Deadpool (Comic Book)

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It takes more than weapons, sporting equipment, and clogged arteries to make the Merc with the Mouth shut up.

"Deadpool-Man! Deadpool-Man! Does whatever Deadpool can! Makes a plan, any size, catches thieves and makes them dies. Look out! There goes the Deadpool-Man!"

— Deadpool, Deadpool vol. 3 #8

The Merc with a Mouth. The Regenerating Degenerate. Ryan Reynolds. Marvel's Meta Jerkass Woobie.

The Heroic Comedic Sociopath.

A sexy mother-fucker.

The Deadpool comic books, published by Marvel Comics, are eponymously named for the main character, Deadpool. Deadpool's character page is here.

The character debuted in 1991 in the final arc of the original volume of The New Mutants, and he appeared in multiple series and two mini-series focused on him before the first Deadpool ongoing series premiered in 1997. Deadpool comic books are defined by the character's dark and surreal sense of humor, frequent fourth wall breaking, pop culture references, violence and mayhem, and explorations of the character's functional immortality and disordered mind. Deadpool comics have varied supporting characters and antagonists depending on the creative and editorial team.

Marvel started heavily featuring the character in 2008, with every month having a Deadpool solo ongoing series, an ongoing series including Deadpool in a partnership or on a team, usually one or more additional mini- or limited series centered on Deadpool, and multiple guest appearances in other series or events. Many of these guest appearances and non-solo series are related to his association with Cable, including their series Cable & Deadpool; mutant teams and characters like the X-Men, X-Force, and Wolverine; and Spider-Man, including the appropriately-named Spider-Man/Deadpool.

A version of Wade Wilson made his film debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds. After years of development, Reynolds returned as the titular character in the Deadpool films, which are truer to the comic book characterization and adapt Deadpool into a mutant whose violence doesn't mesh well with the traditionally heroic X-Men. Deadpool has also appeared in other characters' animated series, on pinball tables both physical and digital, and in video games, including the Deadpool video game and Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Please note that this page covers plot tropes in the Deadpool comics only. For tropes pertaining to the character and his personality traits or those of his supporting characters, see the character sheet.

Please note that this page covers the Deadpool comics only. For tropes pertaining to all Deadpool media, and a list of comic storylines and other works in the franchise, see the franchise page.

Deadpool provides examples of the following tropes:

Deadpool original and ongoing series

Vol. 1: The Circle Chase

Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each issue has the word "duck" in its title.

Vol. 3

Kelly's run

Actually Pretty Funny: Bullseye and Deadpool reminisce about the time they fought over Heinrich Zemo's grave and beat each other with his corpse. They have a laugh about it later. This trope pretty much sums up Deadpool's and Bullseye's relationship.
Baa-Bomb: In issue #16, Deadpool makes nonstop sheep puns while using a rocket launcher disguised as a sheep. Unfortunately, it fails him.
Deadpool: Missed? I... never miss with the sheep gun.
C-List Fodder: In issue #0, Arnim Zola, who's certainly high C-list/low B-list, snatched up DNA samples of dead characters (many of them victims of the Scourge of the Underworld) and resurrected them. Deadpool considered it early Christmas and gleefully killed them all again (yep, even Bucky) before nearly killing Zola for snookering him into looking at a naked Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
Crazy-Prepared: In issue #31, Deadpool fights a bunch of Draculas in a charity hospital on behalf of more benevolent Draculas. Twelve hours prior, he had a priest bless the water tank. Deadpool uses this to shower all those Draculas with holy water.
The Dreaded: In issue #4, Deadpool had a memorable meltdown when he found out that he had to get a blood sample from the big green galoot in an attempt to cure his currently-failing Healing Factor. His reaction was to talk him up using the lyrics of his old cartoon theme song ("Ain't he unglamorous").
Hit Me, Dammit!: While getting "therapy" from Doctor Bong in issue #27 for a post-world-saving mental breakdown, Doctor Bong claims Deadpool's hallucinations can be resolved through the clarity Deadpool achieves in physical combat. Deadpool repeatedly tries to get Wolverine to "snikt" him with his claws. When Wolverine won't budge, Deadpool picks a new way to provoke him: Shoryukening Kitty Pryde. That works.
Deadpool: [singing] Yay now is fighty time fighty time, blood blood blood.
Meaningful Name: The real name of Fenway, a mercenary who is obsessed with baseball, is Homer Unn. Ironically, his nickname comes from one of the hardest ballparks to hit a homer in, due to Fenway Park's infamous "Green Monster".
Noodle Incident:
- In issue #6, Blind Al prays and says things with her and the Lord have been strained "since that whole Vatican incident," and asks for a sign. She gets one by throwing a basketball behind her head, missing the basket, but hearing a kid holler when it lands on their head ("Thanks for the squat, big guy"). What was the Vatican incident?
- In issue #14, Blind Al says there are stories that make Wade look more kind, "including the one about the time he saved my life." An editor's note says, "A story we're just dying to tell... someday!" That was in 1998.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: During Deadpool's showdown with Tiamat, Deadpool got so dangerous that he stopped talking.
Talking Is a Free Action: Parodied in issue #27. Wolverine gives a long speech during a single leap, making Deadpool's friend Ilaney wonder how that's even possible. Former supervillain (and current therapist) Doctor Bong then posits that lengthy mid-air speeches are some kind of mutant power.

