(NOTE: This contains spoilers for Black Panther vs. Deadpool #1-#4.)
Marvel’s Black Panther vs. Deadpool run has been a bit different from some of Wade Wilson’s recent Marvel-hero battles.
In 2016, he had an underwhelming fight with Gambit—which is only worth mentioning because it was such a letdown. More importantly, he went toe-to-toe with The Punisher in a far more compelling battle in 2017. Then he had it out with Old Man Logan last year, which gave us Deadpool with claws, so that was cool.
Deadpool’s fight with T’Challa isn’t the same, though. (Gambit and Deadpool had a much different vibe from the other two, so let’s leave that out for now.) The Punisher was on a mission that conflicted with Deadpool’s, same deal with Old Man Logan. That’s not the case in this Wakanda-based story.
Deadpool went to Black Panther for help. He needs something to make up for a fatal mistake but T’Challa cannot be bothered. Not just because he “knows” he can’t help Wade, he just flat out doesn’t want to.
His distaste for all things Wade Wilson has provided constant tension between the two, leading to some sick battles. And for the very brief moment that he trusts Deadpool, Black Panther is quickly let down.
The biggest difference in all of this, however, is the stakes are much higher now that Black Panther has the cure for cancer. In case you didn’t know, that’s bad for Deadpool, being a walking tumor and all—that’s in the literal sense here, though the metaphorical sense is applicable, as well.
Now, no one thinks Marvel will kill off one of its hottest commodities, at least not for an extended period of time. But with T’Challa being pushed to the limited with every breath Wade takes, there’s a legitimate reason to believe he could put an end to Deadpool. Again, he’s not going to kill Deadpool, but Black Panther has the means to separate his body piece-by-piece where he can’t regenerate.
Can you imagine a severed Deadpool head being held captive in a jar in Wakanda for all of eternity without the ability to regenerate? Sounds miserable, right? Guess what? It could happen.