2011's *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* certainly lived up to its name, showcasing the chaotic aftermath of Wade Wilson's descent into madness as he begins to slaughter the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The popularity of this series led writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajić to reunite for a sequel in 2017, titled *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again*. Now, the duo is set to conclude their trilogy with *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time*, where Wade's rampage expands beyond a single universe to encompass the entire Marvel multiverse.
IGN had the chance to discuss this final installment with Bunn via email, offering readers an exclusive preview of the first issue and insights into the fourth-wall-breaking carnage to come.
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time - Image Gallery
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Cullen Bunn, a prolific creator within the Marvel Universe, has penned numerous Deadpool stories, from *Deadpool: Killustrated* to *Night of the Living Deadpool* and *Deadpool & the Mercs for Money*. When asked if he always envisioned the *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* series expanding into a trilogy, Bunn revealed, “I never knew that series would go anywhere or be anything more than me having a good time writing a comic. I can't help myself, though. I love thinking about where stories could go. I ask myself constantly... what's next? When I was first working on Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, my first pitch after I completed that series was Deadpool Kills the Marvel Multiverse. At least, that was one of three initial pitches, including Deadpool Kills the Marvel Cosmic Universe, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Zombies, Deadpool's Secret Wars, and Deadpool Killustrated. Two of those happened, but the Multiverse book was the closest to what we've got coming up. And, frankly, now is a much better time to do that story!”
The challenge of escalating a trilogy where Deadpool initially kills off major teams like the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four is no small feat. Bunn's solution was to expand the scope to the multiverse, pitting Wade against a variety of Marvel heroes and villains, including Cap-Wolves and Worldbreaker Hulks. “The multiverse most certainly opens up a lot of new avenues of exploration,” Bunn explains. “We wanted this to be different from what you've seen before in the series. We wanted to show Deadpool battling different versions of Marvel heroes (many readers will have seen before, many who are new). I spent a lot of time researching the 'worst' (meaning 'the best') variants of Marvel heroes and villains. What I didn’t realize when I set out is that we were creating the most epic Deadpool story of all time. How's that for an escalation? How's that for throwing the gauntlet down?”
Bunn remains tight-lipped about specific matchups but teases the inclusion of obscure characters not seen in over 30 years. “I'm not going to spoil anything in the book. If I had my druthers, I wouldn't have even mentioned Cap-Wolf and Worldbreaker Hulk,” Bunn says. “There are some cool, cool characters showing up in this series. Dozens and dozens of them. And Deadpool is battling some of the most powerful heroes and villains in the multiverse. How's he gonna manage to bring them down? There are some characters showing up in this book that from the ‘I've been reading comics a long time and love some obscure characters’ perspective that haven't been seen in over 30 years. Will those be the most epic of the battles? You'll have to see.”
In *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again*, Talajić brought a new level of visual flair by switching artistic styles to contrast the brutal reality with the sanitized version inside Deadpool's mind. Bunn assures that Talajić will continue to innovate visually in this final installment. “With Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again, we wanted to play with different eras and styles of comics,” Bunn says. “With this new book, we're not changing the overall visual style for each kill. Where Dalibor really gets to shine, though, is in his interpretations of different worlds... different versions of our heroes... and a different version of [REDACTED] than you have ever seen before. Dalibor is a master of his craft always, but he's bringing some real insanity to the page in this!”
Although referred to as a trilogy, the first two *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* books are not directly connected, each offering different scenarios for Deadpool's killing spree. In the first, he becomes a nihilistic killer after learning he's a comic book character; in the second, he's brainwashed by villains to eliminate heroes. The third book, while a standalone story, may contain subtle connections to the previous volumes. “It's a fresh start... sort of,” Bunn teases. “The story stands completely on its own. You need not read any of the other series. At the beginning of the story, though, observant readers might pick up on a few interesting tidbits that may connect to what has come before. Most importantly, though--this is its own story.”
The previous books portrayed Deadpool as a sympathetic figure despite his actions. Bunn suggests that the protagonist in this sequel will be even more relatable. “I think the Deadpool we see in this book is much more sympathetic than the killer Deadpool in the other series,” Bunn says. “With this, we thought ‘What if Deadpool killed the Marvel Universe... and we were rooting for him to succeed?’ It is definitely challenging to set the stories apart. With this one, Deadpool's mission... and his headspace... make this book completely different. His headspace. I can't wait for readers to get that joke.”
*Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time #1* is set to be released on April 2, 2025.
For more on what's coming up from Marvel, check out what to expect from Marvel in 2025 and see IGN's most anticipated comics of 2025.
