Deadpool’s Emoji Billboard Is So Stupid, It’s Genius

The most recent development happened Wednesday, when Patton Oswald posted a photo of a Deadpool billboard in Los Angeles with a skull emoji, poop emoji and a blocky letter L. So simple, so dumb—yet hilarious. (And no, the movie is not called Skullshittle.)

This idiotic/brilliant billboard is why I'm all in on the DEADPOOL movie. I'm an easy lay. pic.twitter.com/jSRorPvaCp

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) January 13, 2016

That followed a Deadpool tweet earlier this week showing a billboard-style ad positioning the Marvel movie as a romance flick (because it's being released around Valentine's Day).

This Valentine's Day, fall in love with #Deadpool. pic.twitter.com/ScQWrpXXmx

— Deadpool Movie (@deadpoolmovie) January 11, 2016

The movie's star, Ryan Reynolds, then posted an Instagram photo of the same image on an actual billboard, framed by Deadpool's hands making a heart shape. "In 32 days, let's cuddle the shit out of each other," he wrote in the caption. 

The tongue-in-cheek campaign has been a big hit with fans dating back to the character unveil—in that amusing Burt Reynolds/Cosmopolitan spoof—from last March. (It's well worth a look at the meta trailer as well.) 

The love-story stuff has been particularly popular, though, and has led to a number of fan-made spoofs, including the mock trailer below.