Deadpool - Powers and Abilities

Powers and Abilities

Deadpool's primary power is an accelerated healing factor, depicted by various writers with differing levels of efficiency. Artificially endowed by the Weapon X program, this enables him to regenerate any destroyed tissue at a super-human rate as well as making him immune to all known diseases. An unanticipated side effect was an acceleration of the cancerous tumors he was suffering from at the time, causing them to quickly spread across his entire body. Because of this, his healing factor super charged his cancer, resulting in massive scar tissue causing his appearance to be severely disfigured.

Deadpool's brain cells are similarly affected, with dying brain cells being rejuvenated at a super accelerated rate. This allows Deadpool to recover from any and all head wounds, and it renders him nearly invulnerable to psychic and telepathic powers, as the altered or damaged brain cells quickly regenerate to their original state. It is also the cause of his psychosis and mental instability. It is sometimes implied that his healing factor merely bolstered and exacerbated an underlining mental issue, as a young Wade Wilson was shown as a withdrawn, disturbed young kid caught in his zany daydreams and, upon losing his healing factor, Deadpool didn't regain his sanity. Deadpool's healing factor is strong enough that he has previously survived complete incineration and decapitation more than once, though his head had to be reunited with his body to heal the wound. Unlike Wolverine’s natural healing factor, Deadpool’s is mentally driven. Similar to Wolverine, his healing factor also affects his physical attributes by increasing them to superhuman levels. Though in earlier years he also had super-human strength, that detail has apparently been forgotten. Deadpool's body is highly resistant to most drugs and toxins. For example, it is extremely difficult for him to become intoxicated. He can, however, be affected by certain drugs such as tranquilizers, if he is exposed to a massive enough dosage. Deadpool's healing factor also slows the aging process. He is still alive 800 years in the future when the new X-Force encountered him.

Aside from his physical advantages, Deadpool is a superb assassin and mercenary, versed in multiple forms of martial arts, and an expert swordsman and marksman. It is thought that while his psychosis and dissociative identity disorder is a handicap, it is also one of his attributes as it makes him an extremely unpredictable opponent. Taskmaster (who has photo-reflexive memory which allows him to copy anyone's fighting skills by observation) was unable to defeat Deadpool due to his chaotic and improvised fighting style. Taskmaster has also stated that Deadpool is an expert at distracting his opponents. Over the years, Deadpool has owned a number of personal teleportation devices. Also, during Deadpool's first ongoing comic, he possessed a device which projected holographic disguises, allowing him to go undercover or conceal his appearance. In addition, Deadpool is multilingual and can speak German, Spanish, and Japanese. Occasionally, Deadpool has also been shown as having a magic satchel, often pulling weapons out of nowhere.