Deadpool Does Shakespeare In Shakespool, The Mercenary Of Venice

At today’s Diamond Comics Retailer Presentation at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016, Marvel Comics announced that Deadpool #21 will see the return of a deadly Deadpool villain, plus a mashup between the “Merc with a Mouth” and the “Bard of Avon.”

The main story of Deadpool #21, by the regular creative team of writer Gerry Duggan and artist Matteo Lolli, sees the return of Madcap, the villain who once merged with Deadpool after, as they both regenerated after being turned to dust by Thor’s lightning, and become the voice of a separate set of caption boxes in Deadpool’s head. Once separated, Madcap harbored a vendetta against Deadpool and looked to ruin Wade’s reputation and relationships by impersonating Deadpool and spreading chaos and death throughout New York City. In their final showdown, Madcap disintegrated himself down to a molecular level. If Mike Hawthorne’s cover of the issue is any hint, it looks like Madcap’s molecules once again bonded with Deadpool’s.

The issue also includes a 60-page story in which Deadpool inserts himself into the works of William Shakespeare. “Shakespool, The Mercenary of Venice” comes from William Shakespeare’s Star Wars author Ian Doescher and artist Bruno Oliveira, and is sure to change how you look at Shakespeare’s great plays.

“Deadpool is a fantastic Shakespearean character—someone who is sarcastic and funny and constantly breaking the fourth wall,” Doescher tells IGN. “He reminds me of some of Shakespeare’s wittiest characters: Hamlet, Benedick (from Much Ado About Nothing) and Iago (from Othello). He also has a fun mix of being essentially a comic character who finds himself—as in my story—in serious situations.”

Check out the Mike Hawthorne’s cover to Deadpool #21, along with Shakespeare variant covers by Mike Mayhew and Jane K. Lee, in the gallery below. Deadpool #21 goes on sale in comic book store and digital comic book reader apps in October 2016.