Ilaney: Wolverine says much during one leap, no?
Doctor Bong: Excellent observation, Ilaney... I believe lengthy speeches in mid-leap are a form of mutant power.

Twist Ending: The clash between T-Ray and Deadpool comes to a climax when T-Ray reveals that after all the stories about Wade Wilson before he became Deadpool, Deadpool isn't actually the real Wade Wilson... allegedly.

Priest's run

Cursed with Awesome: Deadpool insults Loki and is cursed to have an indestructible Tom Cruise face until he apologized. Attempts to destroy his new face included sticking it into a tiger cage, dunking it in radioactive waste, lying on train tracks, and single-handedly taking on an army of Middle Eastern insurgents (the latter resulting in a temporary costume consisting of Wolverine's pants, a German Spider-Man shirt, Doctor Octopus' tentacles, and a boar's head - with Tom Cruise's face in its mouth). The indestructible face included an indestructible body which allowed Deadpool to survive an explosion that left only him remaining intact in the middle of a huge crater. However, Loki removed the curse immediately after Deadpool figured out how awesome this is.
It Makes Sense in Context: In issue #34, Deadpool garrots Santa Claus with a string of barbed wire and narrates it as "a routine assignment."
Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: In issue #34, Deadpool visited Comic-Book Limbo and briefly encountered a bunch of heroes Priest had written in the past. These included non-Marvel characters like Steel, Green Lantern, Hawkman and a few members of the Justice League Task Force, each of whom had to be partially obscured to avoid any possible litigation from DC Comics.
Self-Deprecation: In Christopher Priest's first issue, Deadpool arrives in Limbo dragging a bag. He throws a bag into the void labeled "Everything that made this book good". He's greeted by various characters whose books Priest was writing when they were cancelled. They tell him that his own cancellation is now inevitable. In Priest's final issue, Deadpool again arrives in Limbo dragging a bag... a body bag. When the other characters realise he's killed the writer responsible for ruining their lives, they all cheer.
Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Parodied in the first ongoing #37 when Deadpool briefly takes possession of a fake copy of Thor's hammer and changes his speech patterns accordingly. His exploits with his new "hammer" involve ordering a disproportionately huge amount of food from Taco Bell, using the hammer as a baseball bat in a major league game (he still strikes out), and attacking a Captain Ersatz of Michael Jackson.
Deadpool: Mayhap thou aren't quite so worthy as thou thinketh! And, since thou knoweth so much, why doth I now talk like Shakespeare in Love? And what is the deal with Marilyn Manson?

Tieri's run

Cursed with Awesome: Deadpool has the hots for Death. Thanos also has the hots for Death. The solution, considering the standard approach kinda won't work here? In "Funeral for a Freak," Thanos makes Deadpool immortal to keep him away from Death.

Scalera's run

The Scream: In issue #57, after ambushing Deadpool during a job, Sabretooth orders Deadpool to scream, which Deadpool does in combination with Screams Like a Little Girl, which naturally just pisses of Sabretooth.
Sabretooth: Scream for me.
Deadpool: Scream? Well, if you insist. Aaaaahhh! For the love of God, aaaaaahhh! Aaaaahhh!!
Sabretooth: Enough, Wilson.
Deadpool: No, wait — now I'll do it like a little girl! Eeek! eeek! eeek—
Sabretooth: I said enough!
Take That!: A pair of little old ladies who hire him to take out a human Road Runner loan him their giant, complicated gun called "The Liefelder".
Targeted to Hurt the Hero: Shortly after Wade resumes a relationship with his longtime on- and off-girlfriend, he gets pulled back into Weapon X by Sabretooth. Wade returns from fighting Garrison Kane, a Weapon X member who also dated her, to find that Sabretooth has fatally clawed Vanessa and spelled "Sabretooth was here" with her blood. She lives long enough for a Dying Declaration of Love. Deadpool spends the next issue on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.

Simone's run

Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: After When Deadpool and Taskmaster visit Sandi after she is hospitalized when her boyfriend assaults her, she makes Deadpool promise he'll only scare the abusive boyfriend off, not kill him. Deadpool follows through with a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. Taskmaster didn't make any promises. Cue Gory Discretion Shot.
Close on Title: In issue #69, the chapter number and title appear at the end of the story along with credits and a dedication to the readers.
Cool and Unusual Punishment: During the climactic battle against a highly cultured assassin known as the Black Swan, Deadpool invades the guy's home, kills his guards, destroys large sections of surrounding forest, defaces artwork worth millions of dollars and makes himself as big a target as possible to lure the Swan into fighting. It is not until he starts singing country and western songs over the PA system that Black Swan finally snaps, "He dies! He dies screaming!" And then Deadpool moves on to alternative folk rock.
Crazy-Prepared: Black Swan attacks Deadpool in his bathroom, and Deadpool dives into his shower behind the curtain. Turns out he previously bought anti-ballistic shower curtains.
Hilarious Outtakes: The last issue ends with outtakes of scenes gone wrong as if being filmed, such as Deadpool corpsing when he flubs a line and a parachuting stunt fail.
Pay Evil unto Evil: Deadpool paid a visit to his assistant Sandi's abusive boyfriend to give him a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, stopping short of killing him because he promised Sandi. Taskmaster, on the other hand, didn't promise her anything and kills the guy anyway.
Less Embarrassing Term: In issue #68, after some heckling from a bystander:
Bystander: Nice scooter, freak!
Deadpool: It's a motorbike! It's 100% manly!
Loud of War: In issue #69, Deadpool annoys Black Swan into a murderous rage by blaring country-western and alternative folk rock through the castle's sound system.
Tranquil Fury: Taskmaster is generally pretty cold and hard to piss off, but in issue #68, we see him let Deadpool whale on Sandi Brandenburg's abusive boyfriend but, at the behest of Sandi, leaves the guy alive. Then, after Deadpool leaves:
Taskmaster: "Funny. I didn't promise her squat."

