Deadpool aka Wade Wilson aka the Merc with a Mouth is currently tearing it up at the box office – much to the surprise of no one – as in just a few years, the anti-hero has become a true A-lister. This is all much to the annoyance of Deathstroke aka Slade Wilson – who Deadpool’s completely ripped off from, by the way – and he’s been laying out his frustrations in various promo material for Teen Titans Go! To The Movies – the latest of which arrived just the other week.
But first, let’s rewind a bit. For those who don’t know, the two characters’ similarities actually stretch back all the way to DP’s birth in 1990. Creators Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld decided that they were going to introduce a superpowered sword and gun-wielding assassin in their New Mutants comic, but when the latter put together the first drawings, Nicieza immediately responded, “This is Deathstroke. From the Teen Titans.”
Rather than try to change the Merc just enough though so that fans wouldn’t say he was a shameless copy, Nicieza and Liefeld decided to instead make their ripoff as blatant as possible. And that, folks, is the story of why Wade Wilson is called Wade Wilson.
Now, getting back to the ballad of Slade and Wade, the two have been trading jabs for the past few weeks – it’s all in good fun, of course – and just yesterday, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies posted the humorous video below where, once again, the titular heroes mix up DP and Deathstroke.
New phone, who dis? #TeenTitansGOMovie pic.twitter.com/MSqRY2kxVU
— Teen Titans GO Movie (@TeenTitansMovie) June 6, 2018
Pretty cheeky, eh? This is yet another clever piece of marketing for Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, which is actually shaping up really well at this point. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of the TV series on which the flick is based, but I do find myself admiring the film for how truly gutty it appears to be and can’t wait to see more.
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies is set to open in theaters on July 27 and will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail, from a screenplay by Michael Jelenic and Horvath. Scott Menville (Robin), Greg Cipes (Beast Boy), Khary Payton (Cyborg), Tara Strong (Raven) and Hynden Walch (Starfire) star.