In the world of comics, few series have captured the imagination of fans quite like 2011's *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe*. This groundbreaking series showcases what happens when Wade Wilson, better known as Deadpool, loses all restraint and begins a brutal rampage against the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The success 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 thrilling saga with *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time*, where Deadpool's wrath extends beyond a single universe to encompass the entire Marvel multiverse.
IGN recently had the chance to delve deeper into this final installment through an email interview with Bunn. Before we dive into the details, take a moment to enjoy an exclusive preview of the first issue below:
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time - Image Gallery
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Bunn, a prolific creator in the Deadpool universe, has penned numerous titles including *Deadpool: Killustrated*, *Night of the Living Deadpool*, and *Deadpool & the Mercs for Money*. When asked if he always envisioned a trilogy, Bunn shared, "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 already decimates the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four is no small feat. Bunn's solution was to open up the multiverse, allowing Deadpool to confront a vast array of characters, from Cap-Wolves to Worldbreaker Hulks, and even entirely new and distorted versions of Marvel’s heroes and villains. Bunn explains, "The multiverse most certainly opens up a lot of new avenues of exploration. 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 is excited for readers to witness the carnage but remains tight-lipped about specific matchups beyond what's been revealed in the solicitation for issue #1. He teases, "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. 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 to the series, often switching artistic styles to contrast the bloody carnage with the sanitized visions inside Deadpool’s mind. Bunn promises that Talajić will continue to push the boundaries visually in the trilogy's grand finale. He says, "With *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again*, we wanted to play with different eras and styles of comics. 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!”
While this series is often referred to as a trilogy, it's worth noting that the first two books aren't directly connected. Instead, they explore different scenarios for why Deadpool would turn against the Marvel Universe. In the first, Deadpool becomes a nihilistic killer after learning the truth about his existence as a comic book character. In the second, he's brainwashed by villains to slaughter heroes. Regarding the connection to the third book, Bunn teases, "It's a fresh start... sort of. 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 violent actions. Bunn hints that this final installment will feature an even more relatable Deadpool, stating, "I think the Deadpool we see in this book is much more sympathetic than the killer Deadpool in the other series. 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 hit the shelves 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.