Agent X

Collector of the Strange: One issue features two rather strange people who collect famous people's underwear.
Beautiful Condemned Building: Alex Hayden is thrilled to have very his own condemned fun park.
Faking Amnesia: Taskmaster accuses Alex Hayden of being Wade Wilson pulling this trick. This ends up being a subversion, as while it's unclear whether he is Deadpool or not, the amnesia is very real. Then, it turns out Alex Hayden isn't even Wade!
Indestructibility Montage: Issue #10 has Agent X attempting to complete a contract on a Flying Brick named Fight Man. He goes along with it just because he's too depressed by both his living situation and the fact that his ex-wife was the one putting out the hit. Bullets bounce off, cars are equally useless, as well as acid baths, explosives, electrocution, poisoning, and attempting to hang himself using suspension cable off a bridge just breaks the bridge. They might have succeeded when it turns he's vulnerable to choking on food, but Agent X gives him a heimlich kick before thinking.
Invisibility: Mary Zero has the mutant power of psychically blanking out her presence for almost anyone, and anyone who did manage to register her soon forgot she existed. The fact that the titular Agent X, due to an advanced healing factor, could both see and remember her, Mary fell madly in love with him. Hilarity ensued.
Just Like Making Love: One issue had a man loudly describing his meal to his disgusted date as the trope. Alex beats the crap out of him at the spot claiming food is not sex.
Most Common Superpower: Lampshaded in Outlaw's case in issue #2, when Alex wakes up to her wig having fallen from the bedstand to his face which surprises him and he starts screaming
Alex: A wig? *points to boobs* Are...are those real?
Outlaw: Well...hate to tell you this, cowboy, but...
Alex: AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Outlaw: What, did you reckon that they just grew all of us out on a perfect body farm somewhere?
Alex: Well, I just naturally assumed...
Naked People Trapped Outside: In issue #2, Alex and Outlaw are assigned to try to take out The Punisher and steal his Colt .45 handguns. They fail miserably and are caught by him, but he surprisingly spares them in exchange for info on who put the bounty on him. But he still takes all of Alex and Outlaw's clothing, and steal Outlaw's car, leaving both stranded naked in the streets. We later see both in a phone booth telling Sandi to bring them clothes, while a crowd forms around them to ogle the naked Outlaw as she uses her hands to try and cover herself.
Shout-Out: It's revealed that super mercenary Taskmaster apparently has EVERYTHING Spice Girls related, including their solo stuff.

