Liefeld's Claim That Deadpool Was Not Based on Deathstroke Fails the Smell Test...Because He's Full of Crap!

Rob Liefeld: In denial, delusional,
or full of crap?

Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke. For years comic book fans have openly acknowledged, in one way or another, that Marvel Comics' Deadpool is, at the very least, an "homage" (I'm being polite) to DC Comics' Deathstroke the Terminator, a fact that Deadpool's co-creator, Rob Liefeld vehemently denies. As of this writing, the Google search string "is Deadpool a ripoff," yielded close to 74,700 results. About 30,900 results are returned if the prepositional phrase "of Deathstroke," is added to the end of the original string. Even the animated film, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018), riffs on the notion that there is more than just a passing similarity between the two characters. I have even addressed the "homage" phenomenon before on this blog (click here to read the "Deadpool and other Deathstroke 'Homages'" post).

Please don't misunderstand, I kid about this topic from time to time on this blog relative to Deadpool and Deathstroke, but I'm not saying that this is practice is by definition a bad thing. Comic book companies and creators have a long tradition of "borrowing," or to put it more rudely, "ripping off," character archetypes or other such defining characteristics from industry competitors dating back to the earliest days of the super-hero genre ("SHAZAM!"). If not for these homages/ripoffs we wouldn't have characters like Wolverine (Timberwolf), Aquaman (Namor the Sub-Mariner), Black Cat (Catwoman), Swamp Thing (Man-Thing), Quicksilver (the Flash), Miracle Man (the original Captain Marvel/Shazam), or even Thanos (Darkseid). Recently DC Comics launched The Terrifics (2018), which is basically a send-up of Marvel Comic's Fantastic Four, and I'm having a blast reading it. Given the long-standing practice of "homaging" characters in comic books, why does Rob Liefeld continue to deny that he did essentially the same thing when creating Deadpool?

At the 2018 LA Comin-Con, Liefeld was asked point blank "Did you, for the first issue of Deadpool, did you ever use Deathstroke as your...?" Liefeld didn't even let the question come completely out of the fan's mouth before he launched into a histrionic fit/diatribe that began thusly:

I DID NOT! I CAN DO THIS! If we had Deathstroke here: buccaneer boots, buccaneer gloves, half an effin’ mask, chainmail! WHERE IS THE CHAINMAIL?

Let me tell you guys how it went: "Hey guys, Todd McFarlane, he’s kind of blowing up on Spider-Man. I need a Spider-Man in my book. Oh, wow, so, I also like Wolverine. He’s my favorite character. Black and red, black and red. Can I tie him into Wolverine’s origin? So, can I do Spider-Man with guns and knives?” "Liefeld, Cable’s blowing up for us. We’re selling a million copies of New Mutants. Whatever you want to do Liefeld." YEAH! 

I didn’t even hear about this until 10 years ago when it became cool to (unintellegible). I don't see it. I never have seen it! Like, strap me up! I'll do the lie detector that [Brett] Kavanaugh wouldn't! I'll sit there; ask me that question! Give me, give me the golden lasso! I really don't get it! That's why it's like, I just look at people and I go, "How are...I don't, yeah." There's your answer.

To view the question and Liefeld's answer in their entirety, the video is posted below.

OK. At this point, Shakespeare might have said that the gentleman "doth protest too much, methinks." First, I'd like to address Liefeld's statement, "If we had Deathstroke here: buccaneer boots, buccaneer gloves, half an effin’ mask, chainmail! WHERE IS THE CHAINMAIL?" Liefeld seems to be making the argument that just because Deadpool doesn't look like Deathstroke, then that means that Deadpool can't be based on Deathstroke. Unfortunately for Liefeld, that argument has already been proven deficient in a court of law is it was used by Fawcett Publications when they were sued by National Comics Publications (who would become DC Comics in the 1970s) for copyright infringement [National Comics Publications Inc. v. Fawcett Publications Inc. et al, 191 F.2d 594 (2d Cir. 1951)]. Even though some cosmetic details were changed, like Captain Marvel's suit was red instead of Superman blue and his cape was white instead of Superman red, the court ruled that Fawcett's Captain Marvel was too similar to the core concept of National's Superman to be coincidental and therefore was plagiarized. So Liefeld basing his argument that Deadpool could not be based on Deathstroke because Deadpool didn't have buccaneer boots and chainmail wouldn't even come close to holding up in a court of law. 

