The inclusion of Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was met with little fanfare, but it was the start of something huge. 2016’s Deadpool did the character more justice, and Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal has led to continued interest in the Merc with a Mouth years after the movie and its sequel have been released.
It has also resulted in numerous questions being asked by mainstream fans about the comic book Deadpool and the impact the film version has had at large. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe set to introduce him to the series, it’s best to have all the pressing queries about Deadpool answered before he becomes a bigger part of the Marvel movie story.
Who Created The Character?
Unlike most of the Marvel Comics characters, Deadpool wasn’t created by Stan Lee or his frequent collaborators. In fact, he’s a creation of artist/writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza. With Liefeld’s job as the artist, he’s the one who came up with the design of the character.
Nicieza is credited with coming up with the mannerisms of Deadpool that fans have come to love, making the Liefeld-Nicieza collaboration a highly fruitful one. In an interview with Forbes, Liefeld said that serving as the inspiration for Deadpool’s look were Spider-Man, Wolverine, and G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes.
Who Is His Archenemy?
The movies haven’t adapted the character as of yet, but the supervillain considered to be his archnemesis is T-Ray. Another mercenary like Deadpool, T-Ray’s beef with the hero is over his claim that he is the real Wade Wilson and that Deadpool stole his identity, as seen in Deadpool Vol. 3 # 33.
The duo’s rivalry has been so personal that T-Ray has even resurrected Deadpool just to antagonize him, as depicted in Deadpool #61. In most of the character’s comic book stories, T-Ray turns out to be orchestrating the events in some way or other.
When Did He First Appear?
Deadpool is relatively new for a comic book character, having first appeared in 1991’s The New Mutants #98. Considering that X-Men began all the way back in 1963, Deadpool represents a creative turn for the series that took in modern elements of an anti-hero character.
However, he wasn’t heroic in any way in his debut appearance, as Deadpool was a straight-up villain at the time. In this story, he had more of a side role as the mercenary hired by the villain known as Tolliver, who ordered Deadpool to go after Cable and the New Mutants.
What Significant Alternate Versions Of Deadpool Are There?
While Wade has been very self-aware to the point that he knows he’s a comic book character, there have still been different versions of the character. This includes the likes of Headpool, who’s a zombie in Marvel Zombies, the cyborg Sergeant Wadey Wilson of the Ultimate Marvel universe, and the Venomverse Deadpool who bonded with the symbiote.
There have been even more over-the-top versions like Dreadpool who hails from Earth-12101 and who set out to kill every version of himself, a female variant known as Lady Deadpool from Earth-3010, and a child incarnation from Earth-10330 known as Kidpool.
What Powers Does He Have?
Deadpool doesn’t have any powers other than his immortality and regeneration, although this ability has been so effective that he’s been able to survive impossible scenarios. As seen in X-Force / Cable Messiah War, Deadpool was still around 800 years into the future.
Before Cable & Deadpool #36, he was occasionally shown to have super strength as well, only for this to be phased out since. Deadpool’s main mode of offense has been his vast expertise in using weaponry, which has been seen in the X-Men film series.
How Critically Acclaimed Is The Character?
It’s no wonder that MCU's Deadpool is one of Ryan Reynolds’ many upcoming movies, as the character has brought him significant acclaim. The first Deadpool movie remains one of the very few superhero titles to receive major award nominations.
For the role of the Merc with a Mouth, Reynolds was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy, along with winning the Best Actor in a Comedy Award at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Who Are His Closest Allies?
Deadpool 2 went ahead in adapting the character’s most significant partnership with Cable, with the two even having their own lines of comics. The Merc with a Mouth has had several strange friendships in Marvel, and most of them are reluctant ones.
Another notable “friendship” he has is with Wolverine, who is largely bemused with being stuck with Wade. A comedic partnership Deadpool enjoys is with Spider-Man, as the latter is usually happy to indulge in Wade’s jokes with quips of his own.
Which Teams Has He Been A Part Of?
Deadpool might just be the most popular Marvel character in terms of being included in teams and factions. While his inclusion in the X-Men is a widely known fact, that barely scratches the surface with how many team affiliations he has.
He’s been part of the groups like the Thunderbolts, S.H.I.E.L.D., Astonishing Avengers, Deadpool Corps, Secret Defenders, X-Fore, Agency X, AAvengers Unity Division, Six Pack, and Heroes for Hire, among many other team-ups.
What Is His Connection With Thanos?
The name Thanos generally pops up whenever Deadpool is discussed, and the former was referenced in Deadpool 2 as well. In what is one of Deadpool’s weirdest comic book stories, the truth of the matter is that Thanos is his romantic rival.
This comes down to both of their interest in Lady Death, who is the physical personification of death in the Marvel Universe. In Deadpool Vol. 1 #64, Thanos placed a curse on Deadpool to never perish, as he wanted to prevent Wade from being reunited with Lady Death after his passing.
Who Are His Love Interests?
Wade doesn’t usually limit himself just to one romance and wooing a number of strange love interests has always been Deadpool's forte. A humorous inclusion is that of Shiklah, an undead being who attempted to drain Deadpool’s life force and was unsuccessful. This then attracted him to her and the two were even married for a short time.
He was also married to the half-human/half-demon hybrid Satana in order to protect her soul, as she had lost it and marrying Wade meant their souls were bound together. Vanessa Carlyle was adapted as a human in the movies, but she was the mutant known as Copycat in the comics. In addition to his romance with Lady Death, Deadpool also had a fling with Black Widow.