Deadpool's Moral Code Explained
If you try to talk to Deadpool about right and wrong, he will probably pull the trigger before you even reach the end of your sentence. In terms of following his conscience, he is about as far from Captain America as you can possibly get.
Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), might be an antihero (and dare we say it, perhaps one of the best movie antiheroes of all time), but that doesn't mean he has no scruples whatsoever. Underneath all his bluster, the Merc with a Mouth has a decent heart. If you pay close attention to the "Deadpool" movies, you will notice that Deadpool follows his own unspoken moral code. From his loyalty to his friends to his hardline stance against abuse, Deadpool is a surprisingly upstanding guy (at least when he chooses to be). What's more, it turns out that there are some things even Deadpool won't do. So let's take a look at morality, and how to live by a moral code — according to Deadpool.
Deadpool doesn't do it for the money
Although Deadpool is known as the "Merc with a Mouth," we don't actually see Deadpool doing much mercenary work in the movies. At least not mercenary work where he actually expects to get paid. If you rewatch "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2," you may be surprised to discover that his motivations are anything but mercenary.
The first "job" we see Wade Wilson do in "Deadpool" is when he torments a not-so-innocent pizza delivery guy (Style Dayne), who has been stalking a young girl named Megan (Taylor Hickson). Knowing that Megan can't afford to pay him much, Wade agrees to offer his services pro bono because he sympathizes with her plight. Later, in the beginning of "Deadpool 2," we see him assassinating bad guys from around the world. One of his targets, pleading for his life, offers to pay Deadpool twice whatever his employers are paying him, but Deadpool declines the buyout. It'll take a lot more than money to change his allegiance.
Deadpool has plenty of reasons for killing people, but greed isn't one of them. Whether he is getting revenge on Ajax (Ed Skrein) or protecting Russell (Julian Dennison), Deadpool always gets involved because it's a cause he believes in, not because he hears the ka-ching of a cash reward. Everybody he kills, he kills for personal reasons — maybe not always noble reasons, but at least you can be sure he's never just in it for the paycheck.
Deadpool teases his friends but won't hurt them
You do not want to be on Deadpool's list of enemies. But if you're friends with Deadpool, then that means you're friends with benefits. (That came out wrong — or did it?)
It turns out that Deadpool is actually quite loyal to his pals, though you should expect plenty of good-natured ribbing. He'd never betray his friends — unlike Weasel (T.J. Miller), who rats out Deadpool before Cable (Josh Brolin) even gets around to torturing him. Deadpool never hurts Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) or Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), not even when they're standing in the way of his vengeance. In fact, he often lends them a hand when they're fighting alongside him, like when he tackles Negasonic Teenage Warhead to the ground to shield her from a hail of bullets.
Even as he hurls rapid-fire insults at Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Deadpool is still supportive when she introduces him to her girlfriend. Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) seems to be the only character that Deadpool doesn't skewer with witty retorts, which has got to count for something. Even his banter with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) is hardly mean-spirited. Sure, it was mean of Deadpool to tell her that he hid the cure for blindness somewhere in her home. But his teasing of Al is downright chivalrous compared to how he treats her in the comics. And in any event, it seems like Deadpool was telling the truth about the cure after all.
He takes responsibility for his actions (sometimes)
Most of the time, Deadpool doesn't seem to show any remorse for his actions. If anything, Wade seems more likely to deflect the blame, like when he plays dumb about the bodies left in his wake after the freeway chase in "Deadpool." Since Deadpool is practically unkillable, he almost never needs to deal with the consequences of his actions.
However, when it matters most, Deadpool will own up to his mistakes. Take Vanessa's death in "Deadpool 2," for example. "One of the a******s who killed Vanessa got away," he tells Colossus afterward, referring to himself. He knows that he let a bad guy get away because he didn't want to be late for his anniversary, and that same bad guy killed Vanessa. Looking back, Deadpool is willing to admit that it only happened thanks to his own cockiness and negligence.
Later in the film, Russell starts to look up to Deadpool as a father figure, yet Deadpool pushes him away, leaving the kid behind at the prison and dismissing Russell as a pathetic loser when he doesn't think the boy is listening. Knowing that he helped push the boy over the edge, Deadpool feels partly responsible for Russell's villainous turn. So he decides to set things right — first by apologizing to Russell, and when that fails, dying for him. Sure, Deadpool's final sacrifice is not-so-final, thanks to the magic of time travel (and the need to continue the franchise), but it's the thought that counts, right?
Deadpool stands up against abuse
At the beginning of "Deadpool 2," Deadpool could care less about Russell — until he sees the bruises on Russell's neck. Suddenly, it strikes him that the headmaster (Eddie Marsan) must have been abusing Russell — why else would Russell rather go to prison than back into that man's care? Deadpool's moral code may be kind of sketchy, but there's one place where he draws a hard line. If there's one thing Deadpool won't stand for, it's abuse.
