Deadpool’s Killogy as Philosophy: The Metaphysics of a Homicidal Journey Through Possible Worlds

What if the Merc with a Mouth was sent to a psychiatric institution with the intent of helping him, but what came out was something even more disturbing? This is the basic plotline of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe where Deadpool, well, kills all the characters who make up the Marvel Universe in order to save them from a fate worse than death. Under the gory surface of this story are substantive philosophical questions about the nature of reality, the place we inhabit in it, and the meaning of our seemingly absurd existence. This chapter explores the nature of possibility and the arguments for cashing out the notion of alternate realities in terms of possible worlds.