Warning: Contains spoilers for Uncanny Avengers #4!!
Deadpool often endures the unimaginable without losing himself, or his sense of humor, in the process – yet Captain America nearly broke him. He has resented Cap since the days of Hydra Supreme, when the alternate Steve Rogers tricked him into committing heinous, evil acts. It took a powerful idea to convince him to join the newest incarnation of the Unity Squad, and thankfully, the true Steve knew just what to say.
In Uncanny Avengers #4 – by Gerry Duggan, Javier Garrón, and Morry Hollowell – Wade and the rest of the Unity Squad end up in a battle against the Mutant Liberation Front. After Psylocke violently removes the Fenris twins’ hands, Wade helps clean up the scene, sarcastically recounting the line Steve used to recruit him to the team: “There’s always a job only you can do.”
It’s unlikely that Rogers intended that to mean cleaning up severed limbs, but it does hit on the true reason Deadpool returned. Captain America believes in him, and despite all the resentment and misunderstanding between them, there is still great respect as well.
Captain America Once Cost Deadpool Everything
While Hydra Supreme was still masquerading as Captain America leading up to the Secret Empire event, he recruited Deadpool to the Avengers. It was Wade’s opportunity to live out his dream of being a hero, and he’d always looked up to Steve Rogers as someone to emulate. Instead, he was lied to, manipulated, and led into killing good people for evil purposes. That didn’t simply disappear when the real Steve Rogers returned. Not only did Deadpool blame Rogers for everything that happened to him, but Steve attempted to take Wade in for punishment for the acts he’d committed under Hydra Cap’s orders.
Uncanny Avengers #1 briefly touched on Deadpool and Cap’s repaired relationship, and it is clear that the two still hold a lot of mutual respect for one another. Cap even deemed Wade worthy of the Howling Commandos, and clearly thinks the Merc with a Mouth is capable of a great deal, whatever his shortcomings might be. Telling him there will be always be job that no other member of the team can do is a show of faith, an acknowledgment that Deadpool will do the right thing when the time comes. Even though Wade gives the line a snarky bend in Uncanny Avengers #4, as he cleans up after Psylocke, he took it to heart enough to join the team.
The Unity Squad Has Tough Road Ahead
Deadpool and Steve Rogers have put the Hydra Supreme days behind them, but unfortunately, it isn’t that easy to escape the past. Hydra Cap, or “Stevil” as Wade often calls him, just resurfaced as the powerful Captain Krakoa. His re-emergence will certainly have consequences for Deadpool, and the real Steve Rogers. On the other hand, there’s hardly anyone better suited than Wade for taking down Captain Krakoa. He walked away and let Stevil live once, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be part of a new solution. Deadpool has a chance to be the hero he’s always wanted to be and prove Captain America right by being the only one for the job.
Check out Uncanny Avengers #4, available now from Marvel Comics!
