Deadpool Wade Wilson — New Mutants issue 98 comic cover introducing Deadpool, Gideon, and Domino

Deadpool Wade Wilson

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Published July 30, 2026

Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, is Marvel Comics' fourth-wall-breaking mercenary who debuted in New Mutants #98 in 1991 and grew from a niche X-Force antagonist into an internet-favorite anti-hero. His self-aware humor made him a meme fixture across Tumblr, YouTube cosplay culture, and the 2016 Ryan Reynolds film's viral marketing push.

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Overview

Deadpool, alter ego of Wade Wilson, is Marvel's masked mercenary defined by red-and-black spandex, twin katanas, and a mouth that never shuts up1. The character breaks the fourth wall constantly, addressing readers directly and cracking jokes about being fictional, which made him a natural fit for internet remix culture long before the movies showed up2.

Wade Wilson's backstory ties him to Weapon X, the same Canadian super-soldier program that produced Wolverine. Experimental treatment cured his cancer but wrecked his skin and his sanity, and left him with a healing factor even faster than Wolverine's4. His scarred face is usually hidden under the mask, and his running inner monologue is often shown as onscreen text boxes arguing with him2.

Fans latched onto the mix of tragedy and absurd humor, and Know Your Meme lists him in the site's own category naming quirk where rejected entries get labeled "deadpooled"3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Marvel Comics (print) / Tumblr, YouTube (viral spread)
Creator
Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld
Date
1991

Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98, published by Marvel in February 1991, created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld2. Liefeld has said the DC villain Deathstroke, whose civilian name is Slade Wilson, inspired the mercenary design, which is why Marvel handed the character the almost-matching name Wade Wilson3.

He returned as a recurring antagonist in X-Force, then got his own miniseries "Deadpool: The Circle Chase" in 1993 and an ongoing series by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness starting in January 19973. The 1997 run cemented the wise-cracking meta voice fans still quote today.

How It Spread

Internet fandom pushed Deadpool from cult comic favorite to a constant reference through the late 2000s. A dedicated Facebook fan page cleared 115,000 followers, DeviantArt hosted more than 51,000 pieces of Deadpool fan art, and the Tumblr and Twitter tags stayed active enough that Marvel started printing meme-referencing variant covers3. The 2012 "Marvel NOW!" relaunch delivered "Call Me Maybe" Deadpool on Uncanny Avengers #1 and a Gangnam Style Deadpool on The Avengers Vol. 5 #1, both direct nods to viral songs of that year3.

Cosplayer D-Piddy launched his Deadpool YouTube channel on October 7, 2012 and pulled roughly 180,000 subscribers within two years, with a Gangnam Style parody video topping 2.3 million views3. Fan-made trailers stacked up too, including a February 2010 Ryan Reynolds fan cut that hit 5 million views before real leaked test footage in July 2014 pushed 20th Century Fox toward finally greenlighting the film1.

Fox officially announced Deadpool's February 12, 2016 release date in September 20141. The studio's marketing team ran a viral campaign that included a faked April 2015 Extra interview with Mario Lopez pulling 1.9 million views, a testicular-cancer awareness clip with Reynolds in costume, a Twelve Days of Deadpool GIF push on Twitter with DeviantArt, and a Super Bowl 50 commercial that spiked Twitter mentions to more than 120,000 the following day at a 19:1 positive ratio3.

How to Use This Meme

Deadpool image macros typically pair a still from the comics or films with a snarky caption that breaks the fourth wall, often mocking the viewer or the meme format itself. Common conventions include chimichanga jokes, references to his healing factor, and self-aware asides written in his signature yellow text boxes.

Frequently Asked Questions