When it comes to breaking the fourth wall or addressing the audience directly, two major franchises come to mind -- children's shows and Deadpool. The Merc with a Mouth is well known by all for his fourth wall destruction. When he made it to films, fans were thrilled that this feature of his character wasn't left out. But when it comes to fourth wall breaks, Dora the Explorer might edge out Wade Wilson.
While addressing the audience is a staple of nearly every kid's show, especially those trying to be educational, Dora might be one of TV's most notorious examples. Deadpool took a while to get to screens, and in comparison, Dora has been talking to home-bound mini-humans since 2000. Considering Deadpool's timeline, Dora may have beaten the assassin to the punch.
Dora the Explorer started speaking directly to kids on August 14, 2000. The show became wildly successful and ran for several years. One of the biggest features of the show was the times when Dora would ask its viewers what to do next. As a simulated game, Dora asked the kids watching to help her solve puzzles and find the answers to mysteries.
Deadpool hit theaters on February 12, 2016 -- a full sixteen years later. But this was hardly Deadpool's first time breaking the fourth wall. In the comics, Deadpool started this "in" joke in issue #28. While he did start off more serious at first, the creators decided to slowly up his humor until he was the Deadpool we recognize today, including several references to other universes like DC.
When he started breaking the fourth wall, Deadpool was hanging out with Bullseye. As Bullseye asks how long it's been since they've seen each other, Deadpool comments that it's been sixteen issues since they were in Greece together. It's a simple one-liner that would set the trend for years of addressing the fans in some of the most amusing ways. That issue came out in 1999. So, Deadpool broke the wall in the comics a full year before Dora was on the air.
By Deadpool Issue #33, the Merc fully breaks the fourth wall with more than a simple one-off. As a scientist tortures him, Deadpool reflects on how none of the events are actually happening. They're just words a person is typing out. Similar to these words. Headache, anyone?
While none of Deadpool's friends believe him in the comics and, in many cases, think he's crazy (he's certainly given them a reason to think so), in the world of Dora the Explorer, the breaks are never acknowledged. The easier explanation of being in a computer game is all that the audience needs. It was made for children, after all.
Even if the Deadpool film can't claim to be the first on-screen depiction of a fourth wall break, it can definitely say that it's one of the most irreverently violent. Plus, there's one thing that Dora can never claim to have done -- and that's "a fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break." Sixteen walls indeed.
Source: Trendz OH
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