For the sake of argument, let's take Liefeld at his work that it was Spider-Man that played a huge part in his creating Deadpool. This is obvious, especially in Deadpool's red-and-black color scheme and the large eyes thickly outlined in black. But when Liefeld added the guns and swords motif in addition to making him an assassin it made him a little too close to Deathstroke for Deadpool to be at least a factor in his creation. Apparently, Liefeld feels that it is completely acceptable to homage Spider-Man, but not Deathstroke? Additionally, his lie detector and golden lasso comments were nothing more than toothless quips to elicit laughs from the crowd. So, Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE ONE!

Deadpool's first appearance in
New Mutants (1983) 

Next, let's examine statements made by those directly involved in Deadpool's creation including then New Mutants co-plotter, Fabian Nicieza and Liefeld himself. When Liefeld sent his original concept art for his new character to Nicieza, he called Liefeld and stated bluntly that, "this is Deathstroke from Teen Titans." Nicieza further acknowledged the similarity between the characters by giving him the name "Deadpool," which is not unlike "Deathstroke." Nicieza further connected the characters by giving Deadpool the real name of Wade Wilson, which was a straight-up riff on Deathstroke's name, Slade Wilson. So while it was Nicieza that came up with names "Deadpool" and "Wade Wilson", it was Liefeld's "original" design that first made the obvious association with Deathstroke.

Liefeld himself took a stab at writing Deathstroke (2011) in early 2012. As part of promoting his run, Liefeld was interviewed by Jeffrey Renaud for Comic Book Resources (CBR). In the interview, Liefeld admitted to an affinity for Deathstroke, confirming that he chose to write and pencil his title. Later in the interview, Liefeld confessed that he passed on working with other characters because he had no connection to them. His connection to Deathstroke was further cemented when Liefeld said, "I've always been in awe of Hawkman and Deathstroke -- and 'always' means since I was a child." This comment from Liefeld corroborated earlier statements by Nicieza that both he and Liefeld were huge fans of the Teen Titans comics growing up. Because childhood "awe" drew Liefeld to work professionally on Deathstroke as an adult, it is reasonable to think that some of that same Deathstroke "awe" found its way into the creation of Deadpool. Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE TWO!

The third piece of evidence I'll present against Liefeld's claim that Deadpool wasn't based on Deadpool is that if you look at other characters Liefeld has created, it becomes apparent that Liefeld definitely has a signature character type that looks suspiciously like Deathstroke. In my earlier post, "Deadpool and other Deathstroke 'Homages'", I included the aforementioned Deadpool and the character Deadborn that he created for his run on Deathstroke (2011), based upon a loosely assembled list of Deathstroke traits. Those traits included being an assassin or mercenary, utilizing a full-face mask, having an ominous or foreboding character name, preternatural skill with firearms and melee weapons, having superhuman strength, agility, or reflexes, and having white hair. I wanted a way to objectively compare these "homages" to Deathstroke himself. Using the six traits described above, I came up with an admittedly ridiculous scale that gages a character's similarity to Deathstroke. The Deathstroke Homage Scale (or DHS) awards one point for each characteristic that a given character has in common with Deathstroke. Using the 2/3 standard, if a given character gets a score of 4 or higher, the character will be considered an "homage" (not a "ripoff") of Deathstroke.

So what happens when characters are evaluated with the DHS? Chris Claremont and Steve Leialoha's Death-Stroke was by design an homage to/parody of Deathstroke the Terminator, so if any character would score high enough to be considered an homage to Deathstroke on the DHS it should be him. Marvel's Death-Stroke earned a DHS score of 4, making him a Deathstroke homage. I next took a character that I knew could not possibly be a Deathstroke homage, Superman. Superman's DHS score was 1, making him definitely not a Deathstroke homage.

Now let's see what happens when seven different Liefeld-created characters are evaluated using the DHS. The characters evaluated were Deadpool, Cable, Bloodstrike, Deadborn, Lethal, Jagger, and Crypt. The results appear below.

