Now that Christmas has come and gone, or more importantly, now that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already been in theaters for a while, it's time to look forward to the new year and the movies coming out in 2016. One of the most anticipated is Deadpool , the pseudo X-Men spinoff starring Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. And even though Deadpool's image may be familiar to fans, not everyone knows a lot about the character, with perhaps the most significant question being: what is Deadpool's superpower, anyway?
The character, whose real name is Wade Wilson, clearly uses a lot of weaponry. He loves swords and guns, and puts both to use a lot in the film's trailers to kill lots of bad guys (yeah, Deadpool kills people). He's also a highly-trained and incredibly skilled fighter, which is an great skill for a superhero to have, but not exactly a superpower. He also has a tendency to break the fourth wall and address the audience directly, something that could technically qualify as some kind of telepathic power, but really is more a symptom of his mental instability. So what exactly is his power?
Deadpool technically only has one real superpower, and that's the power of accelerated healing. That's it. Now I know what you're thinking: Isn't that Wolverine's power? Yes, yes it is, but there are a few key differences. For one, Deadpool is not a mutant like Wolverine, meaning that he wasn't born with his power. He was just a regular guy (albeit a highly trained and skilled mercenary) who had an experiment done to him in order to stop the spread of terminal cancer in his body. The experiment caused his cells to automatically replenish — including his cancerous cells, which lead to his hideous scarred appearance.
But the experiment also made him effectively invincible. Deadpool's healing power is arguably stronger than that of Wolverine, since in the comics he's been shown to survive decapitation; even regrowing his head on occasion. And he does not have Wolverine's other powers, like heightened senses or retractable claws, because a healing factor and a big mouth are all Deadpool needs to get the job done. If you don't believe me, just watch all the ass he kicks in the newly-released NSFW trailer.
He shoots fast, heals faster, and loves dirty jokes. That pretty much sums up Deadpool, who takes his act into theaters on February 12.
Images: 20th Century Fox; giphy.com
