Spider-Man and Deadpool in Marvel Comics

Warning! Contains spoilers for Deadpool Nerdy 30

The absurd link between Deadpool and Spider-Man dates back to Wade Wilson’s (literal) conception. The Merc’ with a Mouth’s true origins reflects his creator Rob Liefeld’s inspirations.

The web-head and Wade have had a complex relationship over the years. Their initial encounter in Cable and Deadpool #24 was antagonistic after Deadpool threw Peter Parker off a bridge. Spider-Man is often slightly more tolerant of Deadpool than most Marvel characters are, and DP has an unhealthy fixation on Spidey. They’ve teamed up frequently, have switched costumes and even had a comic series together, Spider-Man/Deadpool. That series saw Wade take a job to assassinate Peter Parker, hoping it would improve his friendship with Spider-Man, not knowing that they were the same person. Spider-Man is often an unwilling participant in his associations with the Regeneratin’ Degenerate, but the two are forever bonded.

Related: The Most Disgusting Version of Deadpool Had One Weird Rule

A story about Deadpool's conception acknowledges that Spider-Man served as a muse for the character’s creation in the strangest way. Deadpool Nerdy 30 kicks off with The Immaculate Misconception, a story by Joe Kelly, Gerardo Sandoval, and Chris Sotomayo that features various versions of possible Deadpools battling their way to the Ovumatrix. It’s all an absurd visual stand-in for sperm vying to fertilize an egg. Ultimately, the one that is chosen has attire that resembles Spidey and even describes himself as “Spider-Man with guns”. It symbolizes the fact that Rob Liefield looked to Spider-Man as a model while building his character. Humor is an important aspect of both heroes, and the two clearly share visual styles between features like their iconic eyes and skintight red costumes. Deadpool’s existence will forever be intertwined with Spider-Man, whether the wall-crawler likes it or not.

There are other references to Spider-Man’s role in ‘Pool’s creation in his Deadpool Nerdy 30 birthday celebration, including one in The Tao of ‘Pool by Chad Bowers and Wade Wilson’s creator, Rob Liefield. The story suggests that teasing from an un-named Spider-Man artist was involved in the character’s inception. Deadpool was originally viewed as a cheeky rip-off of DC’s assassin Deathstroke. Their code names are as similar as their real names, Wade Wilson and Slade Wilson, respectively. But Deadpool’s birthday is a Marvel-only affair and while Deathstroke doesn't appear, he is referenced indirectly.

The conception story adds another strange dimension to the bizarre connection between Deadpool and Spider-Man. Deadpool has been vocal about his crush on Spidey and Spider-Man/Deadpool #4 revealed that Spider-Man was on a Free Pass list when Wade was married. That crush only gets stranger, now that Spider-Deadpool “sperm” is to blame for the character’s existence. Although given his love for Spider-Man, Deadpool probably doesn’t mind at all.

Next: Deadpool May Have Caused Marvel's Huge New Event