All seven Liefeld characters that I evaluated with the DHS were, in fact, Deathstroke homages, including Deadpool (DHS score of 5). Some will say that not every single character that Liefeld has ever created can be considered a Deathstroke homage so this exercise is flawed and should be discounted. But, this exercise was not about showing that every single character that Liefeld ever created was a Deathstroke homage, but was instead just to illustrate that a large number are and that Deathstroke-like traits are ubiquitous in Liefeld creations over his entire career. Liefeld is so drawn to the Deathstroke character type that during his run on the Savage Hawkman (2011), he pitted Hawkman against the Jim Lee and Brandon Choi-created mercenary Pike, himself a Deathstroke homage (DHS score of 5). Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE THREE!

With three strikes, Liefeld should be out as far as his claims that Deadpool was not based on Deathstroke. But Deathstroke is not the only character that Liefeld has homaged over his career. The following list represents a number of other Liefeld-created characters and the established characters from which they were homaged.

• Avengelyne: (Angela, Vampirella, Warrior Nun Areala)
• Badrock: (the Thing)
• Bloodwulf: (Lobo)
• Brigade: (X-Force)
• Copycat: (Mystique)
• Cougar: (Timberwolf, Wolfsbane, Tigra, Talon, Feral)
• Deadlock: (Wolverine)
• Diehard: (Captain America, Deathlok)
• Domino: (Longshot)
• Feral: (Tigra, Talon)
• Glory: (Wonder Woman)
• Masada: (Giant Man, Colossal Boy, Giganta)
• New Men: (the X-Men)
• Riptide: (Mera)
• Shaft: (Green Arrow, Hawkeye)
• Suprema: (Supergirl)
• Supreme: (Superman)
• Troll: (Puck)
• Vogue: (Black Widow)
• Youngblood: (Freedom Force, JLI, Suicide Squad, G.I. Joe)

Deadpool not based on Deathstroke? STRIKE FOUR! Out for real this time!

Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke. He continues to deny this and I don't know why. The evidence is clear. Liefeld's claim they don't look alike so Deadpool can't be based on Deathstroke utterly falls apart under historical and legal scrutiny. Both Liefeld's and Fabian Nicieza's previous public statements on Deadpool's creation and Deathstroke as a favorite character of both men contradict Liefeld's own recent, and very public denial. When quantifiably compared to Deathstroke, Deadpool, and many other Liefeld creations are too similar to the Terminator to be simply coincidental. Lastly, Liefeld has a long and proven track record of borrowing character designs and characteristics from other well-established characters. Rob Liefeld based Deadpool on Deathstroke and it is 100% OK that he did. I just wish Liefeld would believe that himself.

Deadpool and other Deathstroke "Homages"

It is apropos that the phrase, "there is nothing new under the sun," has appeared in a myriad of different sources. One source feeding off of a prior one, changing the wording to fit specific circumstances, but leaving the general meaning intact. This concept can also be applied to works of art, be they visual art, music, literature, or even comic books. Do we have Superman without Hercules or Doc Savage? Does Batman exist in a world without the Scarlet Pimpernel or Zorro? Is there a Darth Vader without Doctor Doom or Darkseid? Jack Kirby didn't think so (Lookin' at you, George Lucas).

Deathstroke is no exception to this phenomenon. Many people point out the similarities between Deathstroke and Marvel Comics' Taskmaster. Given their occupations, color scheme, and George Pérez as a co-creator it seems reasonable that the Taskmaster may have influenced the creation of Deathstroke, though the time between their debuts probably rules that out. I personally see more similarities to Takao Saito's Golgo 13 than the Taskmaster, but that post has already been written.

What can be argued is the Deathstroke has inspired his share of...we'll be diplomatic and call them homages, some of which we will examine here. For the purposes of this post, an homage will have the following characteristics. One, the homage must be a "badass" mercenary that is a master of both melee weapons and firearms regardless of their personality. Two, the homage must have a mostly-full body costume with a completely covered face. And three, a really, really ominous codename that evokes impending death.

