Summary
- Deadpool and Wolverine share a comedic relationship, stemmed from their shared experiences in war and abuse from the Weapon X program.
- In various comic appearances, Deadpool and Wolverine’s interactions range from casual team-ups to heartfelt moments of trust and compassion.
- Uncanny X-Force showcases a heroic side of Deadpool, as both he and Wolverine oppose violence against children and face moral dilemmas.
Deadpool and Wolverine are united at long last in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine, but even a great movie can’t compare to the more than 30 years of comic book adventures between the two unkillable Marvel Mutants side by side.
While their conflicting personalities are the setup for a hilarious string of jokes, the blade-wielding Canadian heroes share more in common than would be believed. Both men were products of war and abuse, who ended up permanently scarred by the Weapon X program. Deadpool and Wolverine’s relationship is undoubtedly a comedic one, but there is an endearing element between their shared experiences. Whether you love them for their bromantic antics or their shared tender moments, in honor of Deadpool & Wolverine’s return to the spotlight, here are the Top 10 Deadpool and Wolverine comics in history.
10 “What the Cat Dragged In,” Wolverine Annual #1 (1995)
By Christopher Golden and Ben Herrera
In just the duo’s second joint appearance in the comics, Wolverine Annual (1995) sees Wade Wilson captured by a group of scientists subjecting him to torture, all in the name of creating a cure for the far-future Legacy Virus (with the intent of selling the vaccine to the highest bidders). When the X-Men Maverick (suffering from the Legacy Virus) informs Wolverine of the situation, they’re not even sure if it’s ethical to save Deadpool at all.
At this point in comic history, the pair’s previous meeting ended with a grenade in Wolverine’s face, but he reluctantly agrees to help. Wolverine stages a rescue mission that finds the trio joined together in battle, giving fans their first glimpse of Wolverine and Deadpool standing side by side. While not friendsd, the story convinced Logan that Deadpool might not be a total waste of space.
Related
10 Best Wolverine Comics in History, Ranked
With the immortal X-Men character turning fifty, it’s time to pop our claws and definitively rank the best Wolverine stories of all time…
9 Wolverine Annual #1 (1999)
By Marc Andreyko and Walter McDaniel
A story that finds Wolverine and Deadpool at odds, Wolverine Annual takes an unexpected turn to the supernatural. After Wolverine tracks an author due to a strange scent, Deadpool arrives with a contract to kill the man, and combat ensues. What begins as yet another vrutal fight gets a twist when the mutant-on-mutant violence is crashed into by a murderous werewolf keen to kill them both. Deadpool and Wolverine briefly join sides, all whilst the werewolf and Deadpool are still actively trying to kill the author.
The chaos only elevates when Deadpool discovers he’s been hired by an entire Council of Werewolves, which is actually par for the course in Marvel tales of the era. Showing early signs of their eventual bromance, Deadpool and Wolverine ultimately shove their differences aside to go grab a couple of casual after-work beers.
8 Deadpool Vs. Old Man Logan #1-5 (2017)
By Declan Shalvey and Mike Henderson
After Wolverine died (temporarily) in the 616 Universe, the iconic ‘old’ version of Logan joined the main Marvel reality. This version of Wolverine has a more playful relationship with Deadpool, who runs into the clawed hero while on a stroll through the park. Logan is keeping tabs on a young mutant who is the target of an evil corporation and Deadpool tags along, thinking it could be fun.
Deadpool Vs. Old Man Logan is a shorter story, packed full of a wild series of antics that could be expected from any comic featuring the Merc with a Mouth. Old Logan and Wade’s relationship is quippy and light-hearted as if the two were starring in a frienemy buddy-cop television show. While the heroes trade blows more than a couple of times throughout the series, Wolverine shows a great deal of compassion for Deadpool, departing the series as legitimate friends.
7 Wolverine: Origins #21-25
By Daniel Way and Steve Dillon
Featuring some of the wildest interactions between Deadpool and Wolverine, these four issues charge Wade with, what else, killing Logan. What follows is a series of pure high jinks as Deadpool is at his most comedically deranged, from falling pianos to fake explosive babies are just a couple of Deadpool’s attempts to slay Wolverine. While the fight is a violently destructive one, it actually hides a secret, heartfelt undertone to the encounter.
In truth, Wolverine had hired Deadpool to try to kill him, with the real goal of luring Wolverine’s estranged son Daken out of hiding so that he can be captured and brought back to the X Mansion for deconditioning. Wolverine shows an unspoken trust for Deadpool, knowing that he would do what he does best so that he could play his part for a cause close to Logan’s heart.
6 Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy
By Stuart Moore and Shawn Crystal
This one-shot might be the funniest series of antics between Deadpool and Wolverine, kicking off with the crash-landing of a Shi’ar robot killer in search of Jean Grey (dead at the time). The Stalker proves to be too much for Wolverine, so he concocts a comedically unique plan to defeat the threat. Breaking into Deadpool’s apartment mid-shower, Logan spends the next several pages trying to convince a fully nude and fully masked Deadpool to help him.
Wolverine enacts his brilliant plan: dressing Deadpool up as Jean Grey to distract the robot long enough for Logan to put it down. It’s an odd sight seeing Wolverine dress Deadpool up in the costume of his deceased ex-lover, but it proves effective.
Related
10 Best Deadpool Comics in History, Ranked
Deadpool has entertained fans for over thirty years with his own brand of darkly irreverent superheroics, so it’s time to rank his best comics ever.
