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Deadpool and the Punisher have gone head-to-head many times, but Marvel has just announced what may be their biggest battle yet. It’s easy to see why comic book readers have always loved the dynamic between the two gun-toting Marvel antiheroes; they may deal with problems the same way, but their characters are diametrically opposed. Frank Castle considers Deadpool a dangerous loose cannon, and Deadpool doesn’t really consider anything all that much. Punisher is a shrewd tactician, but Deadpool’s healing factor means he can walk away unscathed.
Now, Marvel has officially confirmed that Punisher and Deadpool are about to have a rematch in “Big Guns,” a four-part crossover kicking off this September in Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw’s Wade Wilson: Deadpool and Percy and José Luis Soares’ Punisher.
“When you’re writing The Punisher, and you’re writing Deadpool—two street-level characters with opposite personalities—the math works itself out,” Percy said. “I had to bring them together. Violently. Get ready for non-stop mayhem, the re-invention (and glow-up) of a classic villain, and the introduction of the Merc-mobile (a rolling HQ I’m pretty damn excited about) as well as a new weapon that will change the 616 forever. Unlike Frank and Wade—who naturally despise each other—Geoff Shaw and José Luis are a perfect pairing, the best pens drawing the biggest guns.”
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Big Guns Promises to be the Biggest Brawl Yet
It’s been nine years since the last Punisher and Deadpool fight. According to Marvel, the saga kicks off when Deadpool’s latest mess puts him in the Punisher’s line of fire – just before he takes on his biggest job yet. Benjamin Percy is currently writing both books, which means this is the perfect time for a crossover, and Marvel insist neither man will emerge from this inevitable firefight unscathed. That presumably means the conflict will have personal consequences for Deadpool rather than physical ones, given his healing factor.
Marvel is announcing this as part of its “616 Day” celebrations, June 16 now apparently being a Marvel day (just as May 4 works for Star Wars). So the tease about “changing 616 forever” – which initially sounds like a standard marketing blurb – may not imply multiversal stakes to the story. The possibility can’t be ruled out, though, because there is increasing synergy between modern Marvel comics and the MCU. We’re headed for Avengers: Doomsday, one of the most important movies in the Multiverse Saga, so Marvel Comics can be forgiven getting hyped about interdimensional hijinx. Deadpool, in particular, has a history with them.
The big question, of course, is just who the villain will be. According to Percy, we can expect a “glow-up” for a classic Marvel bad guy, but they’re unlikely to survive; they’re caught in the crossfire between the Merc With a Mouth and Marvel’s biggest serial killer, meaning the odds of survival are very low indeed. Personally, I’ve always found it rather amusing when either of these characters has recurring villains, and the problem is multiplied now they’re about to go head-to-head. It remains to be seen whether Percy will follow the traditional comic book format of an initial versus match followed by a team-up, but that may not be necessary. In fact, seeing them continue to act at crossed purposes would probably be far more entertaining.
One thing’s for sure: we’re in for a lot of dark, violent humor. Percy’s Punisher arc is currently seeing Frank Castle reinvent himself after experiments were done on his brain, meaning this is a more complicated version of the Punisher than many readers are familiar with – one who may well cross lines Castle previously balked at. Deadpool, meanwhile, remains the ultimate wild card; Percy’s comments suggest he’s going to morph into a sort of mirror version of the Punisher, complete with a Merc-mobile as his answer to the Punisher’s Battle Van. The gags almost write themselves, making this four-part story irresistible.
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