Just a few short weeks from now, Deadpool, possibly the comic book adaptation that’s aimed most directly at pre-existing fans, arrives in theaters to brighten up Valentine’s Day. It’s the culmination of a bizarre journey that started back in an issue of New Mutants cover-dated February 1991. It’s been a long, fascinating 25 years, and it all started with a bit of thieving from the distinguished competition.
Deadpool, who first appeared in New Mutants #98, has more than a few similarities to Deathstroke, the DC Comics villain and antagonist of the Teen Titans. It’s no coincidence: Rob Liefeld, who designed Deadpool’s costume and powers, was a huge Titans fan. When Liefeld presented writer Fabian Nicieza with the character, Nicieza decided not to get Marvel sued and changed the assassin’s personality completely. Instead of a grim bad-ass, he turned Deadpool into a smart-ass who’s no less deadly for his one-liners.
Deadpool was a surprise instant hit and began showing up pretty much everywhere in Marvel, getting his first miniseries in 1993, followed by a second in 1994. The books had a satirical element from the start. Deadpool has always been, for example, rather blasé about his hideous looks and always goes on his missions with a wisecrack in mind. It made the character hugely popular not least because he was a breath of fresh air. Comics at the time were grimly serious, a tendency Deadpool took to the woodshed regularly.
In 1997, though, the Deadpool we know and love really began to take shape. Deadpool’s first ongoing book was anchored by writer Joe Kelly and artist Ed McGuinness. Kelly later noted that he could do anything he wanted, because nobody thought the book would last past six issues. So, he took the humor completely around the bend, making the title more akin to a Looney Tunes cartoon than a comic book. Deadpool is fully aware he’s a comic book character, to the point where he cheerfully talks to the audience and mocks the writer even as the script is unfolding. He also solves problems creatively, using everything from dropped pianos to scooters as tools to deal with his enemies. His obsessions, which range from chimichangas to Bea Arthur, are legendary. He even has voices in his head, that have their own caption boxes, both of which turned out to be other Marvel villains trapped in Deadpool’s mind.
Despite his popularity, Deadpool has found the most success in other media as a guest star. He’s appeared in a dozen video games and even gotten his own Sackboy outfit in LittleBigPlanet. He regularly turns up in Marvel cartoons. And, of course, there’s his notorious turn in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which Fox is attempting to redeem by putting him in his suit for a new movie.
It’s odd to read his first issue 25 years later and realize a one-off villain turned into a genuine phenomenon. Unlike the many, many mutants and anti-heroes Marvel has introduced in the ’90s, Deadpool has endured not least because he’s not driven by a dead family, or a vague need for vengeance, or a noble calling. He’s running around fighting supervillains because it’s fun. If most superheroes are what we aspire to, Deadpool is us being honest that, heck yeah, we’d rumble with ninjas and annoy everybody if we had a healing factor that made it impossible to get us killed. Deadpool is one of the few superheroes willing to admit the whole idea of superhero comics is to have fun and look cool doing it, and even decades later, it’s still a refreshing change of pace.