The first, and most blatant "homage" was Chris Clairmont and Steve Leialoha's Death-Stroke for Marvel Comics in 1981. More about this "homage" can found in an earlier post by clicking here.

This image just about sums it up.

The second and most obvious (and ridiculously successful) example is Deadpool. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld in 1991 for Marvel Comics' New Mutants (1983) #98. Though Liefeld still denies it, Nicieza has pretty well confirmed that Deadpool, in his original form, was indeed an homage to Deathstroke, who was a favorite character of the pair (I mean Wade Wilson, really?). Deadpool would eventually morph into his the lunatic, fourth-wall breaking, "merc with the mouth" form we all know today through the subsequent work of writers Joe Casey and Christopher Priest. While I have to admit, I did enjoy both of the Deadpool films, the character itself doesn't really appeal to me. I feel the image to the left accurately captures my take on Deadpool in the form of an old school SAT-style analogy. With that being said, let's move on to the next Deathstroke homage.

Art by Dan Norton and Karl Kesel

Next up is a Deathstroke homage from Homage Studios' Jim Lee and Bandon Choi. Debuting in the pages of WildCATS: Covert Action Teams (1992) #1 was a Kherubim half-breed that threw his lot in with the Daemonite Helspont, the sworn enemy his own people. Pike was Helspont's number one agent of death and destruction against Lord Emp's WildC.A.T.S. team. 

The visual and thematic similarities to Deathstroke are more than obvious. Mercenary? Check. Master of firearms? Check. As comfortable killing you with swords as he is with guns? Check. Battlesuit with a full-face mask? Check. Use of an energy battle staff that can be separated into two smaller staves? Check. Threatening name? Pike, as in "your head on a!" Check. Pike is a stone cold brutal killer that is not beyond turning his back on a lover if she failed to follow his orders. After Flashpoint, Pike found himself in conflict with Katar Hol, the Savage Hawkman. Let's just say that Pike has more than just a passing resemblance to Deathstroke and move on. 

Deathtrap
Art by Juan Ferreyra

Jim Lee and Brandon Choi were not done "homaging" Deathstroke when they created Pike. No, they had one more menacing merc for us in the form of the dastardly Deathtrap. First appearing in Stormwatch (1993) #1, Deathtrap, aka Seamus O'Brienn, was once affiliated with a Northern Irish separatist group during the ethnic and religious conflict from the 1980s and 90s known colloquially as "the Troubles." Deathtrap later became a thorn in the side of Stormwatch, and Stormwatch member Backlash specifically. After Flashpoint, Deathtrap found himself both up against and later aligned with the New Suicide Squad. 

Unlike other Deathstroke homages, Deathtrap had some unusual powers. Not only was Deathtrap a highly skilled mercenary with guns and melee weapons, but Deathtrap could also instantly fashion firearms out of whatever materials were at his disposal. As apparent from the image to the left, he once created a gun made from wood and another one from, of all things, floor tiles. Deathtrap is without a doubt one of the stranger Deathstroke homages.

One of the newest Deathstroke homages came to us from Rob Liefeld (there's that guy again), Joshua Williamson, and Eduardo Pansica and is the only one on this list that has actually faced Deathstroke in combat. In Deathstroke (2011) #13 the assassin Deadborn was hired to take out Deathstroke himself. Deadborn was created in a government lab that attempted to create another super soldier after they created Deathstroke. Deadborn was considerably larger and stronger than Deathstroke and highly durable causing him great difficulty when engaging him one-on-one. But Deathstroke, with the aid of Zealot, got the upper-hand on Deadborn ending the conflict by cutting off his arm.

Dearborn vs. Deathstroke
Art by Eduardo Pansica

If anyone looks hard enough, it's possible to examine almost anything to the point that the inspirations that spurred it into being become apparent. Deathstroke the Terminator has undoubtedly inspired a number of creators to come up with their own badass assassins. Death-Stroke, Deadpool, Pike, Deathtrap, and Deadborn are just the ones that came to my mind first. It's even getting to the point that Deathstroke's homages have homages (Red Tool? Death Masque? anyone?). In any event, if there truly is nothing new under the sun, then I suppose (Deathstroke) imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. Deathstroke...often imitated; never duplicated.