Superhero movies take a lot of liberty with their source material, and Deadpool is no different. With the two—soon to be three—Deadpool films arguably having more of an influence on the public perception of the character than any comic book, any fan would be forgiven for assuming that Deadpool is a mutant. The thing is, he’s not, though.

Deadpool Isn’t A Mutant

Deadpool, much like Juggernaut, is mostly known for his connection to the X-Men universe. As a direct result, both characters are often confused for mutants when they aren’t any such thing.

Juggernaut gets his powers from a magical gem, and Deadpool gets his powers through torturous experimentation.

Yes, the character gets his healing powers after being tortured and experimented on in the films as well, but it’s different. The torture in Deadpool (2016) is supposedly awakening Wade Wilson’s X-gene, which is the defining characteristic of mutants in Marvel Comics.

See, for Deadpool to be a mutant, he has to have been born with the X-gene, which he is in the movies. It’s just latent for some reason.

Deadpool’s Powers Come From Wolverine

Comic book Deadpool, on the other hand, was not born with even the latent potential for superpowers. The comic book Deadpool actually gets his healing factor from Wolverine, so while he isn’t technically a mutant, he does still have a “mutant” power.

Confused? Welcome to the world of comic books! Comic Wade volunteered for an experimental treatment in hopes of curing his cancer—just like in the movie.

However, Comic Wade was then injected with Wolverine’s DNA, essentially giving him a clone of Logan’s healing factor. The torture is still there as well, but it’s just because the guys doing the experiment were jerks and not because they’re trying to activate his X-gene.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

So, wait a minute, that means the X-Men Origins: Wolverine actually had the more comic book-accurate Deadpool? Not exactly. The part where Wade Wilson is given a bunch of powers stolen from other mutants is more accurate. Everything else in the movie however, is an abomination and should have never been committed to film.

Deadpool is A Mutate

If Deadpool isn’t a mutant, what is he? Deadpool is actually what Marvel likes to call a “human-mutate.” Being a mutate just means that a character gets their powers from an outside source instead of being born with them. Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and the Hulk are all mutates.

Ironically, Deadpool often claims to be a mutant, usually earning the ire of any real mutants within earshot. He has also been mistaken by other characters as a mutant, probably again due to his close relationship with Wolverine and several other X-Men.

The version of Deadpool from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe was so far from being a mutant that he was actually the cyborg leader of the Reavers, a group whose job is to hunt down and kill mutants.

Marvel Could Always Make Him A Mutant

Comic book continuity is always being retconned, so there’s always a chance Marvel Comics could change Deadpool’s origin to make it more in line with the movies. After all, they’ve done it before. Quicksilver and the Scarlett Witch had their mutanthood revoked in the comics, only to be revealed to have been Inhumans all along. Until that happens, though, Deadpool will remain a mutate and not a mutant.