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Deadpool is a character appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...
'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is initially depicted as a
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
of the
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...
and X-Force, though later stories would portray him as an
antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
. Deadpool is the
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
of Wade Wilson, a disfigured Canadian
mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...
with
superhuman The term superhuman refers to humans, humanoids or other beings with abilities and other qualities that exceed those naturally found in humans. These qualities may be acquired through natural ability, self-actualization or technological aids. ...
regenerative healing abilities. Originally created as a parody of the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
villain
Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
(Slade Wilson), the character was an instant success with readers, becoming a
breakout character A breakout character is a character (arts), character in Serial (literature), serial fiction, especially a member of an ensemble cast, who becomes much more prominent, popular, discussed, or imitated than expected by the creators. A breakout c ...
in the ''X-Men'' books, quickly developing a distinctive backstory and earning his own series and a joint book alongside the character
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
with whom he is frequently paired. Part of the reason for his popularity is his tendency to joke incessantly and break the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
for humorous effect. The character's popularity has seen him featured in numerous other media outlets. In the 2004 series ''
Cable & Deadpool ''Cable & Deadpool'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable (comics), Cable and Deadpool (comics), Deadpool, share the book's focus. The series was launched following the cancellation of ...
'', he refers to his own scarred appearance as " Ryan Renolds crossed with a Shar Pei". Reynolds developed an interest in portraying the character after reading the comic, which was ultimately realized in the ''X-Men'' film series, including '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009), '' Deadpool'' (2016), and its sequels ''
Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. It is the sequel to ''Deadpool (film), Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film series. The film wa ...
'' (2018) and
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
's '' Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024).


Publication history


1990s

Created by artist/writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool made his first appearance on the pages of ''
The New Mutants The New Mutants may refer to: *''New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teena ...
'' #98 cover-dated Feb. 1991. According to Nicieza, Liefeld came up with the character's visual design and name, and Nicieza himself came up with the character's speech mannerisms. Liefeld's favorite comic title before ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' was '' Avengers'', which featured weapons like
Captain America's shield Captain America's shield is a fictional item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by Captain America, and is intended to be an emblem of American culture. ...
, Thor's hammer and Hawkeye's bow and arrow. Because of this, he also decided to give weapons to his new characters. Liefeld, a fan of the ''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' comics, showed his new character to then-writer Fabian Nicieza. Upon seeing the costume and noting his characteristics (killer with super agility), Nicieza contacted Liefeld, saying, "This is
Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
from Teen Titans". Nicieza gave Deadpool the real name of "Wade Wilson" as an inside-joke to being "related" to "Slade Wilson", Deathstroke."Classic Marvel Figurine Collection" #56. Liefeld spoke on how the character was influenced by Spider-Man: "The simplicity of the mask was my absolute jealousy over Spider-Man and the fact that both of my buddies, ellow Marvel artists Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane, would tell me, 'I love drawing Spider-Man. You just do an oval and two big eyes. You’re in, you’re out.' ... The Spider-Man I grew up with would make fun of you or punch you in the face and make small cracks. That was the entire intent with Deadpool. ... I specifically told Marvel, 'He's
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
, except with guns and swords.' The idea was, he's a jackass." Other inspirations were
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
and Snake Eyes. Liefeld states: "Wolverine and Spider-Man were the two properties I was competing with at all times. I didn't have those, I didn't have access to those. I had to make my own Spider-Man and Wolverine. That's what
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
and Deadpool were meant to be, my own Spider-Man and my own Wolverine." "''G.I. Joe'' was my first obsession. Those were the toys in the sandbox with me, kung fu grip, eagle eye, I had them all. ''G.I. Joe'' is a world of characters that I have always aspired to participate in. Snake Eyes was a profound influence on my creating Deadpool." Both Deadpool and Cable were also meant to be tied into Wolverine's history already from the start, as Liefeld describes: "Wolverine was my guy. If I could tie anything into Wolverine, I was winning." Like Wolverine, Deadpool is (or is thought to be) Canadian. The original story had him joining the Weapon X program after being kicked out of the U.S. Army Special Forces and given an artificial healing factor based on Wolverine's, thanks to Dr. Emrys Killebrew, one of the head scientists. In his first appearance, Deadpool is hired by Tolliver to attack Cable and the
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...
. After subsequently appearing in '' X-Force'' as a recurring character, Deadpool began making guest appearances in a number of different Marvel Comics titles, such as '' The Avengers'', '' Daredevil'', and ''
Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...
''. In 1993, the character received his own
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
, titled ''The Circle Chase'', written by Fabian Nicieza and pencilled by
Joe Madureira Joe Madureira (; born December 1974), often called Joe Mad,Smith, Andrew (May 3, 2002). "Canceled Comics Cavalcade Catch-up". ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1485. p. 38 is an American comic book artist and game developer, best known for his work on ''D ...
. It was a relative success and Deadpool starred in a second, self-titled miniseries written in 1994 by Mark Waid, pencilled by
Ian Churchill Ian Churchill (born 1969) is a British comic book artist, who has mostly worked in the American comic book industry. Career Churchill's early work included stints on ''Supergirl (comic book), Supergirl'', ''Uncanny X-Men'' as well as the ''Deadp ...
, and inked by Jason Temujin Minor and Bud LaRosa. Waid later commented, "Frankly, if I'd known Deadpool was such a creep when I agreed to write the mini-series, I wouldn't have done it. Someone who hasn't paid for their crimes presents a problem for me." In 1997, Deadpool was given his own ongoing title, the first volume of '' Deadpool'', written by sequentially Joe Kelly, Christopher Priest and Gail Simone. ''Deadpool'' became an action comedy parody of the cosmic drama, antihero-heavy comics of the time. The series firmly established his supporting cast, including his prisoner/den mother Blind Al and his best friend Weasel. The ongoing series gained cult popularity for its unorthodox main character, its balance of angst and pop culture
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
and the character became less of a villain, though the element of his moral ambiguity remained.


