Deadpool Ends Marvel's Bloodiest Trilogy with Final Universe Kill-Off

2011's *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* certainly lives up to its name, showcasing what happens when Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, loses all control and starts a deadly rampage against the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The overwhelming popularity of this series led writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajić to reunite for a sequel, *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again* in 2017. Now, the duo is set to bring us the final chapter in their thrilling saga with *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time*. This time, Deadpool’s wrath extends beyond a single universe, targeting the entire Marvel multiverse.

IGN recently had the privilege of interviewing Bunn via email to delve deeper into the concluding installment of the *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* trilogy. Before diving into the details, take a moment to browse an exclusive preview of the first issue below, and then continue reading to uncover more about the fourth-wall-breaking carnage that lies ahead.

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time - Image Gallery

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Bunn, a prolific Deadpool writer, has crafted numerous stories including *Deadpool: Killustrated*, *Night of the Living Deadpool*, and *Deadpool & the Mercs for Money*. When asked if he always planned for sequels, 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 that starts with the murder of iconic teams like the X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four is no small feat. Bunn's solution was to expand into the multiverse, introducing battles with characters like Cap-Wolves, Worldbreaker Hulks, and new, twisted versions of Marvel’s heroes and villains. Bunn explained, "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 remains tight-lipped about specific matchups but hinted at the excitement awaiting fans, "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, switching artistic styles to contrast the carnage with Deadpool's brainwashed perspective. Bunn promises Talajić will continue to innovate visually in this grand finale, stating, "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 part of a trilogy, the first two *Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe* books are not directly connected, each offering different reasons for Deadpool's killing spree. In the first, Deadpool discovers he's a comic book character and becomes a nihilistic killer. In the second, a brainwashed Deadpool is manipulated into slaughtering heroes. Bunn teases the connection of the third book to the previous volumes, saying, "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 actions. Bunn suggests this sequel will take that a step further, 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 will hit the shelves on April 2, 2025.