Cable and Deadpool

See Cable & Deadpool

Vol. 4

Actually Pretty Funny: Bullseye tries to carry out a contract on Deadpool given to him by Osborn, and they spend the comic trying to kill each other in various ways. Deadpool and Bullseye end up sharing a laugh about it all at the end. Halfway through the fight, Bullseye decides he doesn't actually want to kill Deadpool because he enjoys their fights too much. Seeing as this is Bullseye we're talking about, that's no small feat.
Achievements in Ignorance: In issue #16, Deadpool is so bored one morning that he cooks up 372,844 pancakes. In one morning— 372,844 pancakes. They come in handy when he pushes Domino through his skylight and they break her fall.
Batman Gambit: During the Dark Reign event, Deadpool manipulates the X-Men, H.A.M.M.E.R., Norman Osborn, Ellis Kincaid (father of Cessily Kincaid aka Mercury), the San Francisco Police Department, the general public, the local news, and a chicken. Employed by Osborn to make the X-Men look bad, Kincaid goes on TV claiming the X-Men are holding his daughter on Utopia against her will. Deadpool, on "probationary status" with the X-Men, sees Kincaid on TV and indicates to Domino he'll deal with it. Deadpool wears a homemade X-Men uniform to interrupt a live Kincaid interview and threatens to kill Kincaid; it looks like the X-Men are trying to silence Kincaid and playing into Osborn's hands. Osborn sends Kincaid to a train station with incompetent H.A.M.M.E.R. guards hoping to get Kincaid killed by Deadpool, and Cyclops sends Wolverine to "take Deadpool out of the picture". Deadpool has prepared for Domino to intervene to protect him. He also got Domino to confess she fears chickens. Deadpool puts a rooster in an air vent at the train station, delaying Domino and Wolverine to flush Kincaid outside. Deadpool stations himself on a roof as Osborn sends a sniper for Kincaid who is back on live TV. Deadpool makes it appear that he's trying to kill Kincaid while actually taking out the real sniper, Wolverine guards Kincaid, and the other X-Men fight Deadpool to defeat the apparent bad guy. The X-Men's reputation changes into heroes who saved Kincaid despite how he hates them and Osborn's plans are ruined, just like Deadpool planned. Cyclops is baffled and Wolverine is impressed.
Brought Down to Normal: After Evil Deadpool was killed with a experimental serum that removed his healing factor, Deadpool works throughout the next arc to get his hands on this cure so that he can die permanentaly. After manipulating both X-Force and Tombstone, he finally gets his wish, with the added benifit of it curing his cancer, healing his body of tumors, and regrows his hair. The unintended side-effects of the cure causes Deadpool to rethink dying, but the cure turns out to be temporary.
Bullying a Dragon: In "Operation: Annihilation", this was deliberately done by Deadpool when he wanted to die: as his Regenerative Factor allowed him to survive or even to resuscitate from things that would have killed Wolverine, he decided that being reduced to subatomic particles was his best bet, and pissing off Hulk by nuking him twice was the chosen method. Sadly, by the time he managed to get punched Hulk had calmed down enough that Deadpool was merely liquified, and was back in one piece in five days...
Captain Ethnic: Issue #1000 has a story wherein Deadpool is recruited by the Canadian government to be Canadaman, alongside Canadian superheroes Puck-man, Moositaur, Beaver, and Ms. Puck-man. The team, sans Deadpool, is presumably killed in the team's maple leaf-shaped plane after Deadpool learns that he was the second choice, the first being Wolverine.
Chekhov's Gun:
- In issue #14, Deadpool bought a "boat" and complains to the sellers that his boat sank; it was actually a Russian nuclear submarine. He sets off with a new boat to become a pirate. In pirate-to-pirate combat a few issues later, Deadpool lures his opponent's ship above specific coordinates to detonate the nuke from the sub.
- Thanks to a prior job in Wolverine: Origins, Deadpool used up all his munitions except some plastic explosives. however, he gets bored and shapes them into a comfy but explosive chair. It seems like a gag, but in the next issue, this chair is missing from his apartment. Overseas, Deadpool detonates an entire castle in a massive explosion using the chair.
Chupacabra: In Deadpool #1000, Deadpool fought a bunch of chupacapras who kidnapped a beloved goat named Bella. The owner, a prize-winning chef, thanked Deadpool by making him his prize-winning dish made with only the best ingredients— goat tacos.
Close on Title: In a chapter of Deadpool #900 where Deadpool's eardrums are destroyed by an explosion and he fights magical mimes, there are no words at all until he recovers on the last page and reveals the punny title, "Silent But Deadly."
Death Flight: Evil Deadpool has hijacked a private jet and disposes of the wealthy businessman whom the jet belonged to in this manner.
Evil Deadpool: See that guy?
Businessman: The Pilot?
Evil Deadpool: Yeah. I need him to fly the plane. See that other guy?
Businessman: The Co-Pilot?
Evil Deadpool: Yeah. I need him to help that pilot guy. See her?
Businessman: The Flight Attendant?
Evil Deadpool: Yeah. I need her to pour drinks and to look at.
Businessman: Okay.
Evil Deadpool: I don't need you. [cut to the businessman being thrown out of the plane...]
Downer Ending: The run ends with Evil Deadpool coming back in the last few pages to tell his progenitor that the cure to his healing factor that would allow him to finally die, the prize he's been pursuing for over a dozen issues since they last fought, doesn't work. He then shoots Wade in the head while assuring him that he'll just eventually come back to life to suffer more and cause more suffering for those around him.
Evil Twin: Evil Deadpool is made out of various limbs and heads that Deadpool lost over the years, previously stored in a fridge by a Stalker with a Crush until they fuse together and regenerate when Deadpool throws them in a dumpster. Unlike Deadpool, Evil Deadpool Would Hurt a Child and kidnaps the NYPD chief's children with plans to murder them. He's seemingly defeated in that event, but returns for further antagonistic appearances.
Fan Disservice: Deadpool's Panty Shot, after he borrowed the original Marvel Girl costume. Which has a very short skirt. And yes, everyone present was as disturbed by the [[image◊ as the reader.
French Maid Outfit: In issue #20, Deadpool knows he's on Hit-Monkey's hitlist, and puts a French maid outfit on over his costume. It's... a disguise?
