How does Deadpool break the 4th wall?
Continuation of Does Deadpool know he is breaking the 4th wall?
So Deadpool knows he's fictional. But how does he know things like what issue he's in, or where the fourth wall is so he can talk to us, or if speech bubbles are working properly.
For example, even if I knew that this was all a holodeck simulation in which Captain Picard, Riker, and the rest of the crew are role playing actors on a popular TV show from the 20th century, that wouldn't allow me to detect when I'm paused, or how long the simulation has been running.
How does Deadpool know these things? We know where his immortality came from. Where did his fourth wall ability come from (beyond just discovering he's fictional)?
marvel powers deadpool
"How does Deadpool break the 4th wall?" Quite well, thank you. – Dan C Mar 11 '16 at 3:33
With a witty sledgehammer. – Ellesedil Mar 21 '16 at 17:21
The Comic Awareness can manifest in several effect: Characters aware of being in comics, who can talk to the spectator or reader ("breaking the Fourth Wall"), interact with bubbles text, use knowledges from Earth-1218.
How does he do that? By simply pointing out he is a comic book character. This is a choice that was given to this character by the creators.
Deadpool Vol. 1 #34 by Christopher Priest
Marvel categorizes this phenomenon as a superpower.
This power is named this way as a joke towards the "Cosmic Awareness" power - Source
The main reason why he can do this is speculative because giving this power to any character is in creators' hands.
Deadpool is not the only character who is aware of the 4th wall thing. Full list of Marvel characters can be found on that page as well.
apolloapollo
So it's an in er out er inout er outin er, something universe kind of thing. – PyRulez Mar 11 '16 at 9:58
@PyRulez Sort of. Paradoxical. – apollo Mar 11 '16 at 10:04
A great instance of this awareness is DC's Animal Man meeting his writer (Grant Morrison) in issues 25 and 26. – Meat Trademark Mar 11 '16 at 12:33
marvel.wikia.com/wiki/… is a dead link – TankorSmash Sep 24 '18 at 2:36
You're looking for an in-universe answer to an out-of-universe phenomenon. There isn't one. That is part of the point of fourth-wall-breaking. Deadpool is played by an actor who knows he is being filmed and will be viewed by millions of people in theaters and homes. He's also written and drawn by writers and artists who know he will be read by audiences. That's how.
J DoeJ Doe
Wasn't there an issue where he was TOLD he was a character? – Oak Mar 11 '16 at 1:51
"You're looking for an in-universe answer to an out-of-universe phenomenon." I disagree. In-universe, he breaks the fourth wall. There might not be an in-universe explanation for that (I hope there isn't), but there might be. – Paul D. Waite Mar 11 '16 at 15:01
@PaulD.Waite Look around you where you sit now - where is the fourth wall? In-universe, there is no fourth-wall. The fourth wall is an out-of-universe idea. – J Doe May 10 '17 at 23:15
@JDoe: and if I was a character in a comic, sure, you'd have a point. If the writers decide their fourth wall works how you describe, then you're right. If the writers decide differently, you're not. – Paul D. Waite May 11 '17 at 9:08
In-universe? Deadpool's crazy. There is no comic to refer to.
On those occasions where he predicts something that actually happens? Well, just because he's crazy doesn't mean he's unintelligent. Sometimes he may be able to guess accurately based on the information available to him (like a profiler can predict what the person being profiled will do). And, sometimes he may just luck into it (I seem to recall more than one occasion where he's said something would happen, it did, and he was at least as surprised as anyone else).
The fact that his crazy ramblings match up to out-of-universe things? That's an out-of-universe effect.
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