10 Scenes That Most Define Deadpool’s Marvel Movie Story

Across Deadpool’s major movie appearances, there have been several scenes that excellently define the character’s Marvel movie story. Deadpool might be relatively new to the MCU’s movie timeline, but the Merc with a Mouth remains one of Marvel’s most popular figures. As one of the most prominent and memorable antiheroes in pop culture, Deadpool has become instantly recognizable, thanks in no small part to the success of Ryan Reynolds’ movie trilogy following the character’s exploits on the big screen.

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Deadpool’s sarcastic fourth-wall-breaking and frenetic quirkiness have helped endear the character to audiences, with Reynolds proving to be a perfect casting for the character. Over four movie appearances, Deadpool has featured in many memorable scenes, both in the MCU movie roster and outside of the major Marvel franchise. With that in mind, here are 10 Deadpool movie scenes that most define the character’s story.

10 Rescuing Vanessa

Deadpool (2016)

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When it comes to the best Deadpool movie scenes, there are few as significant for his hero development as the climactic battle in his first solo movie. The first film, 2016’s Deadpool, serves as an origin story for Wade Wilson, and much of its narrative concerns his pursuit of revenge. After undergoing what he believes to be an aggressive and experimental treatment for his terminal cancer, Wade Wilson’s latent mutant healing ability is activated. This sees him seek revenge on his cruel creator, Francis Freeman.

This revenge arc consumes much of Deadpool’s story, though its final showdown begins to touch on another aspect of the character. After resolving some of the rage he felt towards Francis, Wade discovered a more heroic streak while rescuing Vanessa from the villain’s clutches. It’s a narrative idea that carries over into the sequel, and helps define the next important part of Deadpool’s character arc.

9 Interview With Happy Hogan

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

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Though Deadpool & Wolverine featured many cameos, one in particular stood out regarding the titular characters’ place in the MCU. An early scene sees Wade Wilson interviewing with Happy Hogan regarding a position in the Avengers, with Deadpool hoping to become one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Happy’s rejection of Wade is played for laughs, but it’s a moment that actually speaks to the depth of Deadpool’s character and helps to further contextualize his story.

Deadpool’s desire to be appreciated and seen as a hero is evident in the scene, and it’s also clear that Happy’s rejection hurts him. It’s this that ultimately spurs Deadpool into action against the TVA, prompting the entire plot of the movie. Wade’s desire to become a hero is a prominent part of his story, but his interview with Happy Hogan also outlines the character’s unexpected vulnerability.

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8 Vanessa’s Death

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2’s opening is one of the most emotionally jarring in all of Deadpool’s movie appearances. After seeing Wade Wilson happy and planning a future with Vanessa, she’s brutally murdered by a criminal that Wade hadn’t managed to kill on one of his crime-fighting expeditions. Reynolds’ performance in the scene helps it to feel memorably powerful, and also helps it to form a pivotal part of Deadpool’s Marvel movie story.

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Upon learning the cost of becoming a hero, and facing the terrible consequences of his healing powers, Wade’s entire character arc threatens to unravel. Seeing the antihero learning to pick himself up from overwhelming loss and continue to act as a hero is inspiring, and it only comes about as the result of Deadpool 2’s tragic opening scene. It’s a sequence that powerfully establishes the thrust of the movie, and comes to define one of Deadpool’s lowest ever points in his cinematic history.

7 Saving The Multiverse With Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Deadpool’s cinematic journey might not be as long as storied as those of other heroes in the MCU, but Deadpool & Wolverine’s ending marked him as an important hero within the franchise’s Multiverse. The movie sees its titular characters come up against both the hugely powerful Cassandra Nova and a group of rogue TVA agents, facing danger that threatens to destroy the entire Multiverse. For a brief moment, it appears that one of the two eponymous heroes will sacrifice themselves to save reality.

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In actuality, they’re able to share the burden in order to survive, but that doesn’t make their actions any less heroic. The scene sees Deadpool go from a wise-cracking antihero to a genuine savior of the Multiverse, preventing the destruction of all realities through his actions. It sets him up as a powerful MCU hero, and a potential new recruit for the franchise’s Avengers in future stories.

6 Fighting Cable

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Deadpool 2’s story provides many formative moments for Wade Wilson, with his reluctant friendship with Russell Collins a particular focus. The film sees Cable travel back through time to kill young Russell, prompting Deadpool to protect the boy against the enhanced assassin from the future. Deadpool’s first encounter with Cable stands out in particular for the way it defines his Marvel movie story and general development over his multiple appearances.

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Even though Deadpool’s powers are negated while he’s imprisoned with Russell, Cable’s attack sees Wade launch into action. In spite of what he says to the boy, he is willing to risk his life to protect him, even in a situation that could mean his permanent death. It’s a scene that very subtly marks Wade Wilson as truly heroic, and a worthy role model for the young mutant who initially seems destined to become a villain.

5 Trying To Be An X-Man

Deadpool 2 (2018)

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After Vanessa’s tragic death at the beginning of Deadpool 2, Wade finds himself spiraling and unsure of what he should do. He attempts to embrace the values of the X-Men to become a true Marvel hero, training and fighting alongside Colossus for a stint. The scene in which he first meets Russell Collins is another that defines Deadpool’s movie story, as it shows the fundamental moral differences between the Merc and Marvel’s more traditional heroes.