2000s

''Deadpool'' lasted until issue #69, at which point it was relaunched as a new title with a similar character called '' Agent X'' in 2002. This occurred during a line-wide revamp of X-Men-related comics, with ''
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
'' becoming '' Soldier X'' and '' X-Force'' becoming '' X-Statix''. It appeared that Deadpool was killed in an explosion fighting the supervillain
Black Swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large Anatidae, waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent ...
. Deadpool's manager Sandi Brandenberg later founded Agency X with a mysterious man called Alex Hayden, who took the name dubbed Agent X. Deadpool later returned to the series, which would conclude with issues 13–15. Deadpool's next starring appearance came in 2004, with the launch of ''
Cable & Deadpool ''Cable & Deadpool'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable (comics), Cable and Deadpool (comics), Deadpool, share the book's focus. The series was launched following the cancellation of ...
'' written by Fabian Nicieza, where Deadpool became partnered with his former enemy,
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
, teaming up in various adventures. This title was canceled with issue #50 and replaced by a new ''
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
'' series in March 2008. Deadpool then appeared briefly in the '' Wolverine: Origins'' title by writer Daniel Way before Way and Paco Medina launched another ''Deadpool'' title in September 2008. Medina was the main series artist, with Carlo Barberi filling in on the first issue after the " Secret Invasion" tie-in.Richards, Dave (October 16, 2008)
"Merc with a Mouth to Feed: Daniel Way Talks Deadpool"
Comic Book Resources.
A new ''Deadpool''
ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...
began as a '' Secret Invasion'' tie-in. In the first arc, the character is seen working with Nick Fury to steal data on how to kill the Skrull queen Veranke.
Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...
steals the information that Deadpool had stolen from the Skrulls, and subsequent stories deal with the fallout from that. The story also sees the return of Bob, Agent of HYDRA. This all led directly to a confrontation with the new Thunderbolts in "Magnum Opus" which crossed over between ''Deadpool'' vol. 2 #8–9 and ''Thunderbolts'' #130–131. In ''Deadpool'' #15, Deadpool decides to become a hero resulting in conflicts with proper heroes like
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
(who he had recently encountered in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' #611 as part of " The Gauntlet") and leading to a 3-issue arc where he takes on Hit-Monkey, a character who debuted in the same month in a digital, then-print, one-shot. Another ongoing Deadpool series, ''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth'', launched in July 2009, written by Victor Gischler, with art by Bong Dazo. In it Deadpool teams with Headpool from '' Marvel Zombies 3'' and '' 4''. A special anniversary issue titled ''Deadpool'' #900 was released in October 2009. A third Deadpool ongoing series, ''Deadpool Team-Up'', launched in November 2009 (with issue numbers counting in reverse starting with issue #899), written by Fred Van Lente, with art by Dalibor Talajic. This series features Deadpool teaming up with different heroes from the Marvel Universe in each issue, such as
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
. Deadpool also joined the cast of the new ''
Uncanny X-Force ''Uncanny X-Force'' was a comic book ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opeña, the first volume of the series continued the story of Wolverine (character), Wolverine and his X-Force team f ...
'' team.


2010s

Another Deadpool series by Gischler titled ''Deadpool Corps'' was released in April 2010. Besides Deadpool himself, this series featured alternate versions of Deadpool, including a female version of himself named Wanda Wilson / Lady Deadpool (who debuted in ''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth'' #7), Headpool (the '' Marvel Zombies'' universe incarnation, now reduced to a severed head), and two new characters; Kidpool, a child, and Dogpool, a dog. The series lasted twelve issues. Marvel also published ''Deadpool'' titles through the Marvel Knights and MAX imprints: ''Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War'', by Duane Swierczynski and Jason Pearson, and ''Deadpool MAX'' by David Lapham and Kyle Baker. Deadpool vol. 2 was written by Daniel Way and drawn by Alé Garza. In the story arc "DEAD", Wade is "cured" of his healing ability and becomes mortal. As a side effect, he also has his old, unscarred face once again. Although he spent the majority of the story arc looking forward to dying, he suppresses his desires in order to protect his friend and sidekick Hydra Bob. After he loses his healing factor, Wilson claims he felt "more alive than ever." However, after a harsh beating from Intelligencia, Wade realized that he had let his ability to heal compensate for skill so he decided to ask for help from Taskmaster in training. Taskmaster asked Wilson to help him steal Pym Particles from S.H.I.E.L.D., but actually, he allowed Black Box to study Wade in order to prepare his vengeance against Wilson, even letting him know Deadpool lost his healing factor. Wade managed to defeat Black Box, Black Tom and Black Swan, but in the process, his face was burned and disfigured again. Former FBI agent Allison Kemp wanted to get revenge on Deadpool because of his involvement in an accident which left her in a wheelchair, and she called other enemies of Deadpool such as T-Ray and Slayback and trained them to kill Deadpool. Deadpool infiltrated their base and managed to get T-Ray and Slayback killed when Kemp was about to kill herself in an explosion which would kill Wade in the process, he convinced her not to attack him. At that moment, he was surprised by the returned Evil Deadpool, who informed Wade that the serum they took was not permanent, which was why Wade's face did not heal or a finger he lost grew back, so Wade would return after Evil Deadpool shot him. Daniel Way's Deadpool series concluded with issue 63. As part of Marvel's Marvel NOW! initiative, a new ''Deadpool'' ongoing series was launched. He is also a member of the Thunderbolts. In the 27th issue of his new series, as part of "All-New Marvel NOW!", Deadpool was married for the third time. Initially a secret, his bride was revealed in the webcomic ''Deadpool: The Gauntlet'' to be Shiklah, Queen of the Undead. Deadpool also discovers that he has a daughter, Eleanor, from a former flame named Carmelita.''Deadpool'' #19. Marvel Comics. During the events of "
Original Sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
", it was revealed that Deadpool was tricked into killing his parents by a scientist known as Butler (who abducted Eleanor and gave her to his brother); however, Deadpool does not know about it. Much later, he clashed with Carnage, believing the universe was telling the latter to defeat him. After several fights and getting torn to pieces, Deadpool bonds with four symbiotes:
Riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
, Phage, Lasher and Agony. Playing mind games, Deadpool tricked Shriek by using his shapeshifting abilities to make her disoriented and having her flee. After the symbiotic Deadpool and Carnage fought again, Deadpool captures Shriek and forces her to impersonate himself, making it trick Carnage into almost killing her in the process. Feeling broken after a mental breakdown, Carnage allowed himself to be arrested and was placed in an unlocked cell. While sitting in the cell until he was his own self, Carnage swore vengeance on Deadpool. Deadpool, after defeating Carnage, gives the four symbiotes to a war dog who helped Deadpool fight Carnage to deliver them to the government. During the "
AXIS An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
" storyline, Deadpool appears as a member of Magneto's unnamed supervillain group during the fight against Red Skull's Red Onslaught form. The group of villains becomes inverted to heroes, after a spell cast by Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom. This group was later named the Astonishing Avengers. This Deadpool, referred to as "Zenpool", was pivotal in turning Apocalypse to fighting the Inverted Avengers. Deadpool's death occurs in ''Deadpool'' #250. Deadpool faces off in a final showdown with
ULTIMATUM An ; ; : ultimata or ultimatums) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a coercion, threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the ...
and Flag-Smasher, killing all of them, and gives up the "Deadpool" identity, wishing to have a better life. He, along with his family and friends, are all killed when the Earth collides with an alternate universe's Earth. Deadpool laments that the Secret Wars should have stayed an Avengers event, but then dies at peace, content that everybody else is dying with him.


