Kara Dennison
August 11, 2024 
It’s Wade Wilson o’clock! While Deadpool & Wolverine tears up the box office, Deadpool: Samurai is back on Jump+ (and the Viz app!). Obviously, these two projects share a protagonist, but there’s a lot more they have in common. And no, we don’t just mean constant fourth-wall breaks.
Today, we’re exploring how these two outings featuring the merc with a mouth align—thematically, at least. And it’s more than you might think!
A Killer Team-Up
Of course, the main draw of Deadpool & Wolverine is that we finally get to see besties Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman co-starring in a Marvel movie. Plus, we finally get to see—repeatedly—what happens when two essentially unkillable supers go toe-to-toe. (Whoever wins, the Honda Odyssey loses.) IRL friendship aside, it’s a great idea for a team-up.
And Deadpool: Samurai had its own great idea for a team-up. Albeit for one night only, the manga brought in fan-favorite All Might from the pages of My Hero Academia! DP was understandably smitten, and the fans were equally hyped for the crossover. No matter what the genre, Deadpool knows the fans are jonesing for a good team-up.
Variants
Deadpool & Wolverine resurrected the TVA: the interdimensional organization at the heart of Loki. While the overall “Sacred Timeline” beef is well in hand (literally) after the Disney+ series, the movie shows us a branch that’s a bit more motivated to clean up loose ends. And through them, we meet a star-studded cast of variants, forgotten Marvel characters, and even one straight from Development Hell.
In Deadpool: Samurai, DP is sent to start his own branch of the Avengers in Japan. And they’re made up of… well, Variants! In this case, though, it’s the opposite issue. Instead of being pruned or forgotten, these Spidey and Venom stand-ins were manufactured specifically to be appealing to manga readers. Deadpool notes this; but he also develops a soft spot for them.
Maximum Effort
Despite its gore, madness, and hosting 99.1% of the MCU’s F-bombs, Deadpool & Wolverine does have a message deep down. Everything kicks off because Wade wants… no, needs… to be an Avenger. Along the way, he and a certain X-Man learn that validation and clearing arbitrary hurdles aren’t what bring you value as a person.
In Deadpool: Samurai, DP sort of gets his wish with his own branch of the Avengers. But something about his new home makes him rethink his approach to heroing. No, not Japan… Shonen Jump. Just knowing he’s alongside the likes of Luffy and Naruto makes him rethink what he’s doing and why. Much as with the new film, how he regards himself changes because he’s found himself in an aspirational medium where (in his mind) the real heroes live.
Need more manga? Catch up on these series getting their own fall anime!
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