Warning! Spoilers for Deadpool Nerdy 30 #1

It's highly unlikely that without the creation of Deathstroke, there would be no Deadpool as the Marvel Comics character was originally inspired by his DC Comics counterpart. However, in a comic celebrating the Merc with a Mouth's 30th anniversary, Deadpool just made a hilarious callback to his origin and how people might confuse him as Deathstroke if he adapted a similar look to Taskmaster.

Deadpool first debuted in New Mutants #98 and was co-created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. According to Nicieza, after Liefeld pitched him the character, he noted that he was quite similar to Deathstroke the Terminator from The New Teen Titans. Both characters were sword-wielding mercenary's and the names, Deathstroke is Slade Wilson, and Deadpool is Wade Wilson, were pretty much identical. While Deadpool has evolved - and become a more popular, zanier mainstream character - since his first appearance in the comics, Liefeld has denied the similarities between the two antiheroes.

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In the story, "Lo, There Shall Come A Hero! Maybe..." by Nicieza, Patch Zircher, Java Tartaglia, and VC's Joe Sabino in Deadpool Nerdy 30 #1, Deadpool imagines his life as a superhero after he's been transformed into a monster by the Department K. Wade imagines himself fighting against Hitler as Captain America, but remembers he can't be a patriotic hero when he looks "like the underside of roadkill." He then imagines himself as Taskmaster. The character seems like a good fit for Wade, but he says that if he took the role, "people would say I was just a parody of that 'stroke of death guy.'" He also notes that Taskmaster doesn't have nearly enough pouches.

Deathstroke Deadpool Rip Off

This is clearly Nicieza poking fun at those saying Deadpool was just a rip-off of Deathstroke. It makes sense to acknowledge in the comic, as Wade Wilson is clearly, at the very least, inspired by his DC Comics counterpart. That shouldn't take away from the fact that Deadpool has become one of Marvel's biggest characters, as his later characterization and fourth-wall-breaking made him unique among other heroes.

In this case, the story in the anniversary special is a fun nod to Deadpool's origins and similarities to Deathstroke. Both characters stand on their own merit and are beloved by readers - but to say Deadpool wasn't created with at least Deathstroke in mind doesn't really add up. Even Deadpool realizes that some fans see him as a parody of Deathstroke. Thankfully, he's forged his own path since his debut.

Next: Deadpool is Mocking Comic Collectors Ahead of Anniversary Issue