All New, All Different Marvel

Eight months after the events of ''Secret Wars'' and the restoration of Earth, Deadpool is seen working for Steve Rogers. After stealing some potentially life-saving chemicals needed by an ailing Rogue, he is offered membership in the Avengers Unity Squad. ''Deadpool'' Vol. 4 began in 2016. In the course of the following months, Deadpool's popularity skyrocketed after the mercenary Solo impersonated him to piggyback on Deadpool's reputation and take jobs at a higher pay rate. One of Solo's jobs in Washington, D.C. had Deadpool's public opinion drastically change for the better when he saved an ambassador from his telepathically manipulated agents. After learning of Solo's impersonation, Deadpool came up with the idea to form a group of mercenaries called the Mercs for Money to extend his reach across the globe. However, Deadpool's newfound popularity forced him to leave his family behind, fearing his enemies could endanger them. Deadpool additionally joined the Avengers Unity Division and used his popularity as a means of funding the team, with the profit from the merchandise. Madcap additionally returned to Deadpool's life, though Wade was unaware his experience inside his mind left Madcap emotionally damaged and vengeful. Madcap initially posed as an ally, joining the Mercs for Money, but eventually showed his true intentions after he was discovered impersonating Deadpool to defame and threaten his loved ones. Seeing as he had had enough fun, Madcap used an alien weapon to molecularly disintegrate himself. For his second coming, the villain had Deadpool unwittingly become the carrier of a deadly airborne virus with which he infected his family. Wade found a cure, though had to resort to Cable's evil clone Stryfe to find it. Around this time, tensions between Shiklah's domain and the surface world sparked an invasion of Manhattan from Monster Metropolis, which in turn led to Shiklah divorcing Deadpool, opting to return to Dracula instead. Not long after Wade joined the Avengers Unity Division, the real Steve Rogers was secretly supplanted by an evil fascist counterpart from another timeline that operated as a Hydra sleeper agent within the superhero community. When Phil Coulson became suspicious of Steve, Rogers convinced Deadpool to kill him, claiming that Coulson had gone rogue. A short time afterward, Captain America's machinations resulted in Hydra rising to power, taking over the United States of America. When Hydra's conquest had barely begun, Preston found out about Coulson's death and confronted Deadpool about it. The fight ended in Preston's death. As Hydra's empire grew stronger, Wade joined its own version of the Avengers out of blind loyalty for Captain America. Plagued by guilt, Wade held back when tasked with hunting down the rebel alliance known as the Underground and eventually helped, behind the scenes, to lay part of the foundation of Hydra's eventual defeat. With his mistakes costing the lives of two of his friends, the love of his daughter, and any respect the world had for him, Deadpool turned his back on what little remained of the life he had built. In ''Deadpool'' (vol. 9), Deadpool adopts Princess, a symbiote and clone of Carnage who takes a hyena-like form.


Characterization


Personality

Deadpool is aware that he is a fictional comic book character. He commonly breaks the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
, which is done by few other characters in the
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
, and this is used to humorous effect, for instance, by having Deadpool converse with his own "inner monologue", represented by caption boxes. In stories by writer Daniel Way between 2008 and 2012, Deadpool was, without explanation, shown to have developed a second "voice in his head", represented by a second set of captions with a different font; ''Deadpool'' vol. 3 Annual #1 (2014) would retroactively explain that this voice belonged to Madcap, a psychotic
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
villain, who had become molecularly entangled with Deadpool. The character's back-story has been presented as vague and subject to change, and within the narrative, he is unable to remember his personal history due to a mental condition. Whether or not his name was even Wade Wilson is subject to speculation since one of his nemeses, T-Ray, claims in ''Deadpool'' #33 that he is the real Wade Wilson and that Deadpool is a vicious murderer who stole his identity. There have been other dubious stories about his history—at one point the supervillain
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
claimed to be his father.''Deadpool'' vol. 3 #36. Frequently, revelations are later
retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...
or ignored altogether, and in one issue, Deadpool himself joked that whether or not he is actually Wade Wilson depends on which writer the reader prefers. Deadpool is depicted as having a regenerative healing factor, which not only prevents him from being permanently injured through enhanced cell regeneration throughout his body, but also causes psychosis and mental instability, as his
neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s are also affected by the accelerated regeneration. It is thought that while his psychosis is a handicap, it is also one of his assets as it makes him an extremely unpredictable opponent. Taskmaster, who has photo-reflexive memory which allows him to copy anyone's fighting skills by observation, was unable to defeat Deadpool due to his chaotic and improvised fighting style. Taskmaster has also stated that Deadpool is an expert at distracting his opponents. Deadpool has sometimes been portrayed to have a strong sense of core morality. In ''
Uncanny X-Force ''Uncanny X-Force'' was a comic book ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opeña, the first volume of the series continued the story of Wolverine (character), Wolverine and his X-Force team f ...
'', he storms out after
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
tries to rationalize Fantomex killing
Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...
, who was at the time in a child form. After Wolverine argues that Deadpool is motivated solely by money,
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
reveals that Deadpool never cashed any of his checks.


