5 Disgusting Facts About Deadpool's Body That Will Gross Out Marvel Fans

Deadpool has gained legions of fans over the years thanks to his personality, fourth-wall-breaking, tragic backstory, violent tendencies, and live-action films starring Ryan Reynolds (including the upcoming "Deadpool & Wolverine"), all of which combine to make him a fairly unique character in the Marvel Universe. But one of the most interesting aspects of Deadpool is his body. Due to a mix of having cancer and gaining a healing factor from the Weapon X program's experiments, Deadpool has become a practically unkillable force of nature.

Deadpool's ability to withstand and regenerate from all kinds of different attacks has also led to some disgusting Marvel Comics moments. From being deemed too disgusting for zombies to eat, to making Skrull clones explode when they try to copy his form, to an evil Deadpool being created out of the hero's spare parts, there have been a number of storylines that have disgusted readers due to their bizarre and often outlandish nature.

But for the Merc with the Mouth, getting down and dirty, being decapitated, or having his unusual properties cause problems for dangerous foes is just another day at work. He's used to using his body as a weapon, even if it's not always intentional ... or appetizing.

In "Deadpool" #5 (by Daniel Way, Carlo Barberi, Juan Vlasco, Sandu Florea, Marte Gracia, Raul Trevino, and VC's Cory Petit), the titular hero accepts a mission from his associate, Zeke, to take out a plastic surgeon whose work is turning people into zombies. After being double-crossed by the man who hired him, Deadpool is put in a wooden torture device with his head and hands locked. Unable to move, Deadpool is attacked by zombies, who start eating his flesh. However, instead of devouring him, the flesh-hungry foes determine Deadpool tastes terrible, spitting out chunks of his body after initially taking a bite.

Things go from off-putting to downright gross when one of the zombies vomits after chewing on Deadpool's skin. Zeke is told his plan to torture the merc with zombies is a no-go, as one of them directly states that there's no way they're eating him. Zeke realizes that when Weapon X experimented on Wade Wilson, searching for a cure for his cancer and changing his cells to give him a healing factor, they also made Wade unable to be a source of sustenance, even for zombies.

Basically, Deadpool makes a poor meal for anyone eating him. His body has undergone so much change and decay that it offers no nutritional value. Despite zombies being anything but picky when it comes to their choice of food, Deadpool's foul flavor is enough to keep him from being eaten by the flesh-hungry creatures. For once, his body's toxic condition turns out to be a plus.

Marvel Comics once showed that Deadpool's DNA and the Skrulls' infamous shape-shifting abilities don't mix — at all. 

In "Deadpool" #3 (by Daniel Way, Pado Medina, Juan Vlasco, Marte Gracia, and VC's Cory Petit), Deadpool ends up in the middle of the Skrulls' takeover of Earth during the events of "Secret Invasion." In the issue, Deadpool infiltrates an alien ship and actually assists Skrull scientists in making Skrull clones of himself. However, it turns out Deadpool knew what he was doing by supplying Skrulls with his unique DNA. After being chased by a Super-Skrull, he tells the lead scientist that his copies are missing a key ingredient to being a powerhouse: a counterbalance to his healing factor.

Deadpool explains that his healing factor was specifically designed for his body by Weapon X to account for and constantly battle the cancer cells in his body. When his healing factor is put into cancer-free Skrull bodies they weren't designed for, it severely screws with their cells. As a result, the Deadpool Skrulls begin to grow hideous masses. Their transformed bodies explode, unable to handle the healing factor's natural response to cancerous cells the clones don't have. Deadpool essentially poisons a batch of genetically enhanced Skrulls that could have done major damage to Earth and its heroes. Instead of adding a phalanx of powerful Skrulls to their army, the Deadpool Skrulls all die horrible and disgusting deaths.

When Deadpool encounters Doctor Ella Whitby, he soon finds out she's obsessed with him in one of the strangest and darkest ways imaginable. In "Deadpool" #44 (by Daniel Way, Carlo Barberi, Walden Wong, Jorge Gonzalez, and VC's Joe Sabino), the Merc with a Mouth discovers Whitby has been keeping his sliced-off body parts in a freezer. Disgusted, Deadpool tosses his frozen extremities in the trash. This proves to be a massive mistake, as his actions accidentally help create Evil Deadpool.

After being tossed in the dumpster, his discarded body parts thaw and then join together due to their healing factor. The resulting patchwork Deadpool represents the darkest side of the real thing, including an appearance that's even more frightening than the original's, as even his face is built from spliced-together pieces. Evil Deadpool, who has the same powers as the true merc, tries to turn the public against Deadpool, going so far as to attempt to kill kids and blame Wade for it. Despite seemingly being killed, the doppelgänger doesn't disappear. Instead, he forms his own Evil Deadpool Corps, and the sinister group takes on the original Deadpool Corps in the "Deadpool Kills Deadpool" miniseries.

Despite supposedly dying in multiple stories, the villain continues to find ways to return to life and torment the man he came from. Ultimately, Evil Deadpool is a reminder that Wade needs to be more responsible about his lost limbs since they can merge and create one of Deadpool's greatest foes if left not properly disposed of.

In "Deadpool Annual" #1 (by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, Evan Shaner, Veronica Gandini, and VC's Joe Sabino), Deadpool finds himself in a rooftop confrontation with the mind-controlling villain, Madcap. However, when Thor and Luke Cage join the fight and the former blasts Deadpool and Madcap with a lightning strike, the pair are reduced to dust. Deadpool's body reanimates, of course, but he quickly learns that Madcap has been absorbed into his being and lives inside his head.

Madcap ends up being a voice inside Deadpool's mind, initially trying to gain control of his body while the Avengers attempt to stop the joint being. Deadpool and Madcap eventually work together to solve their predicament, getting Thor and Luke Cage to rip their shared body in half. The scene is gnarly, with blood and guts spilling everywhere as the two heroes assist in breaking the unnatural bond. The split proves successful; Deadpool's body regenerates into its usual form, and MadCap's body also grows back. One might think the pair hated merging into a single person, but the duo actually says that it was a fun experience. Still, both characters are happy to return to their normal forms, as not having complete control of their bodies, minds, and thoughts was never something either one wanted.

The Deadpool and Madcap merger shows that, under the right circumstances, Deadpool's body can merge with other healing factor-possessing beings. In its efforts to rebuild itself, Deadpool's healing factor created a new kind of hero from the pair, which is one of the strangest things his body has ever done.

Deadpool is no stranger to being decapitated. However, the rules regarding how he survives the typically fatal injury have changed over time.

In "Cable and Deadpool" #43 (by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim, Jeremy Freeman, Gotham, and Dave Sharpe), Wolverine and Wade Wilson face off, and the clawed antihero slices the Merc with a Mouth's head clean off his body. However, Wolverine makes an interesting comment about Deadpool's fate in the next issue, saying he has "twelve minutes before oxygen deprivation rots his brain." The remarks suggest Deadpool can die if not put back together, but we don't get to find out if this is true. Ultimately, Deadpool's head is returned to his body and reattaches itself before its supposed expiration date.

However, if the Evil Deadpool storyline or merger with Madcap proves anything, it's that even with his body, head, and brain being turned into ash, Deadpool is still capable of reforming. In plain words, he's effectively immortal with a powerful healing factor that allows his limbs to re-merge long after being severed. In most cases, Deadpool's head returns to him and is reattached or outright destroyed, meaning no copy (other than the piecework version Evil Deadpool has) is out there. Even if his head is sliced off or completely obliterated, it doesn't spell the end of Deadpool — it might take some time, but so far he's shown that he always survives even the deadliest encounters.