The scene sees Wade acting as he believes an X-Man should, which goes reasonably well until he uses lethal force. The comedic exchange this prompts between Deadpool and Colossus is great, but it also indicates just how far Deadpool is from becoming the hero he wants to be. It’s a moment that defines just how perfect the movies’ adaptation of Deadpool is, as it completely nails both his motivations and his moral failings all at once.

4 Wade Wilson’s Cancer Diagnosis

Deadpool (2016)

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Perhaps the most significant scene in regard to the way it shapes Wade Wilson’s story comes – unsurprisingly – during the early stages of his origin story. 2016’s Deadpool outlines how exactly Wade Wilson became the scarred and endlessly regenerating antihero, starting with a scene in which he is diagnosed with cancer. Learning about his terminal condition is one of the few moments in Deadpool that isn’t played for laughs in any way, and instead taps into the emotional core of the character’s story.

Seeing Wade’s shock at the devastating news sets up the desperation that sees him embrace Ajax’s experimental cure. As well as being a pivotal moment in his story, it’s also an emotionally significant one, as it clearly showcases a different side of the character. In terms of Deadpool’s story, it’s important, but in terms of significance to his character, it’s a huge defining moment.

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3 Heroic Self-Sacrifice

Deadpool 2 (2018)

The ending of Deadpool 2 depicts a number of important milestones in Deadpool’s Marvel movie story. After fighting Cable to protect Russell, Deadpool finds himself directly between the two. The boy seems destined to become a villain, and Cable is set on killing him. Wade’s belief that Russell can be saved sees him risk everything in a moment of sacrifice that changes the trajectory of their timeline, giving him a moment of true selflessness in the process.

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It defines Deadpool’s movie story on multiple levels. Deadpool becoming increasingly heroic is one facet of his character arc, but the other is the way the movie handles the development. Deadpool responds to his apparent sacrifice with irreverent humor, then finds a way to turn his time-altering antics to his benefit. As well as being a moment of growth for the character, it also shows just how little the movie had actually changed his personality.

2 Deadpool Vs Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

One of Deadpool’s earliest movie moments has come to define his story in a very different way than the rest. X-Men Origins: Wolverine saw the character make his live-action debut, but the creative liberties taken with the character proved hugely unpopular. The film’s climactic battle saw Wolverine fighting a version of Deadpool that was practically nothing like his comic book counterpart, and the resulting outrage helped to shape the character’s future.

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After such an unfaithful and unpopular representation of the character, Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool fans clamored for a more comic-accurate adaptation. This was eventually achieved in 2016, with Deadpool bringing the character to life perfectly. In a roundabout fashion, X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s poor handling of the character helped define his later success story, particularly as it highlighted just how popular Deadpool could be if adapted correctly.

1 Deadpool’s Introduction

Deadpool (2016)

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When it comes to a single scene that best defines Deadpool’s Marvel movie story, the opening scene of 2016’s Deadpool is a clear winner. The movie’s opening scene introduces Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool – the comic-accurate version – to the big screen in emphatic and unforgettable fashion. It’s a scene that’s brilliantly put together in both its visuals and its writing, and it brilliantly defines the cinematic potential of its iteration of Deadpool.

From fourth-wall-breaking dialogue to R-rated jokes, Deadpool’s opening scene has it all. It’s as complete an adaptation of the character as could be imagined, with Reynolds proving himself the best possible actor for the role due to his acting style and his fast-talking delivery of his lines. It’s difficult to imagine any way that the movies’ new Deadpool could have been introduced, marking it as a triumphant defining moment in his Marvel movie story.

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15 9.1/10 Deadpool

The Merc With The Mouth gets his very own film in Deadpool, an action-adventure comedy movie starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. When mercenary Wade Wilson discovers he has an aggressive type of cancer that threatens to cut his life short, he decides to take a shady offer from a businessman who promises to cure him. Tortured and left for dead, the treatment makes Wade immortal – and a little bit twisted – as he seeks out his tormentors for revenge.

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5.9/10 Deadpool 2

The Merc With the Mouth returns in Deadpool 2, “the sequel to the first one.” Wade Wilson finds himself alone and without purpose until he reluctantly agrees to join the X-Men. Things take a turn for the strange when Wade finds himself in prison after trying to help a young mutant named Russell, and a time-traveling mutant cyborg arrives to slay Russell to save the future. Determined to save Russell and do the right thing, Wade creates a new team of heroes to fight back and save the world the only way Deadpool knows how – as ridiculously as possible.

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154 9.3/10 Deadpool & Wolverine

A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
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5.3/10 X-Men Origins: Wolverine

After Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy, Hugh Jackman returns as the titular clawed mutant in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The 2009 superhero movie explores Logan’s origins with a look back at Weapon X, the experiment that covered his skeleton with adamantium. It marks Ryan Reynolds’ first appearance as Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool, and it precedes James Mangold’s The Wolverine and Logan, which retroactively make Origins the first installment in a solo trilogy for Jackman’s iconic Marvel hero.

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