Monetary Value and the Madman- Marvel's Deadpool

Marvel's "Deadpool" has been an interesting study in how someone who is completely insane can work within the framework of a profession that is heavily rooted in monetary value. Deadpool is a mercenary and as such, he exchanges his services for pay. In fact he has shown a remarkable determination to seek payment for everything he does. He refused to help Nick Fury find out Skrull secrets and save the world without getting paid. He refused to fight Wolverine without getting paid. In the first instance, Deadpool could not benefit from being enslaved by Skrulls, yet he still demanded money despite the fact that saving the world was in his best interests. In the second case, Deadpool loves shooting Wolverine but despite the inherent pleasure, cold hard cash was still required for him to do it. Deadpool has shown that he will not engage in a mercenary activity unless he is being paid (or his actions will save his own life).

This consistent desire to seek profitable employment would make it seem like Deadpool's ultimate goal is to accrue money for some definite purpose. This assumption would be wildly wrong. In Marvel's ongoing Deadpool book, Deadpool has used the money that he receives to buy or aquire the following: a chair composed entirely out of C4 explosives, an elaborate death trap involving a monster truck, a warehouse full of tacos, a nuclear submarine (which he then promptly sank in a complete misunderstanding of the concept) and a pirate ship filled with gold.

This brings to light an interesting concept. Deadpool is a mercenary because he needs money to fill a specific need. He doesn't need money for anything traditional (women, large house, fast car, or even an addiction). He doesn't even use his money to make himself a better mercenary or assassins. He uses money to fill his need to be insane. Deadpool needs a steady income to feed lunacy.

It's an economic relationship that is relatively unique. Other characters have been crazy and required money. But the obsessions of these characters usually took a particular form. The Joker needs money to devise insane deathtraps for Batman. The Mad Hatter collects hats.

Deadpool dresses his friend up in a parrot costume and makes himself a peg leg.

It's the free-form nature of Deadpool's insane desires that make him unique. And I hope it continues. I look forward to each month where he decides to buy hot pants and roller skates because he thinks thats how people dress in San Francisco.

Thank you Marvel. Thank you so much.

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Where Does the Canadian Government Get the Money from to Keep Making Super-Soldiers?

In the Marvel Universe, Canada is responsible for creating some of the most deadly super-soldiers in history. Wolverine, Sabretooth, Deadpool, Kane, and Agent Zero were all deadly assassins who were empowered by Canada's Weapon X program. This secret division of the Canadian government went to great expense to create nearly unstoppable weapons (and in almost all cases, allow them to escape shortly thereafter). This gives rise to a single question: WHY?

What threat was Canada so afraid of that the government felt the need to constantly produce human death machines?

"Holy Crap, Quebec is getting uppity again, let's coat another mutant in adamantium!"

One explanation is that Canada needed its own meta-human defenders. This was, of course, the reason why Canada's own Alpha Flight was formed. But Weapon X had a different purpose. It was supposed to create unstoppable assassins. Work by writers like Larry Hama, Grant Morrisson, and Frank Tieri has muddied the waters in terms of the purpose of Weapon X and why it was built. Based on divergent histories, Weapon X may have been a subdivision of the CIA, a covert operations training program, or an offshoot of a counter-mutant program developed by sentient bacteria. That's right, I actually typed that sentence.

Regardless, someone in the Canadian government was still there to provide funding for Weapon X, whatever its intended purpose may have been. And I'm sure they had to receive progress reports such as: "We created a supersoldier with a healing ability and an indestructible skeleton. And he was really cool. But then he killed all of the scientists and the guards... and he's living in the woods now. So... we need more money."

And Canada, true and loyal country that it is, kept footing the bill. And Weapon X kept on chugging, giving bionic enhancements and healing factors to the clinically insane. Now that's good government.

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