While he may not know what’s fully happening in the world around him, Deadpool can tell something is off about the world of Heroes Reborn.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 by Jim Zub, Steven Cummings, Erick Arciniega & VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now
Due to some unseen act carried out by Mephisto, the Marvel Universe has been radically altered and replaced with a new one. In this new world, the Squadron Supreme are the chief heroes of the world, effectively replacing the Avengers — who have either never gained their incredible powers or have become members of the Squadron’s rouge’s gallery.
However, there are minor exceptions to this alteration — with Blade remembering the original reality and moving around the world to recruit other heroes like Captain America and Phoenix to restore the world. But Heroes Reborn: Young Squadron #1 reveals that there’s another unlikely figure who knows something’s wrong with reality: Deadpool, with his fourth-wall awareness allowing him to illuminate the flaws of the Squadron Supreme.
The Young Squadron are a trio of heroic teenagers, inspired by members of the Squadron Supreme. Girl Power, Falcon, and Kid Spectrum have dealt with a number of threats all on their own. Their latest enemy proves to be Deadpool — who in this world was best friends/partners with the Goblin. In a twisted recreation of the Spider-Man/Deadpool friendship, Deadpool announces himself as a dedicated ally of the Goblin. This is why he’s attacking the Young Squadron — specifically targeting Miles Morales, who has become the new Falcon. Deadpool claims that because the Goblin killed the Falcon, he must now kill Miles in the same manner by dousing him in gasoline and lighting him aflame.
Luckily though, Girl Power and Kid Spectrum are able to find Falcon in time to save him. But before they can turn Deadpool over to the authorities, Wade Wilson notices the narration trying to make it seem like “all is good in the universe.” Deadpool has long been able to see through the barriers of fiction, even confronting his narration boxes when he disagrees with them. In the world of Heroes Reborn, even though his memories and mind have been altered, he can still see that something is wrong. Deadpool points out to the young heroes the full extent of the Squadron Supreme’s actions — highlighting the brutality of Nighthawk, the wanton disregard by Power Princess, and the lethal force authorized by Doctor Spectrum.
Even if he can’t pinpoint what’s gone wrong or how the world should be, Deadpool can tell that something is wrong — hinting that he can at least see the seams of this restructured universe, and how Mephisto transformed it into a far darker place. Confronting Nighthawk later and turning over Deadpool to him, the young heroes are terrified that Deadpool may have been on to something — witnessing Nighthawk display an apparent fury for the new Falcon, who hides away from his once prospective mentor. His words may have even inspired the Young Squadron to fight back in some way and instead become the Champions of this world.
It’s notable that Deadpool may not really know what’s happening to the world, implying that, unlike Blade or Phoenix, his mind didn’t escape whatever effect Mephisto has had on the world. But he was able to tell that something was amiss with the process — and that thanks to his ability to break the fourth wall, he could detect at least some of the flaws in the world Mephisto has created.
