When Deadpool 2 hit theaters in 2018, one character won all of our hearts. No, not Josh Brolin as Cable (although he was pretty cool). We speak of everyday, ordinary Peter, played by character actor Rob Delaney. Peter Wisdom was just a regular guy who was looking for a job when Wade Wilson was taking applicants for his new X-Force team he was putting together. The affable Peter, who had no powers or skills to speak of, instantly won Deadpool over, and joined the squad. Sadly, he died on his first mission along with most of the team. A truly tragic cinematic moment. Luckily, he got better, and returned in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine Gives Peter a Huge Moment
Thanks to Cable’s time travel device, which Deadpool stole, Wade was able to go back in time and undo Peter’s untimely death. Six years later in Deadpool & Wolverine, on Earth-100005, Peter and Wade are co-workers at a car dealership, living an uneventful existence together selling cars. Peter still awaits the day Wade gets back in the superhero game and keeps his old uniform in his work locker.
We see that Peter is one of the people that Wade cares about most, and he attends his birthday party early in the movie. At the end of Deadpool & Wolverine, Peter shows up to the big battle with the Deadpool Corps wearing Wade’s old costume as Peterpool, and his mere presence ends the fight. It turns out, every Deadpool across the Multiverse has a Peter of their own, and they just can’t bring themselves to harm him.
The Comic Book Inspirations for Peterpool
Peter Wisdom is basically a creation of the writers of Deadpool 2, and has no real Marvel Comics counterpart. Well, except in name that is. Peter is kind of a combination of two characters by the name of Peter from Marvel Comics. One very famous, and one pretty obscure. The first one should come as no surprise.
Peterpool Is Partially Inspired by Peter Parker/Spider-Man
In the comics, Wade Wilson has a unique friendship with the Amazing Spider-Man. (And also, a bit of a crush on him it seems). When Deadpool is thinking of giving in to his darkest impulses, it’s often Peter Parker who appeals to the better angels of his nature. And Wade usually listens. Because of various rights issues, Spider-Man couldn’t be that character in the Deadpool films. So a substitute Peter had to be created. Although we sincerely hope one day (In Secret Wars perhaps?) we finally see Deadpool and the real Spidey share the screen together. The universe owes us Ryan Reynolds and Tom Holland trading quips and annoying everyone.
Peterpool’s Comic Book Namesake Is X-Men Hero Pete Wisdom
The less-famous comic book hero Peter is based on is a mutant hero from the ’90s named Pete Wisdom. He couldn’t have less in common with Deadpool & Wolverine’s Peter if he tried, outside of his name. In the comics, Pete Wisdom is a snarky, dry-witted British MI13 agent and occult expert, meant as a bit of a riff on DC’s John Constantine. Like Constantine, they often show him with a cigarette in his mouth and wearing a trenchcoat. He became involved with the British X-Men team Excalibur, and even dated Kitty Pryde for a brief time. His mutant power involved throwing energy blades, which he called his “hot knives,” from his fingertips. So in a sense, he was also a British version of Gambit. Pete Wisdom would later join X-Force, so in that sense, he has something in common with his cinematic namesake.
Peter’s Future in the MCU
Ultimately, the Peter Wisdom in the Deadpool films is his own unique creation, borrowing only superficial elements from the comics. We just know that we love Rob Delaney in the role, and wherever Deadpool goes next, we hope Peter is right behind him. We think he’d have himself a good old time on Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars when the time comes.