Discuss the different ways that men have been represented in Deadpool and one other text we have studied.

Include: elements of historical representation in that genre; example of  Deadpool breaking the fourth wall; audience theories, narrative theories and theories of genre.

Men are represented in multiple different ways throughout Deadpool. Deadpool himself subverts what is expected of a classic 'superhero'. He does this through his childish and crude humour which leads to the element of mystery which usually surrounds a superhero to be removed.This directly subverts the actions of more traditional heroes such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman who treat their heroism as a second career and maintain a certain level of professionalism. Deadpool's subversion of these stereotypes creates a distinctly different character as opposed to more conventional superheroes. This is well received by the audience as it shows them something new and creates an interesting dynamic within the superhero film world.

Deadpool subverts these superhero conventions further by continuously breaking the fourth wall throughout the entire film. When Deadpool breaks the fourth wall by addressing the viewer this again reinforces him subverting the conventional superhero. This is because most superheroes don't break the fourth wall at all whereas Deadpool repeatedly does so. Breaking the fourth wall is an extremely effective device for including the viewer in the narrative this is especially important in Deadpool as it is an experimental take on the tried and tested superhero theme. The breaking of the fourth wall shows Deadpools character to be personal and open which is a positive representation of men.

Stuart Hall claimed that media texts go through stages of encoding and decoding. This theory states that media texts are encoded by the producer for example the humourous lines said by Wade Wilson"Whose kitty litter did I just shit in?". This line leads the viewer to see men as funny and confident which would the decoded message from the scene. However as the theory states it can be interpreted differently by different audiences so some audience members may find this line to represent the vulgarity and carelessness of men which would be a negative connotation.

As previously stated the humourous element of Deadpool subverts what is usually expected from a film in the superhero genre this is compliant with Steve Neale's genre theory which says that "genres are instances of repetition and difference". The Marvel studios choice to do this leads to the representation of Wade Wilson and Deadpool as an exaggerated version of most male stereotypes i.e.