Deadpool Ends Marvel's Bloodiest Trilogy with Final Universe Kill

2011's *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* certainly lives up to its bold title. In this gripping series, we see Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, spiraling into madness and embarking on a relentless killing spree that targets the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The series' success led writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajić to collaborate again on the 2017 sequel, *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again*. Now, they're reuniting for the final installment, *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time*. This time, the stakes are higher as Deadpool's wrath extends beyond a single universe to the entire Marvel multiverse.

IGN recently had the chance to connect with Bunn via email to dive deeper into this thrilling conclusion to the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe trilogy. Before we get into the details, take a look at an exclusive sneak peek of the first issue below, and then read on to discover more about the chaos and fourth wall-breaking action that awaits.

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time - Image Gallery

8 ImagesBunn, a prolific creator for Marvel's Deadpool, has penned numerous titles over the years, including Deadpool: Killustrated, Night of the Living Deadpool, and Deadpool & the Mercs for Money. Amid his extensive work, we were curious if Bunn had always planned for sequels. Did he envision a trilogy when he first wrote Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe?

“I never knew that series would go anywhere or be anything more than me having a good time writing a comic,” Bunn explains to IGN. “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 creating a trilogy lies in escalating the conflict. Starting with a series where Deadpool annihilates the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four sets a high bar. For Bunn, expanding to the multiverse was the solution. This time, readers will witness Wade battling a range of characters, from Cap-Wolves to Worldbreaker Hulks, and even new, twisted versions of Marvel's heroes and villains.

“The multiverse most certainly opens up a lot of new avenues of exploration,” Bunn notes. “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 experience the carnage, though he's keeping the details under wraps beyond what's been revealed in the solicitation for issue #1.

“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 terms of visual storytelling, Talajić elevated the sequel, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again, with a dynamic shift in artistic styles, blending the brutal reality with Deadpool's sanitized, brainwashed perception. Bunn assures that Talajić will continue to push boundaries visually in this grand finale.

“With Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again, we wanted to play with different eras and styles of comics,” Bunn shares. “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 we refer to this as a trilogy, it's worth noting that the first two volumes are not directly connected. Instead, they explore different scenarios behind Deadpool's killing spree. In the first, Deadpool's nihilism is fueled by his realization of being a comic book character. In the second, he's brainwashed by villains to do their bidding. The question remains: How does the third book tie into these narratives?

“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. In the first, he's disillusioned by his existence as a comic character; in the second, he fights against mind control. Bunn hints that the Deadpool in this final installment 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 will hit shelves on April 2, 2025.