Sexual orientation

In December 2013, Deadpool was confirmed as being pansexual by ''Deadpool'' writer Gerry Duggan via Twitter. However, this post on Twitter has since been deleted by Gerry Duggan. When asked about Deadpool's sexuality, co-creator Fabian Nicieza stated, "Deadpool is whatever sexual inclination his brain tells him he is in THAT moment. And then the moment passes." Nicieza has also stated,
Not trying to be dismissive, but readers always want to 'make a character their own', and often that is to the exclusion of what the character might mean to other fans. I've been dogged with the DP sexuality questions for YEARS. It is a bit tiring. He is NO sex and ALL sexes. He is yours and everyone else's. So not dismissive, but rather the epitome of inclusive.


Powers and abilities

Deadpool's primary power is an accelerated healing factor, depicted by various writers at differing levels of efficiency. The speed of his healing factor depends on the severity of the wound and Deadpool's mental state. It works most efficiently when he is awake, alert, and in good spirits. Deadpool's accelerated healing factor is strong enough that he has survived complete incineration and decapitation more than once. Although his head normally has to be reunited with his body to heal a decapitation wound, he was able to regrow his head after having it pulverized by the
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
in the graphic novel '' Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe''. Deadpool's brain cells are similarly affected, with dying
neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s being rejuvenated at a super accelerated rate. This allows Deadpool to recover from any head wounds, and it renders him nearly invulnerable to psychic and telepathic powers, although this ability is inconsistent. It has been revealed that at the time his healing ability was given to him, Deadpool suffered from some form of cancer; after the healing factor was given to him, it made his normal cells as well as his cancerous cells unable to die, giving him a heavily scarred appearance beneath his suit. Deadpool's body is highly resistant to most drugs and toxins, due to his accelerated healing factor. For example, it is extremely difficult for him to become intoxicated. He can be affected by certain drugs, such as tranquilizers if he is exposed to a large enough dosage. Unlike Wolverine, Deadpool has some degree of pain insensitivity, often referring to his gore and impalement injuries as being "ticklish". Deadpool is effectively immortal, although he has died several times.''Deadpool'' #61. He is still alive 800 years in the future when the new X-Force encounters him. In addition,
Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
once declared that Deadpool should "consider yourself cursed... with life!" out of jealousy over Deadpool's status as
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
's love interest.''Deadpool'' #64. His enemy T-Ray later resurrected him, under Thanos' instruction, using an artifact he had given him. Later, Deadpool was informed that Thanos had placed a curse on him, and tracked Thanos down. He revealed that the only thing keeping Wade alive was his "spell of darkest necromancy". Although Thanos removed this curse in order to kill Deadpool, he felt forced to immediately bring him back using "a fusion of necromancy and science" in order to request his aid in tracking down Mistress Death, who had gone missing. Deadpool is a highly trained
assassin Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
and
mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...
. He is adept in multiple forms of martial arts, including
Savate Savate (), also known as French Boxing (French language, French: ''Boxe Française'') or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of boxing, western boxing with a wide variety ...
. Deadpool is an extraordinary athlete, and an expert swordsman and marksman. He is skilled in the use of multiple weapons, including
katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
s, knives, grenades, and guns. His accelerated healing factor may contribute to his abilities, allowing him to perform the intense exercise for extended periods of time with minimal aches and fatigue. Although in earlier years he was originally portrayed as having superhuman strength, he is no longer depicted as having this ability. Over the years, Deadpool has owned a number of personal teleportation devices. Also, during Deadpool's first ongoing comic, he possesses a device that projected holographic disguises, allowing him to go undercover or conceal his appearance. Deadpool is multilingual, with the ability to speak fluently in German, Spanish, ASL, and Japanese, in addition to his native English. Since Deadpool is aware that he is a fictional character, he uses this knowledge to his advantage to deal with opponents or gain knowledge to which he should not normally have access, such as reading past issues of his and others' comics. Despite his otherwise exemplary physical skills, Deadpool cannot dunk in
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
at all.


Other versions


Age of Apocalypse

In the '' Age of Apocalypse'' timeline, Deadpool was redubbed Dead Man Wade and reimagined as a bitter, humorless member of Apocalypse's Pale Riders, having received his flawed healing factor from Apocalypse's eugenics program. Sent with his team to invade the Savage Land, he attempted to unleash chaos upon the sanctuary but was killed by Nightcrawler, who teleported his head off his body and hid it in a crater. Later, Dead Man Wade was revealed to be resurrected like many of the other Alpha mutants.


Apocalypse Wars

In the '' Extraordinary X-Men'' Apocalypse Wars crossover, Deadpool is a Horseman of Apocalypse.


''Captain America: Who Won't Wield the Shield''

The
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
-era version of Deadpool is introduced in the one-shot parody issue ''
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
: Who Won't Wield the Shield''. Frederick "Wheezy" Wilson, the nephew of President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
, is a soldier who is experimented on by the Nazis to become 'Veapon X'. Despite the nature of the story as a period piece, Wilson peppers his speech with anachronistic slang from the 1990s.