Looking back at the "Deadpool" movies, it's clear that the Merc with a Mouth consistently stands up to abusers. He threatens the pizza delivery guy to make sure he'll stop stalking Megan, and he would have also stood up to the bar customer who sexually harassed Vanessa, if Vanessa hadn't beaten him to it.
In the comics, Deadpool is an abuse survivor, which has played a huge role in shaping his character. If the movie version of Deadpool has also experienced past abuse (which is certainly implied by a couple of one-liners), then that adds a whole other layer of meaning to his decision to stand up for Russell. When Deadpool tries to stop Russell from killing the headmaster, perhaps it's because he wants to stop Russell from going down the same path he did. He warns Russell that if you let your abusers change who you are (just as Wade's abusers helped transform him into Deadpool), then you have already lost.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Deadpool treats his girlfriend with respect
Say what you will about Deadpool, but he is faithful to his romantic partner and treats her like an equal. When Wade falls in love with Vanessa, it's because he loves her for her personality, not her body. In fact, he turns down an offer to spend time in bed with her because he'd rather play skeeball with her instead.
What's more, Wade doesn't judge Vanessa for being a sex worker, nor does he try to "save" her from this job. Given that Vanessa is presumably still working in this industry even after the two begin dating (and is definitely still working in this industry after she thinks Wade has died), Wade seems refreshingly comfortable with this knowledge, whereas many other men might have felt jealous of the time Vanessa spent with her clients. That just goes to show how much Wade trusts her. It's also worth noting that Deadpool is willing to give pegging a try, despite being not too keen on the idea, because he knows it will make Vanessa happy.
Most importantly, Deadpool remains loyal to Vanessa throughout the films. Not once does he cheat on his girlfriend (aside from a brief fling with Colossus, but that doesn't count because at the time he assumed Vanessa was gone for good). In fact, his treatment of Vanessa has led many viewers to argue that Deadpool qualifies as a feminist.
Deadpool has difficulty following the rules
Anyone who has watched the "Deadpool" films knows that the Merc with a Mouth has a serious authority problem. He rebels against the rules, mostly because Colossus is such a stickler for them. But Deadpool doesn't buck the system purely to annoy Colossus. (At least, it's not the only reason.)
Deadpool doesn't like Colossus telling him what's right and wrong because sometimes his own conscience tells him differently. This is especially true of when Deadpool kills Russell's abusers before Colossus can return the kid to their care. If Deadpool had listened to Colossus, then Russell would have gone back to enduring all sorts of torture at the hands of the headmaster. While there might have been less violent ways for Deadpool to intervene, it would have been unthinkable for him to sit back and do nothing.
As far as Deadpool is concerned, rules can be dangerous if they allow bad guys to get away with it. As Deadpool puts it, "I fight for what's right! And sometimes you gotta fight dirty!" Deadpool breaks the rules because he is following his own internal moral compass, regardless of what is considered "heroic" or socially acceptable.
What is Deadpool's philosophy?
At a glance, Deadpool's philosophy seems to be rooted firmly in nihilism. After all, when you're practically immortal, life no longer seems quite as precious, and when you know you're nothing more than a comic book character, then it's easy to feel like you have no real reason for existing. Deadpool pokes fun at everything because nothing matters to him.
But just because he's a nihilist, it doesn't automatically mean he's a bad guy. Sometimes Deadpool chooses to be a villain (like when he shoots Ajax), and sometimes he chooses to be a hero (like when he saves Russell). It all depends on his whims. What matters is that he has a choice, and Deadpool doesn't always choose the darkest path.
In any event, Deadpool's worldview is not as cynical as it seems. In fact, he may not even qualify as a true nihilist. A nihilist is defined as someone who believes life has no meaning, and while this is often true of Deadpool, there are a few key exceptions. Deadpool acts like nothing is sacred, but there are actually a few things still sacred to him — namely Vanessa. Vanessa is the one person who gives his life meaning, which is why he's hit so hard when she dies. Luckily, Russell gives him a reason for living again, and it certainly doesn't hurt that Deadpool brings back Vanessa from the dead. Underneath all of Deadpool's wisecracks, he really does care.
Why Deadpool saves Peter (and no one else)
In the post-credits sequence of "Deadpool 2," Deadpool goes back in time and saves Peter (Rob Delaney) from a gruesome death. Yet for some reason he doesn't bother saving any other member of X-Force.
