50 Greatest Super Heroes In Comic Book History

27. Deadpool

(Write-up by Roger Lee, Bam Smack Pow Staff Writer)

So who, or what, is Deadpool? For those of you not overly familiar with this character, he is a human mercenary who now possesses a healing factor that was implanted in him by the Weapon X program (the same outfit that gave Wolverine his adamantium skeleton and claws). At the time that the healing factor was given to him, Deadpool (real name: Wade Wilson), was dying of cancer. The healing factor keeps him alive, but it also enables the cancer to remain in his body (i.e. the cancer gained a healing factor along with the rest of his body). This has caused his skin to be horribly disfigured and the constant pain this causes is one reason for his insanity. One interesting, and rather fun aspect of his insanity, is that Deadpool’s mind at times reaches a point of true clarity, and he realizes that he, and everyone he knows, are just fictional characters in a comic book.

As a comic book character with a healing factor, Deadpool is basically unkillable. This enables him to get into all sorts of trouble. While he has been rejected for membership by nearly every superhero team from the Avengers to the X-Men, Deadpool often does team up with other heroes. He has a particular affection for Spider-Man, and always looks forward to teaming up with the wall-crawler (though Spidey would often rather not).

Created in 1991 by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared as an assassin in New Mutants #98. His job at that time was to kill mutant team leader Cable. While he failed at that (Deadpool does not kill good guys, as a rule) he and Cable later developed a working relationship and often team up. The name Wade Wilson that Liefeld and Nicieza came up with for Deadpool, is a take-off of the DC Comics character Deathstroke, whose name in the comics is Slade Wilson. After creating Deadpool, Liefeld and Nicieza realized the character they created bore a lot of similarities to the existing DC character Deathstroke, and decided to name him Wade Wilson as a joke.

Deadpool has also featured in his own video game and is reported to be up for his own solo movie as well. One thing’s for sure: Wade Wilson is one of a kind, and the rest of the Marvel Universe prefers it that way.

Next: No. 26: Gotham City's other protector