Deadpool Corps


''Deadpool Killology''


''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe''

In the storyline '' Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe'', the X-Men send Deadpool to a mental hospital for therapy. The doctor treating him is actually
Psycho-Man Psycho-Man is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Psycho-Man first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four annual publication, Annual'' #5 (Nov. 1967) and was creat ...
in disguise, who attempts to torture and brainwash Deadpool into becoming his personal minion. The procedure fails but leaves Deadpool even more mentally unhinged, erasing the "serious" and "Screwball" voices in his head and replacing them with a voice that only wants destruction. Under "Evil Voice's" influence, Deadpool develops a more nihilistic world view and as a result, after killing Psycho-Man by repeatedly smashing him against a desk, (and after he burns the hospital by using gasoline) he begins assassinating every superhero and supervillain on Earth, starting with the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
and even killing the Watcher, in an apparent attempt to rebel against his comic book creators. The book ends with him breaking into the "real" world and confronting the Marvel writers and artists who are writing the book. He says to the reader that once he is done with this universe, "I'll find you soon enough."


''Deadpool Killustrated''

After the events of ''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe'', Deadpool has killed many versions of Marvel superheroes and villains across the multiverse to no effect and comes to a conclusion that infinite alternate versions of the heroes and villains he killed exist. In the series, Deadpool hires a team of scientists to help him get rid of all Marvel characters. The Mad Thinker gives the Merc with a Mouth a device that transports him to the "Ideaverse", a universe that contains the classic characters that inspired Marvel characters. In each book, he hunts down and murders characters such as the Headless Horseman (who inspired the Green Goblin and Ghost Rider), the characters of '' Little Women'' (Black Widow, She-Hulk, Elektra), Captain Ahab (General Thunderbolt Ross), the Little Mermaid (Namor), Mowgli (Ka-Zar), Count Dracula (Marvel's Dracula, Morbius, Blade) and more. He also installs his own brain into Frankenstein's monster, giving his dark inner voice a body to help him with.
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
and Dr. Watson enlist
Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translat ...
, Hua Mulan and Natty Bumppo to stop him.


''Deadpool Kills Deadpool''

On April 4, 2013, Cullen Bunn revealed that, following the publication of ''Deadpool Killustrated'', the next and last part of the "Deadpool Killology" is '' Deadpool Kills Deadpool'', stating that the murderous, nihilistic Deadpool that appeared in ''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe'' and ''Killustrated'' is now called "Dreadpool" and, in the series, he hunts down all versions of Deadpool, while "our" Deadpool, the light-hearted Merc With A Mouth, hunted down Dreadpool. Bunn stated that the Deadpool Corps appeared along with many other versions of Deadpool and new versions. The first book was released in July 2013. The first issue opens with Deadpool dealing with yet another attack by ULTIMATUM, after which the Deadpool Corps quickly ropes the titular character into the crisis. Over the course of the storyline, the Deadpool Corps is killed (not including Headpool, who was already killed prior to the events of the storyline), and it concludes in Issue #4, where Deadpool clashes with Dreadpool, who is eventually shown the error of his ways and killed by Deadpool in vengeance for causing the death of his friends. Somehow, the mainstream Deadpool finds his way back, but not before the reader is aware that Dreadpool is still alive and scheming.


''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again''

In the storyline ''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again'', in another universe diverging from the events of '' Wolverine: Old Man Logan'', the villains of the world elect to use a brainwashed Deadpool instead of Wolverine to wipe out the X-Men, and in-turn all the other heroes of the world. Once Mr. Knight's assistant Gwen Poole realises what is going on, just after Deadpool has killed every hero in the alternative continuity but for her, she makes a sacrifice play and uses his trigger word to set him against the villains instead.


''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth''

Several alternate incarnations of Deadpool are introduced in the series ''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth''. Attempting to return Headpool to the Marvel Zombies universe, Deadpool encounters multiple versions of himself as they exist in other universes, including a female version of himself named Lady Deadpool, Major Wade Wilson, a militant but sane version of Deadpool, and The Deadpool Kid (KidPool), a cowboy version of Deadpool who exists within a universe resembling the Wild West.''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth'' #7.


Deadpool Pulp

''Deadpool Pulp'' is a four-issue limited series from writers Mike Benson and Adam Glass and artist Laurence Campbell, with Deadpool set in the 1950s drawing on
pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
(similar to the Marvel Noir fictional universe). This version of Wade is a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran broken by torture who is recruited by Generals Cable and Stryfe to take down the traitor
Outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
. This version retains his twin katanas and wears a ninja style mask.


Deadpool: Samurai

In the manga series ''Deadpool: Samurai'', which takes place on Earth-346, Deadpool travels to Japan and joins Samurai Squad, the Japanese division of the Avengers. While he is a member of Samurai Squad, Deadpool battles villains such as Loki and Thanos.


"Heroes Reborn"

In an alternate reality depicted in the 2021 '' Heroes Reborn'' miniseries, Deadpool is the mallet-wielding sidekick of the
Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...
and an enemy of
Nighthawk The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, which is a grouping of 92 species of medium-sized birds with long wings and short bills specialized for eating insects. The nighthawk's ...
.


House of M

In the '' House of M'' reality, Wade Wilson was a field commander and active agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. During one of his missions, Agent Wilson contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. They had to patch him through the TB-Link satellite to communicate with him.


Hulked-Out Heroes

Appearing first in ''Hulk'' vol. 2 #21, Deadpool is "hulked-out" near the end of the Fall of the Hulks storyline. A two-part miniseries called, ''World War Hulks: Hulked Out Heroes'' followed Hulkpool as he travels back in time to kill himself, disrupting the origin stories of many heroes as he goes.


Identity Wars

When Deadpool, Spider-Man, and Hulk went to another universe, Deadpool found Death Wish who looked like Deadpool but the red part of his costume was green. Deadpool and Death Wish started hanging out with each other and having a lot of fun until Wade Wilson of this universe named Death Mask came in and killed Death Wish who was revealed to be the Victor von Doom of this universe gone crazy. Then Deadpool vowed revenge against Death Mask for killing Death Wish and killed all of the members of Death Mask's group. After that Deadpool defeated Death Mask by throwing a bomb at him, which knocked him out. Deadpool started impersonating Death Mask until he and the other Heroes went back to their universe.