5 Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII
By Joe Kelly and Adam Kubert
A more recent miniseries, Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII sees Wade Wilson captured by a scientific mastermind and villainous experimenter named Delta, determined to create a “perfect” being in body and mind. Of course, his experiments, torturous augmentations, and brainwashing destroy Deadpool’s psyche. Always one to track down deranged scientists, Wolverine stumbles onto the scene and recognizes the now-complacent victim as his old friend Deadpool.
Deadpool resists his rescue, and the two engage in a brutal fight showcasing Wade’s new powers. The battle eventually cools down and Deadpool sincerely communicates his depressive feelings to Wolverine, for the first time without the comedic banter that normally hides Deadpool’s true pain. Having stripped Wade of his lighthearted nature, the brainwashing leaves behind a sadder, more honest version of the merc.
4 “Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” Deadpool #15-19 (2013)
By Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, and Declan Shalvey
An adventure that finds Deadpool, Wolverine, and Captain America in a North Korean prison camp, the heroes uncover a group of people genetically altered using Deadpool’s DNA, and genetic material from other X-Men. The truth is eventually revealed, with the experiments led by an ex-Weapon Plus program scientist who had secretly been drugging and kidnapping Wade to harvest his organs. It’s this story which sees Wade Wilson learn of his daughter, Eleanor, currently in captivity to be used as leverage against Wade.
For obvious reasons, Wolverine adjusts his normally aggressive demeanor and shows a softer side towards the mercenary. Logan, more than anyone, understands the pain of losing family to the Weapon Plus program and tries his best to keep Deadpool optimistic for the future.
3 Uncanny X-Force
By Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña
This 32-issue series is the longest-running story that features Deadpool and Wolverine working side by side. After years of begging to join the X-Men (despite not being a mutant), Deadpool has finally been accepted into X-Force, the lethal secret ops team led by Wolverine and the recently reformed Archangel. The series depicts an honestly heroic side of Deadpool that is normally only used to break up his comedic outbursts. Wade even serves as one of the team’s moral compasses, protesting against callous acts committed by the team’s pursuit of the “greater good.”
The series explores a recurring theme of the importance of choice. Morality versus immorality. Fate versus free will. The Uncanny X-Force are frequently thrown into moral dilemmas, often focused on whether it is right to kill a child that future time-travelers believe will grow up to become a villain. Wolverine, Deadpool, and Psylocke continually oppose violence against children, especially those who haven’t done anything wrong. Deadpool and Wolverine have both historically shown to have a soft spot for kids, so it makes sense their ideologies would line up perfectly in this series, even if it means saving Apocalypse.
Related
10 Best X-Men Comics in History, Ranked
The X-Men is one of the most popular comic books in Marvel history – so what are the best X-Men stories in Marvel history? This list hopes to answer.
2 “Want You to Want Me,” Deadpool #15-18 (2008)
By Daniel Way and Paco Medina
In this era of Marvel comics, the public’s opinion of the X-Men has plummeted to an uncomfortable hatred. While not technically a mutant, Deadpool has always felt a close kinship with the X-Men, so when Wade begs Cyclops to let him join the team, Wolverine asserts that Deadpool could prove to be a valuable ally under watchful eyes. Wolverine sends Domino to offer Wade a spot on the team, and his first mission: protect a man spewing anti-mutant rhetoric on TV from a suspected assassination attempt.
Deadpool immediately veers off and stages his own plan, easily identifying the man’s soon-to-be killer. The mission goes off the rails from there, but nevertheless positions the X-Men for some positive press thanks to Deadpool’s antics. A recurring theme in the comics, Logan again shows his unspoken empathetic connection with Wade.
1 Wolverine #20-23 (2020)
By Ben Percy and Adam Kubert
Finally, the best comic depiction of Deadpool and Wolverine’s contradicting team-up is a short three-issue side story in Ben Percy and Adam Kubert’s Wolverine. Beginning with Deadpool attempted to enter the mutant nation of Krakoa, Wade decides the best way to prove his worth is by uncovering a secretive threat that would see the end of the X-Men. It turns out that Wolverine was already on the case, and the duo team up to see the mission through.
When intrigue reveals an army of replica X-Men robots, Deadpool becomes the only reliable ally Wolverine can reluctantly choose. While Wolverine angrily puts up with Deadpool’s quippy behavior throughout the issues, the conclusion proves that among Marvel writers, the soft spot between Logan and Wade is practically a prerequisite.
Wolverine
The human mutant Wolverine (a.k.a. Logan) was born James Howlett, blessed with a superhuman healing factor, senses, and physiology. Subjecting himself to experimentation to augment his skeleton and claws with adamantium, Logan is as deadly as he is reckless, impulsive, and short-tempered. Making him the X-Men’s wildest and deadliest member, and one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars.
- Alias
- James “Logan” Howlett
- Created By
- Roy Thomas , Len Wein , John Romita Sr.
- First Appearance
- The Incredible Hulk (2023)
Deadpool
- Alias
- Wade Wilson
- First Appearance
- The New Mutants
Summary
The Merc with the Mouth first appeared in an issue of New Mutants in 1990, and since then has gone on to get his own series and a massive cult following. With his incredible powers of healing and regeneration, Deadpool was initially depicted as an X-Men villain, but went on to become an anti-hero. After getting his own movie series starting in 2016, the third Deadpool movie finally brings the wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.