it.
It’s not an comic that will prevent someone from committing suicide, in my opinion, but it’s an comic that will help people know how to better react to their loved ones who are suicidal.
We’ve discussed suicide extensively on this blog from many angles and the consensus has always been that what helps is when people don’t condescend to you, don’t just tell you to feel better, don’t invalidate your right to do what you want with your body. What helps is being there, as an equal, to consider the decision further.
You may want to kill yourself and you have the right to do that but remember that you don’t have to do it right now. You will still have the option tomorrow or the day after. It is a huge and final decision and you need to consider it as clearheaded as possible. Do something fun or mundane and just distracting to get you through the next few minutes or hours and then explore all your options.
A suicide hotline might not work for you, nor will a hospital but they are options that are not permanent. You can try them. If suicide is really the right decision for you it will still be an option after you explore these avenues.
Remember, you can always make the decision tomorrow. Give today a chance.
The one panel this leaves out is it’s revealed that Deadpool’s been texting the Emergency Room people all night. They know about her situation and they know DP’s trying to help her.
I’ve had plenty of people tell me that it’s “disrespectful” to the authors if you interpret a character as queer without a clear textual indication. But the people who actually made these characters disagree with that.
MCU Cast & Crew:
The Russos are cool with it and have repeatedly validated the interpretation, even noting that a lot of women who worked on the movie are invested in that relationship. (Link 1, 2, 3, 4).
Sebastian Stan is fine with it, and thinks it’s great that people can interpret it however they want. (Link).
Chris Evans says he didn’t deliberately put it into his performance, but he has no problem with it and thinks a romantic relationship “wouldn’t be so bad.” (Link).
Emily VanCamp was excited to hear about it, and thinks it’s great that this is a conversation we’re having about a character like Captain America. (Link).
Hayley Atwell is a fan of bisexual Steve Rogers, and hates pretty much every ship for Steve but Steve and Bucky. (Link 1, 2).
Comics:
Ed Brubaker, the man who created the Winter Soldier, not only fucking loves it, but has also been known to tweet links to Steve/Bucky fan fiction. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
If you have a problem with interpreting this character as anything other than heterosexual, not only is that problem yours alone, but the character’s creator thinks you’re stupid. Stop hiding behind authorial intent, and consider why it bothers you so much that someone you thought was straight might not be.
Also, Hayley ships Cartinelli. ❤
Samuel L Jackson literally called Chris “LGBT Captain America” on a red carpet–in front of Chris, Scarlett, and a ton of press. Chris responded with a happy laugh.
For the fucking record, there’s no mention of Captain America’s creators in the above posts. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created Captain America. SO, you’d better correct your statements as it applies to Disney’s Marvel only.
The fact that there’s no real evidence to support Captain is homosexual tells me he isn’t. Fan interpretations are just fans individualising and tailoring things they like to be more fitting for their lifestyle.
That is all.
Oh, and fuck Disney’s Marvel.
I find that it’s often somewhat difficult to ask dead people for their opinions on a topic. But I pulled out my ouija board just for you, and they told me they’re both cool with it.
They also wanted me to pass on, “F U C K Y O U”
Maybe that’s some sort of pet name you guys had for each other?
The Avengers cost money to run and while Tony’s insanely wealthy, he didn’t get to be a billionaire in addition to the genius/playboy/philanthropist by being foolish when it came to money-making opportunities.
Thus, the comic books.
It’s a great idea, he knows it is. With the return of Captain America, there was a resurgence of all kinds of vintage Cap memorabilia and, among them, are the comics that featured Steve and the Commandos in daring (and, by today’s standards, incredibly racist, sexist, and everything else-ist) adventures. Tony’s got still a few – Dad had the whole run – and he thinks an update will go over well. The Avengers’ PR staff wholeheartedly agree, possibly not because Tony is paying their salaries.
The New Adventures of Captain America is first off the press, packaged with a reprint of the original Captain America #1, and they have to go to a second printing within a month. Steve himself is perfectly happy to sign copies because at least it’s not the beefcake shots that Vanity Fair dug up and ran in the January issue.
The Black Widow comes out next and it gets mixed reviews because the girl-power message got undermined somewhat by the cheesecake art. Tony doesn’t think Natasha’s the kind of pissed that will get him murdered in his sleep, but he can’t promise the safety of the next guy who catcalls out that her boobs aren’t as big in real life.
Invincible Iron Man is the third and, okay, maybe the title’s a bit much, but c’mon, since when has humbleness been part of his toolkit? It’s a detective story with lasers, which is precisely what he asked for. That, and to make him look as tall as Cap if they were ever in the same panel.
Thor has plenty of suggestions for his book’s story arcs, which is why the writer is credited as “scripted by.”
Bruce won’t give permission for anything to do with the Hulk, despite Tony’s assurance that this is a way to ‘demonster’ the Other Guy. Bruce says the Other Guy is a monster and should stay that way. Tony tries a few more times, but Bruce won’t budge. Which is why Tony’s sidekick in his own book is a genius named Bruce, no last name given.
Clint will let them do a Hawkeye book, but the creative team is left to their own devices because he won’t even return their texts or emails. What results is possibly payback because it’s not even a superhero story. It’s an ironic hipster drama where the putative hero is really a shlemiel who is a complete failure at everything but being a superhero. Hawkeye is a runaway success, however, and wins an Eisner. Clint won’t go to the awards ceremony.
When Tony finally sees Barton’s home – and gets over the shock that it is a farm with cows and chickens and a wife and children – he notices that there is not only a framed and autographed copy of Hawkeye #1 under glass in the family room, but there is a commissioned full-color drawing by the series artist. Clint might not want anything to do with it, but Laura Barton is very sure this is the most hysterical thing in the history of ever and trawls eBay for merchandise. It’s been a shitball of a day, of a week, but the mischievous smile Laura gives him when he promises he can hook her up at the source makes it a tiny bit less awful.
Some of the actresses of Romani descent suggested for Wanda Maximoff, who is canonically half Romani in the comics, following the MCU’s whitewashed portrayal of her.
Romani representation is vitally important
and Marvel has a responsibility to represent Scarlet Witch, whose heritage is an integral part of her character, respectfully and accurately.
Steel Phoenix Studios 