Marvel 2099

In the potential future of '' Marvel 2099'', Deadpool is Warda Wilson, the daughter of Wade and Shiklah. She collaborates with a gang inspired by Hydra Agent Bob and is wanted by the police. She has taken an older Wade prisoner and forces him to watch political debates while chained up, angered that he has ruined her life and hopes she can use him to find her mother. Wade reveals he and Shiklah had a falling out after the death of Ellie, which led to a battle between the two former lovers in Hell. The new Deadpool is also being pursued by a woman who wears a costume that looks like Wade's "Zenpool" identity from Axis. The mysterious woman rescues Wade and gives him access to her bike to a hologram Preston. She then battles Warda and is revealed to be an alive Ellie, who plans to reclaim the Deadpool name. Wade and Preston break into the old hideout of the Uncanny Avengers for Wade to gear up. Warda and Ellie continue fighting until Warda reveals she will unleash a demonic monster unless Ellie does not get Wade to confess where Shiklah is. After Wade and Preston reunite with Ellie, Wade tells Ellie to search for Shiklah's casket at Doc Samson's grave while he and Preston then go to the Little Italy of 2099 to seek the help of one of the few heroes alive in this time period: Iron Fist. The heroes and Danny's Iron Fists confront Warda in Madison Star Garden, where the Iron Fists fend off the giant monster while Wade tries to prevent his daughters from fighting by promising to tell Warda where Shiklah is. Despite his plea, Warda murders Ellie with liquid napalm and takes Wade to the sewer to interrogate him, where Wade reveals that Ellie's mutant ability is to regenerate all at once into her teenage body, allowing her to survive Warda's attack. After Wade, Preston, and Ellie defeat Warda, Wade tells her that he and Shiklah had an on-and-off-again relationship, but were always on the path for war which eventually resulted in her death, as on Earth, those who refuse to co-exist cease to exist (with Wade bringing up the Skrulls to support his point). He implants Preston into Warda's head so she can aid Warda in clearing her conscious and becoming a better person and tells his daughters that they can both be Deadpool. He later tells Ellie that he now plans to travel the world and rid the planet of his old enemies and that Shiklah's resting place is in a shrunken glass coffin located on top of his heart.


Marvel 2997

In Messiah War Deadpool is locked in a freezer for eight hundred years. When he escapes he is captured by the armed forces of the few surviving humans left. He helps Cable to get Hope Summers back from
Stryfe Stryfe is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in conflict with the superhero team X-Force. He is a clone (genetics), clone of Cable (comics), Cable from Cable's alternate future timeline. Pu ...
who is later revealed to be inside this version of Deadpool's head. After seemingly defeating Stryfe, this version of Deadpool is quickly ripped in half and appears to die shortly after, his last words being a joke on "severance" pay.


Marvel Zombies

In the first '' Marvel Zombies'' limited series, a zombie version of Deadpool is seen fighting the
Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
. The zombie Deadpool eventually loses his body and appears as a disembodied head beginning in '' Marvel Zombies 3''. This incarnation of Deadpool, frequently referred to as Headpool, entered the mainstream Marvel continuity when he is encountered and captured by the original Deadpool in ''Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth''. Along with several other alternate versions of Deadpool, Headpool went on to appear in '' Deadpool Corps'' with a propeller beanie mounted to his head, granting him flight.


Spider-Man & Deadpool

In an alternate future, Spider-Man is an old man who got paralyzed from a
Life Model Decoy A Life Model Decoy (frequently known by the abbreviation LMD) is a fictional android appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. LMDs duplicate all outward aspects of a real living person with such authenticity that they can eas ...
Deadpool and lives in a retirement home with an elderly Deadpool. Unknown to Spider-Man, Oldpool was giving his blood to Peter so he would not die due to his old age. In a battle between LMD Deadpools, Oldpool uses a time machine and mistakenly switches places with the mainstream Deadpool. After they got to the main timeline they are reunited with the main Spider-Man and Oldpool. Then after stopping Master Matrix (the LMD master created by Peter's parents) and Chameleon, Old Man Peter and Oldpool fade away to their timeline.


Ultimate Marvel

The ''
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
'' version of Deadpool is Sergeant "Wadey" Wilson, a
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
veteran. Depicted as an anti-mutant extremist, he is a
cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Reavers who hunt mutants for sport on a reality TV show. Beneath the mask, Deadpool appears to be a skull with an exposed brain, his skin formed by a transparent shell. He also has the ability to mimic an individual's appearance and voice, though not their powers. Wadey reappears in ''Deadpool Kills Deadpool'' (written by Cullen Bunn and released in 2013) as a member of the Evil Deadpool Corps, led by Dreadpool, whose aim was to exterminate alternate versions of Deadpool across the multiverse, including the regular Deadpool Corps. In issue #4, he is killed by the mainstream Deadpool.


Venomverse

In ''Edge of Venomverse'', Deadpool from another universe investigated a facility where illegal experiments were being performed with parasitic worms. He bonded to the Venom symbiote to expel the worms inside him. In the event, he willingly got consumed by a Poison to act as a double-agent for the Venom army. In the end, he is presumed dead.


Weapon X: Days of Future Now

In the alternate Earth ending of the '' Weapon X'' comic, Deadpool is recruited by Wolverine to be part of a new team of X-Men after the old team is killed. He joins, claiming Wolverine only wants him as the "token human". This version of Deadpool is killed by Agent Zero's Anti-Healing Factor corrosive acid. This version of Deadpool speaks in white text boxes.


What If...?

