Deadpool isn't a man without morals; he's just a man with his own personal code of ethics, a set of principles that most of society would agree are pretty depraved. The thing is, Deadpool may be a bad guy, he may talk dirty and fight even dirtier, but he uses his sick and twisted superhuman skills to take down even worse guys. In this respect, Deadpool is an antihero; his sense of right and wrong is nontraditional and tailored to suit his own wants and needs. He doesn't think of himself as heroic, but he uses his unofficial motto of "I'm bad, but they're worse" to justify his brutal methods. When it comes to Ajax and his goons, Deadpool shows a complete lack of remorse and emerges from the film with a sparkling-clean conscience because of his skewed moral code.
Questions about Morality and Ethics
1. How would you describe Deadpool's code of ethics? List five guiding principles, or "rules," for being Deadpool.
2. How would you describe your own moral code? List five rules for being you—ethically speaking, that is. For example, one of Shmoop's guiding principles is to never, ever let that last slice of pizza go to waste.
3. When it comes to morality and ethics, how are Deadpool and Ajax similar? How are they different?
4. Do you think Wade's morals change over the course of the narrative? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Deadpool is a study in moral relativism.
Saying Deadpool has his own moral code is just a nice way of saying Deadpool doesn't have any morals, period.