Rhetorical Rationale

Rhetorical Rationale:

Taking Deadpool from Research Paper to R-Rated Rhetoric This multimodal project began with a dense research paper analyzing how humor in Deadpool and Deadpool & Wolverine functions as a narrative device. It focused on three core functions of humor: navigating moral ambiguity, breaking narrative immersion through meta-humor, and desensitizing viewers to violence. The challenge, and growth opportunity, came from adapting these complex ideas into three wildly different genres: a blog post, a series of Instagram graphics, and TikTok video concepts.

My rhetorical position across all genres remained consistent: Deadpool’s use of humor is not just funny, it’s disruptive, reflective, and deeply manipulative. Each genre approached that message from a different angle, using visuals and platform norms to make the argument resonate.

Blog Post: Satire as Analysis

The satirical blog was the most direct translation of the research paper, but with a complete tone shift. Where the paper used scholarly references like Berkowitz (1970) and Potter & Warren (1998) to explore how humor masks violence, the blog used Deadpool’s own sarcastic voice to prove those theories in action. I mimicked the character’s tone to reflect the kind of fourth-wall-breaking irreverence the paper described as "meta-humor" and the “trickster effect” (Iaccino, 2017). This genre allowed me to merge theory and parody, essentially turning the research findings into a performative, genre-twisting review that invited readers to laugh and think.

Visually, the blog proposed images that mirror Deadpool’s style: comic-book colors, straightforward aesthetics, and intentionally jarring contrasts (e.g., hyper-violence with joke captions). These visuals weren’t just decorative, they extended the blog’s rhetorical position by recreating the tonal dissonance the research paper said made the violence feel less serious. It was me trying, as a rookie, to show that visuals can act as rhetorical arguments too.

Instagram Posts:

Making Theory Swipeable Turning research into Instagram posts was the hardest, and maybe most rewarding, challenge. The goal was to condense deep theoretical claims into visual jokes, charts, or quotes that someone could absorb in seconds. For example, one post centered around “Comedic Violence Camouflage, a simplified, graphic interpretation of Potter & Warren’s (1998) argument that humor masks brutality. Another ranked superheroes by their “trauma and sass,” blending psychological theory with meme logic. Here, the visuals were the argument.

Bright red and black palettes echoed Deadpool’s costume and film aesthetic. Text overlays mimicked movie posters, pulling the scholarly into the absurd. These visuals were rhetorical tools, ways to imply critique through parody. And as someone just learning how to design rhetorically, this genre taught me that visuals can do more than decorate, they can provoke thought just as powerfully as text.

TikTok Videos: Humor in Motion

TikTok gave me a chance to experiment with performance as rhetoric. Instead of quoting the research, the TikToks embody it. One concept was “Deadpool Review Theory,” using parody lectures to explain how meta-humor changes how we see violence. Another video ranked heroes by emotional damage, repeating the paper’s argument about moral ambiguity and likability (King, 2000). These videos weren’t just informative, they were performative reenactments of the exact psychological processes the research analyzed. (posted throughout the TikTok page)

Visual humor here meant everything: over-the-top acting, sound effects, green screen chaos. The goal wasn’t to explain theories, it was to let people feel how Deadpool’s chaotic voice reframes violence as comedy. I learned that when attention spans are short, rhetorical visuals need to work, but I am a beginner, so this may not have hit the mark. And as a rookie creator, that meant failing fast, rewriting again, and attempting to edit in the rhetoric also.

Final Reflection

In every genre, I tried to keep the heart of the research alive: Deadpool’s humor is a tool for subverting genre, ethics, and emotion. I learned that changing mediums means changing methods, but the message can still survive. Whether it’s a sarcastic blog, an infographic about murder psychology, or a TikTok with strange theories, each format taught me how to make the message louder, messier, and more engaging. And though I still feel like a rookie, this process proved that even complex research can thrive in unexpected places, as long as you’re willing to laugh, adapt, and keep breaking the fourth wall. (whew)