In a '' What If...?'' one-shot titled "Demon in the Armor", which happens to take place in Earth-90211, Wade Wilson, like Deadpool, is hired by
Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...
to kill the Beyonder for merging
MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...
to Galactus's rear end in exchange for the Community Cube. He was given a weapon called the Recton Expungifier, the only weapon that could kill the Beyonder. When Deadpool tracked down his target to a nightclub, he was enticed into the Beyonder's partying lifestyle, getting Jheri curls in the process. While hanging out with the Beyonder in a flying limousine, Spider-Man broke into the car and demanded the symbiote costume be removed from himself. Beyonder's driver shoots Spider-Man out of the limousine, the symbiote leaves Spider-Man and merges with Deadpool, creating Venompool. However, after years of partying, Beyonder grew tired and threw Venompool to the world, snapping him out of Beyonder's magic. Venompool attempted to resume his contract and kill the Beyonder, but he accidentally pawned the Recton Expungifier. He decides to get himself clean by kidnapping and selling a drunken Tony Stark to A.I.M. Unfortunately, he cannot join any major superhero teams, like the Avengers, Defenders and
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
because of his newly acquired Jheri curls.


''X-Men '92''

In the ''
Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
'' Battleworld based on the 90s X-Men animated series, Deadpool is a member of X-Force with Cable,
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
,
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
, Psylocke, and Domino.


Reception


Critical reception

Over the years, Deadpool has been recognized and celebrated in various rankings, each highlighting different aspects of his character. In 2008, ''
Wizard Magazine ''Wizard'' or ''Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture'' (previously titled ''Wizard: The Guide to Comics'' and ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'') was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by ...
'' ranked Deadpool 182nd in their "The 200 Greatest Comic Book Characters of All Time" list, acknowledging his early appeal as a unique
anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...
in the comic world. Similarly, '' Paste Magazine'' included Deadpool at 61 in their list of "The 100 Best Comic Book Characters of All Time," highlighting his unique self-awareness in the Marvel Universe, which sets him apart from typical archetypes. By 2014, Deadpool's blend of humor and action had gained significant momentum, leading ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' to rank him 31st in their "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" list, praising his offbeat nature and sharp wit that set him apart from traditional heroes. ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' similarly noted his importance, placing him 45th in their "50 Greatest Comic Book Characters" list the same year, emphasizing his unpredictable and comedic approach to crime-fighting. His role within the X-Men universe has also garnered attention, as ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked him 9th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list in 2014, appreciating his unique relationship with the team and his unconventional methods. In 2018, ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' recognized Deadpool's influence beyond just humor, ranking him 29th in their "50 Most Important Superheroes" list for his impact on modern superhero storytelling and his ability to break the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
. That same year, '' CBR'' ranked him 3rd in their "X-Force: 20 Powerful Members" list, highlighting his contributions to the team and his
combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...
skills. In 2019, '' ComicBook.com'' placed him 30th in their "50 Most Important Superheroes Ever" list, acknowledging his broader cultural impact, especially as a character who blurs the lines between hero and anti-hero. Finally, in 2023, ''CBR'' ranked Deadpool 8th in their "10 Most Popular Marvel Characters" list, recognizing his continued global popularity and his status as one of Marvel’s most beloved and enduring characters.


Impact

In '' Superman/Batman Annual'' #1, an unnamed antimatter doppelganger of
Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
looks like Deadpool.
DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...
has given
Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...
a stalker/friend named Wayne Wilkins, a.k.a. "Red Tool", who is a direct parody of Deadpool.


In other media


Television

* Deadpool makes non-speaking
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
s in '' X-Men: The Animated Series.'' * Deadpool makes a cameo appearance in the '' Marvel Anime: X-Men'' episode "Destiny – Bond". * Deadpool appears in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'' episode "Ultimate Deadpool", voiced by Will Friedle. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is an orphan who Nick Fury took in and trained to become a hero. However, Deadpool left Fury to become a mercenary, deciding it was easier to do so than living according to moral ideas and a conscience. Believing he was a freelance hero,
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
joins forces with Deadpool to stop Taskmaster after he acquires sensitive S.H.I.E.L.D. data, only for the web-slinger to fight Deadpool as well after discovering the latter's willingness to kill. * Deadpool appears in '' Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers'', voiced by Takehito Koyasu in Japanese and
Jason Spisak Jason Spisak () is an American actor, producer, and computer programmer. He is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project and the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, to which the proje ...
in English. * In May 2017, FXX placed a series order for a Deadpool animated series with Donald and Stephen Glover as showrunners, executive producers, and writers for the series. In late March 2018 however, it was announced that FXX would not move forward with the series due to creative differences. Stephen later admitted that the "creative difference" in question involved an episode revolving around
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...
, which FXX stated was the "last straw". * Deadpool appears in '' Marvel Future Avengers'', voiced again by Takehito Koyasu in Japanese and Jason Spisak in English. * Deadpool appears in ''Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition'', voiced by Jason Mantzoukas.


