Among the comic book world’s many anti-heroes, Deadpool ranks as one of the most popular. From his instantly recognizable red and black suit to his off-kilter humor, the Merc with a Mouth has become an iconic part of the Marvel Universe. Given the infamous assassin’s storied history (as well as his absurd shenanigans) any creator would be hard-pressed to find something unique and interesting to do with the character. Luckily, Deadpool’s current series seems to have figured it out.
Deadpool (by Alyssa Wong, Martin Coccolo, Neeraj Menon, Joe Sabino, Jordan White) is everything a comic focued on the Merc With a Mouth should be. The action sequences are filled with copious amounts of blood and body horror, while the writing (especially Deadpool’s internal narration) is delightfully punchy and fun with a signature flair of fourth-wall-breaking humor. But what really makes this series stand out is the fact that as much as it’s a superhero story, it’s also a love story.
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Deadpool Has Found a New Love Interest In Valentine Vuong
Within the first few pages of Deadpool #1, the titular anti-hero’s new love interest, Valentine Vuong, is introduced. They are a mysterious mutant working for The Atelier, a glamorous and exclusive society of elite assassins. The two first meet when Deadpool is invited to ‘audition’ for a position within The Atelier. With their sleek hairstyle, chic clothes, and cool exterior, Valentine initially seems like the very opposite to Deadpool.
However, upon meeting Valentine, the Merc is instantly infatuated (hilariously emphasized by the sudden appearance of shoujo-manga-like flower petals, sparkles, and bubbles that invade the panel whenever Deadpool glances at Valentine). It’s not only a fun visual gimmick that persists throughout the ongoing series, but it’s also a great way to represent exactly what kind of effect the mysterious new mutant has on the Merc with a Mouth. What follows is an adorable flirtation that feels like something straight out of a romantic comedy.
While the words ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Romantic Comedy’ may not seem like they go together, the work of Wong and Coccolo begs to differ. In fact, the complete contrast of one issue depicting a gruesome symbiote-inspired experiment gone wrong followed almost instantly with a date to the zoo brings a familiar, yet unique spin to the absurdity expected in a Deadpool series. The overall result is an expertly crafted merger of many different genres. However, the developing romance between Wade Wilson and Valentine Vuong is used for more than just humor.
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Deadpool May Have Met His Perfect Match
Despite Wade Wilson’s gory exterior and, at times, twisted interior, his romance with Valentine Vuong is surprisingly sweet and relatively wholesome. While Wade’s attraction to Valentine is instant, it’s revealed soon after that Valentine is just as enamored. They are shown time and again throughout the series to operate on a similar wavelength to Wade, from cooking him a breakfast that eerily resembles him, to finding him– including his disfigured face and body– cute.
In addition to all that, Valentine is also capable of holding their own when it comes to super villains and super assassins. The first time this is seen is when Doctor Octopus and the Harrower crash Valentine and Wade’s zoo date. Instead of being used by the villainous duo as a hostage, Valentine had the wherewithal to grab one of Deadpool’s guns and use it to free themselves. Another instance was when they used their powers– the ability to synthesize chemical concoctions and inject them into others– to threaten Lady Deathstrike into rescuing Deadpool. Valentine’s subtle cunning may be different from the outright violence of their partner, but it’s clear that they share the same streak of ruthlessness.
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Deadpool Has Been Unlucky in Love
Superhero comic books have an unfortunate reputation when it comes to romance. Most of the time, happy unions rarely last. Whether it’s because of mistaken identity, tragedy, brainwashing, memory loss, or even being replaced by a clone, comics have long devised a multitude of ways to drastically complicate an otherwise happy relationship. Thankfully, as of Deadpool’s most recent issue, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Valentine and Wade’s blossoming relationship seems, for the most part, to be pretty healthy. That hasn’t always been the case for Deadpool’s lovelife. Despite his looks, Wade Wilson has had many romances throughout his history but very few have ended happily. For example, his relationship with Vanessa Carlyle, AKA Copycat, featured multiple toxic get-togethers and break-ups before she ultimately died at the hands of Sabretooth. Even when things do start to look up for Wade, previous partners like Shiklah end up leaving him for others. The list of failed marriages and relationships goes on and on.
Valentine Might be Exactly Who Deadpool Needs
While there’s nothing wrong with a little melodrama, a change in tone can be a breath of fresh air. Since Deadpool is often involved in more mature stories by virtue of his personality and role as an anti-hero, placing him in a more wholesome relationship gives his character a unique spin. Seeing how the Merc with a Mouth grapples with his infatuation and their subsequent relationship gives a refreshingly new perspective to the character.
Deadpool’s growing affection for Valentine is also great for the character in terms of contextualizing Wade’s sexuality. While his fluid sexuality has been confirmed by many writers, it’s only with Valentine that he is actively involved with someone who isn’t a woman. Prior to this, any attraction to someone who wasn’t a woman was depicted either off-page or as a humorous and passing flirtation. Valentine, who is non-binary, offers the Merc with a Mouth an opportunity to finally express his fluid sexuality freely on the page.
It’s a nice change to see Wade start to build his own little family unit. Valentine and Princess, his very own symbiote-dog monstrosity, offer Deadpool companionship, which is something that he’s been lacking for a while. As the comic continues, it’ll be interesting to see how the two deal with the obstacles to their relationship, from assassination attempts by the Atelier to whatever dark secret Valentine seems to be keeping from Wade.
Marvel’s Deadpool has teamed up with someone who is absolutely perfect as a love interest and partner to the Merc With a Mouth. Read More