That's because Deadpool has a soft spot for Peter. Peter is the only member of X-Force without any superpowers, so Deadpool can't help but admire his gumption. According to Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool was probably feeling guilty for dragging Peter into a dangerous situation that was more than he could handle — especially because he specifically promised that he would protect him, assuring Peter, "I'd never let anything happen to you, Sugarbear." Reynolds explained to the Empire Podcast, "I felt like that was a promise Wade made early on in the movie and it was nagging him, so he went back and got Peter." Never let it be said that Deadpool doesn't keep his promises.
Of course, there's a more practical reason for this that has nothing to do with Deadpool's moral code. It turns out that bringing back X-Force from the dead (and by extension, leaving them open to reappearing in a sequel) would have been a little outside the film's budget. "We can't afford half the other guys to bring them back, they have to remain dead," Reynolds told Empire. He added, "One in particular would be very expensive." He is of course referring to Brad Pitt (who agreed to appear in "Deadpool 2" under one condition.)
Deadpool was willing to kill Baby Hitler
"Deadpool 2" almost ended with a crazy post-credits scene – yes, even crazier than the part where Deadpool kills Ryan Reynolds. In this sequence, Deadpool travels back in time to find Hitler as a baby, intending to kill him long before he can rise to power. This deleted scene did not appear in the theatrical version, but it was included with the home video release of The Super Duper Cut. There are actually multiple versions of this scene, and each version reveals something very different about Deadpool's moral code.
In one version, Deadpool admits that killing a baby is harder than he thought, but he still reaches down into the crib. The scene cuts to black, implying that Deadpool actually finishes the deed. This controversial Deadpool moment demonstrates that he is willing to do the ugly stuff nobody else will do, like taking one life to save the lives of many (even if it screws up the timeline). It's not pretty, and it's debatable whether it's the right thing, but this move is generally consistent with Deadpool's character.
Deadpool isn't the only Marvel hero to consider this moral dilemma. Rhodey (Don Cheadle) discusses this same scenario in "Avengers: Endgame," except with Baby Thanos instead of Baby Hitler. Rhodey speaks casually of strangling Baby Thanos and even pantomimes this act in graphic detail. So if you think Deadpool's response to the Baby Hitler question is shocking, remember there's at least one Avenger who would have probably done the same.
In another version of the scene, Deadpool lets Baby Hitler live
An alternate version of the Baby Hitler post-credits scene plays out exactly the same up until Deadpool reaches into Hitler's crib. Yet in this version, Deadpool changes his mind — and then changes Hitler's diaper.
The hardened assassin (who had no trouble shooting Ajax while he was down) takes one look at the baby who could someday become the Führer — and completely melts. Instead of strangling Hitler, he scoops up the baby and begins cooing to him. Deadpool hints that maybe it was Hitler's upbringing that turned him into a monster, saying, "That's why you're such a little bastard, no one's ever changed you!" which sparks an interesting debate about nature versus nurture. Despite his badass reputation, Deadpool isn't a baby-killer. Instead, he does what any of us would probably do in his shoes. If you consider this moment to be canon, then it settles something once and for all about Deadpool's moral code: he will never kill babies, not even Hitler.
In retrospect, this ending actually makes much more sense. Seeing as Deadpool just spent the entire movie defending his own personal "baby Hitler" (and proving that Cable doesn't need to kill Russell to prevent him from becoming a killer), it would be jarring and contradictory to watch Deadpool resort to violence to resolve the Hitler problem at the end of the movie. If Deadpool had actually killed baby Hitler, that would reverse all his growth as a character.
When he can't stomach the job, he outsources it
Normally Deadpool is more than happy to shoulder what he calls "the ugly stuff no one else will do." But when a job is so morally questionable that not even Deadpool is willing to do it, he has a simple solution: bring a friend so they can do it for him.
For instance, when Deadpool fights against a female henchman, he takes a moment to wonder, "Is it sexist to hit you? Is it more sexist not to hit you?" Luckily, he later figures out a way to sidestep this problem. Although Colossus initially refuses to raise a hand to Angel Dust (Gina Carano) because she's a lady, and Deadpool also seems a little reluctant on that front, Negasonic Teenage Warhead has no problem hitting Angel Dust. Deadpool concludes, "That's why I brought her," and you'll notice that he lets his two sidekicks handle Angel Dust for the rest of the fight.
Hitting women isn't the only job that Deadpool outsources to those who are more willing. At the end of the Baby Hitler scene, right when it seems like Deadpool has made up his mind to spare the child, he tells Hitler, "I'm gonna come back with my friend Cable. He loves killing kids." If Deadpool is indeed serious, then it's quite possible that he plans to put Cable up to it so that his own hands will be (relatively) clean. Or it might simply be another one of his jokes. You can never tell with Deadpool.