Gambit Roulette: In the tie-in to Secret Invasion, Deadpool attacks a ship of Skrulls and Super Skrulls at a televised baseball game and offers them his loyalty and his services. They capture him, torture him, and incorporate his genetic makeup into Super Deadpool Skrulls thinking they'll be fast-healing killing machines. He convinces the lead scientist to let him train the Deadpool Skrulls, supposedly so they can reach his skill levels but actually so they'll kill all the other Skrulls on the ship. Unlike Deadpool, they don't have his healing factor since that isn't part of his genes— but they do have his out of control cancer and their heads asplode. Then Deadpool is free to steal and transmit information on how to kill the Skrull Queen. None of this was planned by the man who hired him and just wanted Deadpool to get him the information, but it was damn fun for Deadpool.
Interrupted Cooldown Hug: During "Operation: Annihilation", the Hulk is calming down despite Deadpool provoking him with a nuclear bomb. Since Deadpool hopes Hulk will annihilate him, he ticks off Hulk again intentionally.
It Makes Sense in Context:
- Deadpool fulfills a childhood dream by wearing raw meat as body armor and senselessly beating a super villain dressed like a superhero (Bullseye posing as Hawkeye) with a giant ham.
- Deadpool betrays his employer who hired him to rescue his zombified wife, feeds him to his zombie capturers, and double-crosses the zombies.
  Betrayed Zombie Dude: You... betrayed us... you betrayed us all.
  Deadpool: Duh! [kicks zombie in the head]
Kansas City Shuffle: After the end of Way's first arc, Deadpool was supposed to get a big payday from his Gambit Roulette but instead lost out on the money and got his reputation ruined by Norman Osborn. Deadpool sends Osborn a letter to pay him $100 million in 12 hours; Osborn sends his Thunderbolts to kill Deadpool instead. Deadpool recruits Taskmaster's help to impersonate Deadpool, confusing Osborn and the Thunderbolts about which is which, and he allows them to behead him so they'll believe he's dead. Instead, Taskmaster recovers Deadpool's head and sews it back onto his body, and Deadpool reveals he swiped Osborn's gold card in the chaos. They make many ATM withdrawals which Deadpool uses to pay Taskmaster back.
Never Hurt an Innocent: Once when a bunch of mercs break Deadpool out of a jail, callously murdering several cops in the process, Wade turned on them and killed the whole lot of them.
Oh, Crap!: In issue #12, Deadpool is driving a monster truck down a highway (don't ask). When his foe, Bullseye (dressed as Hawkeye) launches a missile from a stinger straight at him. Deadpool gives an "oh shit" moment, before turning it into a Crowning Moment of Awesome, when he simply rolls down both windows, brakes hard, slides to the left, and lets the missile pass through the cabin, and out the other side! Then he drives back, crushes Bullseye's leg under one tire, and then pulls out a chainsaw. Chainsaw! FOR THE WIN!!!
- Even Bullseye gets a minor one, though one would imagine that it's covered up by him muttering "OK, yeah, I admit... That was pretty awesome." Deadpool did counter this when, after stopping on Bullseye's leg, he gets out and asks "cool to park here?" before firing up his chainsaw. That was the point where Bullseye had a REALLY "oh crap" moment, and started thinking fast. Very fast.
  - Probably not as big as the one he suffered when he had Deadpool with a chainsaw, laughing like a maniac no less, about to take his leg off...◊
Shooting Superman: People always shoot Deadpool despite his healing factor repairing the damage, but in "Operation Annihilation," some soldiers are savvy enough to know shooting Hulk would be dumb when Deadpool has already made him furious. They try shooting Deadpool instead, thinking that taking Deadpool down will get Hulk to stop. They miss and hit the Hulk. Luckily, Hulk seems to get that it was an accident.
Shout-Out: To the Marx Brothers, with Deadpool uttering a line similar to the Marx Brothers classic "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member".
"Deadpool" "There is nobody I hate more than my friends."
Stalker with a Crush: Dr. Ella Whitby, a psychiatrist for the maximum-security mental health institution Deadpool is sent to after "Operation Annihilation," has obsessed over Deadpool for years in the hopes of someday meeting him, and claims he's the reason she became a psychiatrist. When he becomes her patient, she wants to "treat" him by bringing out his full violent potential and arranges his escape from the institution. She declares she loves him and shows up wearing her own homemade Deadpool costume. Deadpool goes to her house and discovers she has a fridge full of body parts he's lost over the years. She's creepy, even by Deadpool's standards. After she kills the prison warden in an attempt to impress Deadpool, he tells her he's in love with someone else, and she kills herself.
Take Our Word for It: In issue #10, a young woman named Tanya Patterson hires Deadpool for a hit on Gavin, a pizza delivery guy who spread a rumor in high school so heinous that the readers never learn it and other characters agree Deadpool needs to kill him.
Take That!: When Deadpool has to train a bunch of Super Skrulls with his power set and costume during the Secret Invasion tie-in, one comments on why they have to have so many pouches on them. Deadpool comments sarcastically about them being useful, turns to the reader and says, "Isn't that right, Rob?"
Tranquil Fury: One story in issue #900 has the Merc With The Mouth going to a psychiatrist. During the session Deadpool brings up his occasional "pro bono" work when something really catches his attention, and mentions a story about a therapist who took sexual advantage of a young girl who was his patient, eventually driving her to suicide. Eventually it's revealed that he's speaking to that very same therapist. Deadpool then beheads the man and quietly walks away. The kicker? Deadpool's usual wisecracking internal dialogue was notably absent from the story until after the therapist was killed, showing that Deadpool was 100% not fucking around.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: Deadpool is sick of his immortality and how it keeps him and the personified Death from being together. He repeatedly tries to kill himself in various ways, including via Hulk smash, but his healing factor keeps bringing him back. He no longer appreciates life since he's never at risk of losing it.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: The "Want You To Want Me" arc, which involves Deadpool trying to join the X-Men, includes him continuously pestering Domino to find out what's her greatest fear; turns out it's chickens. While this seems to be a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment for most of the arc, at the end where Domino and Wolverine are tracking Deadpool down they have to go through an air vent occupied by a chicken. Domino will probably never live down that a chicken took her out of action in a fight.
You Bastard!: In the special issue Deadpool #900, he realizes that he would never really die because his fans would like him too much due to his Popularity Power. So he decides to kill all his fans.