Film

* Deadpool appears in '' Hulk Vs Wolverine'', voiced by Nolan North. This version is a member of Weapon X's Team X. * Two incarnations of Wade Wilson appear in the
21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...
's ''X-Men'' film series, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds. ** The first incarnation appears in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', with Scott Adkins serving as a stunt performer. This version is a highly skilled, wisecracking, and amoral mercenary who wields a pair of
katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
s with peak athleticism and skill sufficient to deflect automatic weapons fire. Additionally, he serves as a member of Team X until he is converted into "Weapon XI". ** Following the events of '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'', which reset the ''X-Men'' film series' timeline from 1973 onward, Reynolds appears as a new incarnation of Wilson in '' Deadpool'' (2016). This version is a mercenary who was diagnosed with late-stage cancer and turns to
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
after he offers a cure. Ajax tortures Wilson to catalyze the treatment, which eventually results in the latter's recessive mutant genes activating, causing Wilson's disfigurement and healing factor. In response, he develops a vendetta against Ajax and undergoes a quest to force him to fix his disfigurement before eventually killing him upon learning it would be impossible. *** Before screenings of '' Logan'' in U.S. territories, a short film was shown teasing ''Deadpool 2'', later titled '' Deadpool: No Good Deed'' and released online. *** Deadpool appears in ''
Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. It is the sequel to ''Deadpool (film), Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film series. The film wa ...
'' (2018), portrayed again by Reynolds, who also reprises his role as Weapon XI and portrays himself. After the death of his girlfriend Vanessa, Wilson finds himself protecting an angst-ridden boy named Russell Collins from
Cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
. **** In December 2013, Rob Liefeld confirmed that Deadpool and Cable would be appearing in an '' X-Force'' film, with Ryan Reynolds returning as the former. In February 2017, Joe Carnahan had signed on as director, as well as co-writer with Reynolds. By September of the same year however, the studio parted ways with Carnahan while Drew Goddard replaced him as writer/director after previously working as a co-writer on the script for the ''Deadpool 2''. The following month, Cable actor
Josh Brolin Josh James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film ''The Goonies'' (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starr ...
stated that production began some time during 2018. *** After the then-proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced in December 2017 and completed in March 2019, Disney CEO
Bob Iger Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and p ...
said that Deadpool would be integrated into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) under Disney, with Reynolds set to reprise his role. On November 20, 2020, it was announced further that Marvel and Reynolds met with various writers and decided that Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, known for their work on ''
Bob's Burgers ''Bob's Burgers'' is an American animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is centered on the Belcher family—parents Bob Belcher, Bob and Linda Belcher, Linda and their three children, Tina Belcher, Tina, G ...
'', would write the script for the third film, which Disney has confirmed will remain R-rated and would eventually become '' Deadpool & Wolverine''. In August 2021, Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
stated Reynolds was working on the screenplay, while Reynolds said, "There's a 70% chance that filming starts in 2022". In March 2022, it was announced that Shawn Levy would direct the film, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick hired to rewrite the screenplay. Released in 2024, '' Deadpool & Wolverine'' sees Wilson joining forces with
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
to save the former's universe from the Time Variance Authority. **** Deadpool appears in the live-action promotional short film '' Deadpool and Korg React'', in which he reacts to a trailer for the film '' Free Guy'' alongside
Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electr ...
.


Video games

* Deadpool appears in '' X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'', voiced by John Kassir. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced again by John Kassir. * Deadpool appears in '' Marvel Trading Card Game''. * Wade Wilson appears as the final boss of the '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' tie-in game, voiced by Steve Blum. * Deadpool appears as an unlockable playable character in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'', voiced again by John Kassir. In the Wii, PlayStation Portable, PSP and PlayStation 2, PS2 versions, he is playable from the start. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Pinball'', voiced by Nolan North. * Deadpool appears in Pinball FX 2, ''Pinball FX2'', voiced by Nolan North. * The
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
incarnation of Deadpool appears as a boss in ''Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions'', voiced by Nolan North. This version hosts the survival show ''Pain Factor''. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' and its updated version ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', voiced again by Nolan North. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'', voiced by Tom Kenny. * Deadpool appears as an unlockable character in ''Marvel: Avengers Alliance''. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel War of Heroes''. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Heroes (video game), Marvel Heroes'', voiced again by Nolan North. Additionally, a pirate variant, Deadpool Kid, and Lady Deadpool appear as well, voiced by North, Troy Baker, and Alanna Ubach respectively. * A Deadpool costume appears in ''LittleBigPlanet 3''. * Deadpool appears in a Deadpool (video game), self-titled video game, voiced again by Nolan North. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced again by Nolan North. Additionally, he serves as the narrator for the bonus missions and gives the player quests in the game's hub. * Deadpool, in his traditional and ''
Uncanny X-Force ''Uncanny X-Force'' was a comic book ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opeña, the first volume of the series continued the story of Wolverine (character), Wolverine and his X-Force team f ...
'' suits, and an exclusive Ghost Rider incarnation appear as playable characters in ''Marvel Puzzle Quest''. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel Contest of Champions''. * Deadpool appears in ''Disk Wars Avengers: Ultimate Heroes''. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel: Future Fight''. * Deadpool appears in ''X-Men: Battle of the Atom''. * Deadpool appears as a "secret outfit" in ''Fortnite Battle Royale''. * Deadpool appears in ''Pinball FX 3''. * Two incarnations of Deadpool, Normal and Lil, appear in a Deadpool (pinball), self-titled Pinball video game, voiced again by Nolan North and Brian Huskey respectively. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Powers United VR'', voiced again by
Jason Spisak Jason Spisak () is an American actor, producer, and computer programmer. He is also the co-leader of the Symphony OS Project and the designer of Symphony's unique Mezzo desktop environment and wrote the Laws of Interface Design, to which the proje ...
. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel Strike Force''. * Deadpool appears as a playable character in ''Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced again by Nolan North. This version is a member of the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Snap'', voiced by Alex Mitts. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Super War''. * Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Realm of Champions''. * Deadpool appears as an NPC in ''Marvel Future Revolution'', voiced again by Nolan North. This version is an announcer for Sakaaran gladiatorial games. * Deadpool appears as a downloadable playable character in ''Marvel's Midnight Suns'', voiced again by Nolan North. * Deadpool will appear in ''Marvel's Deadpool VR'', voiced by Neil Patrick Harris.


Miscellaneous

* Deadpool appears in the prose novel ''Deadpool: Paws'', written by Stefan Petrucha.''Deadpool: Paws'' Proves Deadpool Can Really Work Outside A Comic Book
by James Whitmore, at Gizmodo; published August 14, 2015; retrieved August 20, 2024
* Deadpool appears in ''Marvel Superheroes: What the--?!''. * The film incarnation of Deadpool appears in the short film "How Deadpool Spent Halloween", portrayed again by Ryan Reynolds. * A virtual pinball table based on various ''Deadpool'' comics was released by Zen Studios as part of the ''Marvel Pinball'' collection and ''Zen Pinball'' series, voiced again by Nolan North. * A physical pinball table based on Deadpool was developed and released by Stern Pinball.


References


External links

* *
Deadpool
on IMDb *
Deadpool
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