Why Deadpool always wears a mask in the comics

Deadpool is rarely seen without a mask, but he’s not a character with a secret identity or anything he keeps hidden. So why is he so insistent on keeping his mask on? 

For a character who calls himself the Merc with a Mouth, it’s odd that Deadpool is rarely seen with no mask on. The character is today well known for his iconic, bright red mask, a far cry from the early days when fans thought he looked too close to Spider-Man. 

That insistence on wearing his mask despite not having a secret identity is integral to Deadpool’s character. It’s a powerful storytelling tool that lets readers know he doesn’t want people to see his appearance. 

Everyone knows Deadpool is Wade Wilson. And everyone knows Deadpool isn’t the nicest guy in the world. So why does Deadpool always have a mask on? 

Why is Deadpool rarely seen with no mask?

Deadpool is rarely seen without a mask because his face is scarred. After learning he had cancer, Deadpool joined Weapon X, who experimented on him. The scarring is actually a reaction caused by his healing factor and his cancer

Like Wolverine, Deadpool has a powerful healing factor that can help him recover from most wounds. However, Deadpool’s healing factor is not his natural mutant ability but rather the result of Weapon X’s experimentation. 

The healing factor briefly helped but wasn’t enough to combat the cancer. As a result of the cancer reemerging and his healing factor attempting to fight it off, Deadpool has a perpetually scarred body, which he tends to keep covered. 

Has Deadpool always been scarred? 

Deadpool’s scarring didn’t appear until he was an adult, as it resulted from his artificial healing factor combating his cancer. However, Deadpool has had instances in stories when he’s not scarred, usually due to hallucinations or an enemy messing with his mind.

The most notable of this would be a period in the late ‘90s when Deadpool looked like the actor “Tom Crooz.” This was the result of a curse placed on him by Loki after Deadpool foiled a scheme to rob Thor of Mjolnir. Ironically, Deadpool hated it and was grateful when the curse was eventually removed. 

Though he was traumatized by it in early stories, Deadpool’s scarred appearance has been depicted as just a part of his life in recent years.

He’s not often depicted as ashamed of it, though he does hide it because he knows it can be unsettling. He’s also been known to use image inducers when he needs to appear in public, but most of the time, Deadpool is just Deadpool.