17. The Mercs for Money
Deadpool isn’t as well-loved as Thor, Spider-Man, or Captain America. He’s a guy who takes money to kill people. Out of nowhere, Deadpool became the most popular and marketable hero in the world. He was so popular that he spent the money he earned funding the Avengers Unity Squad. Deadpool couldn’t fund them on the merchandise alone. What does Deadpool do? He starts Heroes for Hire! Deadpool changed the team’s name to the Mercs for Money after Luke Cage sued him.
Deadpool recruited Foolkiller, Terror, Stingray, Slapstick, Massacre, and Solo. Madcap joined the team but wasn’t recruited. What seemed like a great cash opportunity turned sour quickly. The team found out that Deadpool was spent more money funding the Avengers than paying them. Also, Deadpool was taking pro bono work. Essentially, they weren’t bringing in any money at all.
You’re probably wondering why someone like Deadpool became so popular. Well, Deadpool wasn’t actually the reason. It was Solo.
Solo couldn’t get work as James Bourne (his real name) so he dressed as Deadpool. He ended up saving an ambassador’s life dressed as Deadpool. This started his fame. We find out that Madcap was controlling the people attempting to kill the ambassador.
The original Mercs for Money roster split up and Domino ran the team. The team had lesser-known misfits just like the original roster. Domino led Deadpool, Gorilla-Man, Hit-Monkey (an assassin monkey) Machine Man, and a new-look Negasonic Teenage Warhead (she looks like the movie version now). Characters like Foolkiller, Solo, and Slapstick went on to have solo series of their own.