Vol. 5

See Deadpool (2012)

Vol. 6

See Deadpool (2015)

Despicable Deadpool

See The Despicable Deadpool

Vol. 7

See Deadpool (2018)

Vol. 8

See Deadpool (2019)

Vol. 9

See Deadpool (2022)

Vol. 10

See Deadpool (2024)

Deadpool mini-series and limited series

Annuals

Fusion Dance: In issue #1, it turns out that the White Thought Box that appeared throughout Vol. 3 was the result of one of these between Deadpool and Madcap, after both of them were disintegrated when Thor electrocuted the pair to dust, with only Deadpool reforming from the remains. Similar cirumstances seperated the two.
Shout-Out: Deadpool Annual #2, is actually called Spideypool.
Subverted Kids' Show: The 2016 annual issue of Deadpool had a story called "Deadpool and His Insufferable Pals", a fictional pilot episode for a spinoff of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends where Deadpool tried to take Spider-Man's place after burying him alive, the Merc with the Mouth doing such things as hitting on Aunt May and manipulating Iceman and Firestar into helping him graphically murder the Sinister Six by falsely accusing them of killing Spider-Man.

Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth

Ascended Meme: "Headpool", the zombie talking head version of Deadpool from the Marvel Zombies universe, started as a invokedFan Nickname before becoming a canon one, with Marvel using the name in solicits for the series.
Barbie Doll Anatomy: An issue of Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth is drawn in a photorealistic style, except when depicting an alternate reality, non-scarred version of Deadpool who removes his shirt for a brawl and inexplicably lacks nipples. Maybe he lost them in his full-body wax.
Betty and Veronica: Literally named Betty and Veronica in Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth, where Dr. Betty Swanson is a blonde, serious A.I.M. scientist who is disgusted by him, and the less inhibited, darker-haired Professor Veronica Chase is an ESU Hot Teacher who uses Deadpool as a booty call until she turns into a zombie that tries to kill him.
Clothing Damage: Dr. Swanson's Hydra clothes get pretty torn.
Double Agent: Dr. Swanson was planted in HYDRA by A.I.M.
Male Gaze: There's lot of focus on Dr. Swanson's rear and breasts, as Deadpool and Headpool notice.
Ms. Fanservice: Dr. Swanson. She's a scientist who worked for AIM, she spent most of her time showing her sexy body to viewers in many different poses. She also seemed to have serious trouble finding clothes that fit, but none at all finding frilly underwear in her size. Even her AIM costume has no pants and shows her cleavage.
Stripperiffic: Dr. Swanson. Bare stomach, mini-shorts, prominent cleavage and even a visible thong.
Take That!: In issue #5, Deadpool kills a A.I.M. agent who says perfers the prequel Star Wars trilogy◊, making the other agent say "Jar Jar Binks is an Abomination" at gunpoint.

Deadpool Team-Up

Cultural Cross-Reference: Apparently Deadpool is a fan of Naruto; In issue #886, he references a title used by the leader of one of the Great Ninja Villages.
The Knights Who Say "Squee!":
- In issue #887, Deadpool fanboys over Thor even when he's beating him up!
Thor: You will be handed over to the authorities. Imprisonment shall be yours. The fate of a thief.
Deadpool: I really find you very attractive.
Beat
Deadpool: Did I say that out loud?
Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth:
- In issue #897, when a demon tries to possess Deadpool, they find a bunch of voices are already in his head. The voices end up taking partial control of Deadpool’s body and beats himself up until the demon find that it's outnumbered and retreat.
- In issue #883, Galactus makes Wade his newest Herald after Wade sees an ad for the position in the classifieds. Though Wade does a good job as a Herald, his incessant chatter drives the mighty planet devouring entity nuts. Galactus is saved when the Silver Surfer arrives and beats the Power Cosmic out of Wade.

Deadpool MAX

Alternate Universe: The series is set in a world where there are no actual superheroes and Deadpool is a deranged CIA assassin under the delusion that he and other characters are superheroes and supervillains.
Composite Character: Deadpool's crazy wife Inez turns out to be Outlaw, Domino, and Copycat.

Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars

The Corrupter: Deadpool is half-jokingly implied to be the true cause of the Venom symbiote's insanity... at least until Venom: Space Knight revealed more of its backstory.
Costume Copycat: When first bonded to it, Deadpool uses the symbiote's shapeshifting abilities to mockingly copy the other heroes' outfits, including Spider-Man's.
Heroic Sacrifice: Deadpool is cleansed of his cancer by the Beyonder, but sacrifices this in order to save everyone. Janet van Dyne — who'd been sleeping with him — repays this sacrifice by mind-wiping everyone except Deadpool out of revulsion at having been attracted to him.
Pet the Dog: In a rare moment of compassion, Deadpool realizes that the symbiote is sentient and immediately returns it to its prison, hoping that the brief period it had spent bonded to him didn't have any adverse effects.
Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: The Wasp, who'd been sleeping with Deadpool, is so disgusted by his scarred body after he sacrifices his restored visage to save everyone that she wishes for everyone's memories of Deadpool's role in what happened to be erased — resulting in everyone except for Deadpool remembering the events how they occurred in the original Secret Wars.
Retcon: The series retells Secret Wars (1984) but with Deadpool in it. And this is actually canon and explains things that didn't jive well with things in the story or later on in comics. But why doesn't everyone remember Deadpool's involvement (other than him only being created seven years after the event)? The Wasp wished so hard to forget Deadpool existed, either out of disgust after seeing his cancer-ridden body or shame for her reaction, that everyone forgot.
The Reveal: The series reveals that the reason for Deadpool's Medium Awareness is accidentally being teleported to the Beyond, where he comes to the realization that he's a fictional character in a comic book.
Schrödinger's Canon: Cullen Bunn has gone on record saying that Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars and Deadpool: Back in Black are canon, and included references to the latter in Poison-X and Deadpool: Assassin #4 to cement it as such. However, Venom (Vol. 4) writer Donny Cates stated on Twitter that as far as he was concerned Deadpool bonding to the Venom symbiote isn't canon, with a somewhat-teasing editorial note in Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool stating that they're not counting it. This led to an argument on Twitter between Cates and Bunn over the canonicity of Bunn's works, with Bunn's stance being backed up by Jordan D. White — senior editor of the X-Men comics — as the reason why Deadpool admires Spider-Man.

You Are Deadpool

Legacy Character: A fifth Grasshoppers shows up, managing to kick Deadpool in the face (that is, if he was able to) before expiring.

Deadpool: The End

Papa Wolf: Deadpool causes the universe to break into utter chaos, traps every hero and villain (barring Spidey who he just kept occupied with the three loves of his life) and is willing to kill Death herself. All for Ellie, even if she was 96. This is also tied to his Heroic Self-Deprecation; he doesn't see himself as worth living and he considers his daughter infinitely more good than him. So the idea of her dying while someone like him lives... he doesn't think so.
Pet the Dog: While Deadpool had all the big name heroes trapped or unable to fight back in an variety of differnt ways, he left Spider-Man unharmed, with the loves of his life (Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, and Black Cat) alive, well and swooning over him at the same time.

Deadpool versus series

Deadpool vs. Carnage

See here.

Hawkeye vs. Deadpool

Blade Brake: In issue #2, Hawkeye has temporary super-strength and gets knocked off the edge of the building. He slows his path by jamming two arrows into the wall and sliding down, gouging furrows in the wall till he stops.
For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: Unintentional example. Kate Bishop meets◊ Deadpool for the first time on Halloween and compliments him on "The best Freddy Krueger make up I've ever seen" only to be flatly told by Clint that it's Deadpool's actual face. Kate merely smiles, shoots Deadpool a thumbs up and a happy Halloween, then turns around and silently screams at Clint.
I'll Take Two Beers Too: This happens in issue #0. It's justified, as Deadpool needs the calories to burn to make it easier to use his Healing Factor faster.
Deadpool: Four hot dogs, please.
Hawkeye: Oh, no thanks, I'm not hungry.
Deadpool: Fine. Four hot dogs, please, and none for my friend.
Not a Mask: When Kate Bishop meets Wade for the first time while he's not wearing his mask. Because it's Halloween, she compliments him on his awesome Freddy Krueger makeup only to be informed by Clint that that's his real face. Awkwardly trying to play it off, she turns to face Clint with a comically mortified expression.
Reality Has No Subtitles: Clint interacts with tricker-treaters, yet because of his costume, Clint is not wearing his hearing aid. The reader is shown panels where children are clearly talking to Clint, but no dialogue bubbles are included. Finally, Clint tells one tricker treater that he is not wearing his hearing aid and he can't read lips because of the Halloween masks people are wearing.
- Deadpool pulls up the portion of his mask that usually covers his mouth when talking to Clint so Clint can read his lips. He also signs which appear to be a series of lewd gestures, but it's unsure as the signs are not subtitled.
Screaming at Squick: Kate Bishop meets◊ the latter for the first time on Halloween and compliments him on "the best Freddy Krueger makeup I've ever seen" only to be informed by Clint that it's Deadpool's real face. She gives Deadpool a thumbs up and then turns around and silently screams at Clint.

Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular

Biting-the-Hand Humor: The Squirrel Girl subplot is a massive jab at the trend of making all comics Darker and Edgier, especially Marvel's own Civil War (2006). Squirrel Girl says she misses when comic book worlds were "places to escape to, not from", then she tries to convince formerly light-hearted Speedball to stop being Penance. Penance is self-blaming and self-punishing, so he repeatedly smashes his head against the wall and yells about doing "deep stuff" because he's "deep now" and it's "too deep" for Squirrel Girl. She responds by backing away slowly to leave and tells Tippy-Toe, her squirrel partner, that Penance is a nut.
Can't Hold His Liquor: All the superheroes in the Marvel Universe are being inebriated by a Dionysus powered Inebriation Wave; Mr. Immortal, however, is the only person to succumb to alcohol poisoning. Needless to say, he got better.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Squirrel Girl gives Deadpool the beating of his life in the space of a single page.
Take That!: The special has a Squirrel Girl subplot, which is a massive jab at the trend of making all comics Darker and Edgier. It starts with her outright saying she misses times comics worlds were "places to escape to, not from", then she goes to convince Speedball to stop being Penance, which ends with him smashing his head against the wall and yelling he's deep now.

Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy

Fan Disservice: When Wolverine comes to ask Deadpool for help, Deadpool is shown naked in the shower.◊
- Wolverine also has the "pleasure" of seeing Deadpool dressed as Phoenix.◊
Naked People Are Funny: Wolverine shows up to recruit Deadpool while the latter is showering with his mask on. The censoring methods are increasingly ridiculous for four pages of naked. Soap bubbles cover Deadpool's naughty bits as he leaps out of the shower, Wolverine raises his hand to block the sight from himself and the readers, he unsuccessfully offers a towel as Deadpool lounges with his legs sprawled open, Deadpool's reader-facing leg covers him as he hops up, Wolverine holds up a locator remote control, a convenient black shadow is falls on Deadpool's groin, and finally the comic itself uses the next panel to cover Deadpool's junk.

Black Panther vs. Deadpool

Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: After a bazooka-induced head injury, Deadpool has trouble concentrating on talking to T'Challa without being distracted by the fact that he looks like a cat.
Fee Fi Faux Pas: Deadpool makes quite a few, seemingly deliberately. Lampshaded by T'Challa when Shuri says "Hakuna Matata" was the worst thing DP could have said, and her brother tells her "just wait".
Shout-Out:
- Deadpool is glad he can finally use the catchphrase "Let's get dangerous!" legally. (Later on, someone claims to be "the thing that goes 'thump' in the night".)
- The kid driving the schoolbus claims his name is Lin-Manuel Barack Kahleesi.
- Deadpool greets the Wakandan Royal family with the catchphrase "Hakuna Matata", and later shows up accompanied by a meerkat and a warthog.
- At which point he declares he'll make the Azanians an offer they can't refuse.

Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool

Actually Pretty Funny: Carnage actually laughs when Freak eats his picture of Deadpool in Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool #2, though he tells Freak that if he eats Deadpool, spit out the spine.
Canon Discontinuity: Played for Laughs in the second issue of Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool: When Carnage claims Deadpool bonded to four different symbiotes, an editor quickly points out, in the captions, that it's actually five if one counts Deadpool: Back in Black (which by extension also refers to Secret Secret Wars). A second set of captions has another editor quickly adding in that no, they don't count it.
Continuity Cavalcade: The solicit for Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool #2 notes that Wade Wilson has bonded to five symbiotes, a reference to him becoming Hybrid's host in Deadpool vs. Carnage and either the time he bonded to the Venom symbiote in Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars and Deadpool: Back in Black, or the time he briefly bonded to an offshoot of the Venom symbiote in Cable & Deadpool #50. The second issue itself features a short, humorous debate between the editors over whether Back in Black is considered canon, and repeatedly bolds the number "four" when talking about the number of symbiotes Deadpool has bonded to.
"Eureka!" Moment: In the first issue of Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool, Carnage has one when confronting a symbiote-infected Man-Wolf over not knowing that Deadpool would interfere with his plans, with the mention of Deadpool's "unicorn" hoodie (actually a rhino hoodie that was a birthday present to Spider-Man from the Rhino) giving Carnage the idea that Deadpool is a unicorn, in a metaphorical sense at least; since Deadpool is the only human alive who Carnage knows has bonded to four symbiotes,^note giving him four codices, he is highly valuable to Carnage's plan of harvesting codices from symbiote hosts.
Half the Man He Used to Be: In the finale of Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool, Wade puts dynamite in his body to take out Dark Carnage. It works, but it puts his lower torso out of reach for both Spidey and Wade to pull it down.
Legacy Character: The Hybrid symbiote separates into its constituent symbiotes and bonds to a family of four in Deadpool Vol. 7 #14.
Mythology Gag: The title is a reverse of the Deadpool vs. Carnage mini-series — also doubling as a reference to a joke in the miniseries.
Obfuscating Disability: At the end of Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool, Wade convinces Spidey to wait on him hand and foot until his legs regrew. That is, until Spidey catches the fact that Deadpool had long since regrown his legs and kicks the crap out of him over it.
Series Continuity Error: In the Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool tie-in, Carnage states that Deadpool is a metaphorical unicorn because he's the "only human alive" who's bonded to four different symbiotes. Unless the emphasis there is on "alive", that statement disregards Scott Washington, who bonded to the same four symbiotes at once as Hybrid years before. There's also Eddie,^* but it could be argued that Carnage is saving him for later. It's also worth noting that Deadpool was actually bonded to five Symbiotes if one counts Secret Secret Wars and Deadpool: Back In Black, but the second issue addresses this by revealing the editors don't count those.
You Have Failed Me: Invoked in Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool #1 when Man-Wolf lets Misty Knight and Deadpool escape. Dark Carnage decides that John Jameson has outlived his usefulness and prepares to kill him, only to relent when he has a "Eureka!" Moment.

Comic Book / Deadpool