The Death of Wolverine was a big deal for Marvel. Not only has Wolverine served as the company's unofficial mascot for decades, but the publisher spent roughly two years setting up Logan's final storyline. As a result, the story really felt like it meant something: some longtime readers may have found that the finale itself didn't have enough emotional impact, but as a whole, the story felt like a good way to put Wolverine to rest.
Simply put, The Death of Wolverine worked because Marvel gave the story enough time to develop. Wolverine didn't suddenly lose his powers and die, it was a slow burn - in the end, the story was that much better for it. If the writers had given him, say...three months, it would have felt forced, artificial and somewhat bizarre.
Enter Deadpool #250, otherwise known as The Death of Deadpool.
"...April's DEADPOOL #45 marks Wade Wilson's landmark 250th issue! How will he be celebrating? DEATH! No, really. Wade's about to reach the end of the line..."
That's from the official Marvel press release, confirming that Deadpool #45/250 will be the end of the Merc with a Mouth. Deadpool's final story will also serve as the conclusion to his long-running feud with the terrorist organization known as Ultimatum, but how exactly Deadpool will be vulnerable to injury is still unknown.
To be fair, Deadpool has been looking for a way to die for sometime. His healing factor (which is nearly identical to Wolverine's, aside from the fact that it's artificial) usually prevents such a thing, but several storylines have revealed the creation of a serum that would allow Deadpool to die. So far, none of these serums have been permanent, and in recent stories, Deadpool has been more focused on getting married or maintaining a zen garden (no, seriously).
The problem with The Death of Deadpool is that his larger story hasn't been building up to this point. Yes, Wade Wilson has wanted to die, but his overarching story hasn't been focused on that fact - Wolverine spent nearly two years without his healing factor before he died, and it was clear where Marvel was going. Deadpool has been all over the place, and while it's somewhat befitting of his character, that's not an excuse for weak storytelling. Of course, there's no way to know if the story will be good until the issue is released, but as of now, it feels extremely forced.
Also, it's starting to feel a bit like Marvel is taking advantage of their popular characters dying. What's next, Spider-Man dying?
...oh, wait a second.
Deadpool 250 goes on sale in April.
