What do you do when you have a decidedly unconventional superhero story to sell? How do you appeal to the masses when your titular character is a complicated, wisecracking, and occasionally downright unsympathetic anti-hero? Do you soften his edges, tone down his more extreme personality traits, and hope he'll win over the movie audience? Do you lean towards conventional storytelling, relying on old comic standbys? Absolutely not; you embrace his flaws and instead use them to create one of the most original, insane, and endlessly entertaining movie marketing campaigns in recent history.

Yes, friends, Deadpool is finally upon us, and we couldn't be more excited. Here's why the marketing for Ryan Reynolds' highly anticipated film is perfectly in sync with the singular main character himself--and why you should run to theaters this weekend to get a glimpse of the madness yourself.

It's Meta

Deadpool is unique among comic characters: he actually knows he's in a comic. This often leads to him directly addressing readers with a quip or explanation (and in some more extreme cases, going after comic creators themselves for all the pain they've caused him). Wade Wilson (as Deadpool is know when he's not kicking butt and causing mayhem) is a devoted and intense fan of The Golden Girls; so what better way to review his new movie than with some encouraging words from Betty White herself?

It's Hilarious (Even When Things Get Dark)

Deadpool is one of the funniest (and in some cases most tragic) heroes in the entire Marvel canon. But no matter how bad things get (and they can get really sinister), Wade keeps a sense of humor about him. Maybe that's part of the reason Reynolds is so devoted to the character, and why he spent 11 years fighting to get this movie made. Whatever the reasons, the campaign has been a delightfully depraved experiment in how far you can push advertising boundaries. They even capitalized on the Valentine's Day Weekend release date with posters showing the sweeter side of Wade Wilson.

And who says romance is dead?

It's Not For Kids

We can all agree that comics and the comic universe are no longer considered exclusively the realm of kids. And if you had any doubts there, Deadpool is here to bring the message home: the film has a hard R rating and doesn't apologize for its raunchy, obscene, and wonderfully violent tone. Fans who were worried that Deadpool would get a softer, gentler release can breathe a sigh of relief: this is the sassy and subversive Merc With A Mouth that we all know and love.


It's Insane (And That's A Compliment)

Look, many people love Deadpool. But he's not the most stable of comic book characters (and that's saying something). Instead of trying to downplay this major character trait, the marketing campaign embraced it. Why else would there be Deadpool emojis? There is an actual Deadpool Tinder that really exists in real life. And who could ever forget the time Deadpool directly addressed his fans, with a serious message about their health (no, really):

Deadpool may not be the hero we deserve, but he's definitely the one we've been waiting for; and if the marketing campaign is any sign, the movie is going to be a singular and insanely good time (chimichangas not included).

Tags: Deadpool deadpool marketing deadpool viral marketing Marvel Comics Ryan Reynolds comics Betty White