Editorial: Deadpool’s Twitter Defines Pandemic Humor

The world is reeling from the effects of a global pandemic and the United States is entering another month of lockdown with the entire world in chaos. It’s a grim picture of reality, leaving people with social media as a primary means of communication with friends both local and otherwise. It led to some very strange memes (Joe Exotic, everything is “cake”) and left brands scrambling to hold the attention of others. A hidden gem — providing that same deadpan and chaotic zoomer humor — is the Deadpool movie Twitter account making jokes that capture the dire nature of the situation as well as the humor to be found within.

Other Twitter accounts have kept up a positive veneer to keep audiences going. Touting watch parties and pushing forward with new ways to adapt to a changing world — it’s essential and honest work. There’s no other way to push forward without positive thinking, but that has its limits as anyone stuck at home will tell you. Deadpool’s social media however hasn’t shied away from the negative. Much like its titular hero, the account made more poignant jokes than the rest of the MCU and as any number of people will tell you, it’s hard to keep a positive frame of mind when there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.

That’s ironically the whole point of Deadpool, underscoring the hard nature of the character’s issues while adapting to them. For people unfamiliar, Deadpool was born Wade Wilson, a mercenary. Becoming a part of the Weapon X project, he gained the ability to, well, not die. He did so at the cost of his physical appearance making his mutant status obvious. He spent the first movie adapting to his new abilities, and the second suffering a major loss with the death of his wife Vanessa, killed because of his actions.

There’s nothing particularly spectacular about that beyond how Deadpool lampoons all of the traditional superhero tropes that come with a “tragic backstory” and the sacrifices of gaining abilities. That’s what makes the character fun and has made him beloved in a world where dire humor is a method of coping. It’s a method a number of people have been turning to during the pandemic and something that people are missing out on when it comes to the @DeadpoolMovie Twitter account. Check out some examples below:

The hero has also tackled the strange debate between staying home and social distancing versus the alternative. 

There are different takes that people can have on jokes like this but one of the best is using such an iconic character who people can relate to in order to spread messages that are both relatable and don’t downplay the situation. Messages of positivity are essential with the pandemic, but Deadpool has never believed that people are unaware.

His form of deadpan humor and acceptance may be just what some people need to cope with the situation going on in the world outside of the X-Mansion‘s walls. In short, grab a chimichanga, put on Deadpool, and watch someone who knows how to keep things real while moving forward, a lesson we all could learn.