Deadpool was one of the most unusual heroes in the entire Marvel multiverse.
His uniqueness didn't come from immortality. After all, several characters in Marvel possessed some form of that ability. Hulk, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider all had versions of regenerative or near-immortal bodies.
What made Deadpool truly special was something else entirely.
He was aware of the Marvel universe as fiction.
Deadpool could break the "fourth wall," meaning he knew he existed inside comics, movies, and animated shows. Not only that, he could even talk directly to the writers and editors at Marvel, complaining to them or casually chatting like they were old acquaintances.
"Stan Lee? Of course I know him," Ethan said with a laugh. "He created Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America… pretty much half the Marvel universe. But you weren't created by him. You were created by an artist named Rob Liefeld."
"Don't mention Liefeld's name to me!"
Deadpool immediately exploded in protest.
"If it weren't for that guy, I wouldn't look this ugly!" he complained loudly. "He promised to draw me a beautiful girlfriend too. I'm still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled!"
Deadpool began rambling non-stop.
Ethan could only wipe imaginary sweat from his forehead. The guy's brain clearly operated on a completely different frequency than normal humans.
Anyone else would have immediately asked why Ethan knew all of that information. Deadpool, on the other hand, seemed far more interested in complaining about comic book artists.
Finally, Ethan had no choice but to interrupt.
"Wade," he said, "aren't you curious why I know all this?"
"Huh?"
Deadpool paused for a moment.
"Yeah, wait… how do you know all that?"
But before Ethan could answer, Deadpool continued talking again without hesitation.
"You know, the last time I told little Spider-Man that he was just a comic book character, he actually told me to go see a psychiatrist," Deadpool said. "Seriously. Do I really look that crazy? Sometimes I think my life is really tragic."
Ethan stared at him in silence.
Now he was completely certain.
Deadpool truly didn't care how Ethan knew all that information.
Besides that, the guy was genuinely insane.
"Wade," Ethan suddenly asked with a smile, "do you like money?"
Deadpool froze instantly.
Ethan knew this was Deadpool's biggest weakness. Wade Wilson loved money more than almost anything else. In fact, he even carried around what was essentially a fourth-dimensional storage pocket filled with stacks of cash and strange weapons.
The moment he heard the word "money," Deadpool stopped talking immediately.
"Money?" Deadpool said excitedly. "Baby, I love money. If you pay me enough, I'll kill anyone you want."
He paused dramatically.
"Hell, if you pay me enough, I'll even kill myself!"
Ethan almost rolled his eyes.
Kill himself?
That wasn't exactly impressive when the guy couldn't stay dead.
If Deadpool were chopped into pieces, he'd just regenerate eventually. At worst, it would be like sending him on a short vacation to chat with Death for a while before coming back.
"I don't want you to kill anyone," Ethan said calmly.
Deadpool tilted his head.
"Then what do you want?"
Ethan smiled.
"I remember you can break the fourth wall and talk to Marvel's editors and artists," he said. "I'm curious about something. Could you chat with them and ask them to send me fifty million dollars?"
Ethan was genuinely curious.
If Deadpool could break the fourth wall and communicate with beings outside the universe, then maybe that other side really was the universe Ethan originally came from.
If that were true, things would become extremely interesting.
After all, there had once been a comic storyline where Deadpool literally slaughtered the Marvel editorial office before eventually traveling back through time again.
"Fifty million dollars?!"
Deadpool's eyes instantly turned into giant dollar signs.
Ethan almost laughed.
This reaction was practically a superpower of its own.
"Yes," Ethan confirmed. "Fifty million dollars."
"No problem!" Deadpool said immediately. "But I want cash."
"Deal."
Ethan gestured toward the car.
"Come with me and I'll prepare the cash."
Deadpool climbed into the car without hesitation. By the time he sat down, his injuries had already completely healed thanks to his regeneration.
Although most of Ethan's recent profits came from Stark Industries dividends over the past few years, fifty million dollars was still easily within his reach.
But just as Ethan started the car, Deadpool suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Uh…"
"Is there a problem?" Ethan asked.
"Well… my ability is a little unstable," Deadpool admitted awkwardly. "Sometimes I can break the fourth wall several times a day. Other times it might take days before it happens. Occasionally it even takes months."
He sighed deeply.
Deadpool loved money more than anything. The idea of missing out on fifty million dollars was practically torture.
Ethan rubbed his forehead.
He hadn't expected Deadpool's ability to be just as unreliable as his mental stability.
After thinking for a moment, Ethan made another proposal.
"How about this," he said. "You stay with me. Whenever you break the fourth wall, I'll pay you the fifty million."
Deadpool hesitated.
"But I still need to earn money in the meantime," he complained reluctantly.
Ethan almost cursed out loud.
The guy's obsession with money had clearly reached a clinical level.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan made a final offer.
"I'll pay you one hundred thousand dollars per day."
"Deal!"
Deadpool agreed instantly without the slightest hesitation.
"Boss, where are we going now?" Deadpool asked excitedly as the car began moving. "Are we killing someone? I can do anything, but you'll need to pay extra. Since you know Liefeld, you must know how fast my swords are—"
"Shut up!" Ethan snapped. "Say one more word and I'll sew your mouth shut."
Deadpool gasped dramatically.
"Sew my mouth shut? That reminds me of the X-Men universe. In that timeline my mouth actually got sewn shut! Oh, and by the way, I recently starred in my own movie. Did you know that? The actor who plays me is named Ryan Reynolds. He's the same guy who played—"
"Keep talking and I deduct money."
Deadpool immediately fell silent.
A week passed.
During that entire time, Deadpool failed to break the fourth wall even once.
Deadpool didn't seem worried.
After all, he was earning one hundred thousand dollars every day without doing any work.
Ethan wasn't worried either. One hundred thousand dollars per day only amounted to about thirty-six million dollars per year.
For someone whose net worth had already reached tens of billions, that amount was practically pocket change.
However, Pietro was having a completely different experience.
Because Ethan had allowed Deadpool to move into the villa, Pietro had been forced to listen to Deadpool's endless rambling for an entire week.
By the end of those seven days, Pietro was very close to punching Deadpool in the face just to make him stop talking.
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