The 10 best Deadpool comics for new readers

Gearing up for Deadpool 3? These Marvel comics will offer the best glimpse into the mind of the Merc with a Mouth, although it may not be a mind you want to see into.

The only MCU movie to release in 2024 will be Deadpool & Wolverine, in a twist that nobody saw coming. The film is the outlier following mass delays in the fallout from the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. 

The film will be released on July 26, 2024, and behind-the-scenes leaks have already made some huge revelations. Meanwhile, rumors are heating up that a trailer is incoming, possibly during the Super Bowl. 

If you want to get caught up on Marvel’s regenerating degenerate before the film, these Deadpool comics will give you an excellent glimpse into the mind of Deadpool.

Marvel’s best Deadpool comics for new and returning readers

Contents:

• Uncanny Avengers: Lost Future
• Cable & Deadpool: If Looks Could Kill
• Deadpool vs. The Punisher
• Secret Agent Deadpool
• Deadpool & Death Annual ’98
• Dead Presidents
• Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
• Uncanny X-Force: The Apocalypse Solution
• The Circle Chase
• Deadpool by Joe Kelly

If you’re new to the character or are just looking for a refresher, these are the best Deadpool comics for new readers.

Uncanny Avengers: Lost Future

Uncanny Avengers saw Wade joining the team in its second volume as something of a surprise. Deadpool’s tenure on the team marks a fairly significant period in his life, as it highlights just how far he’s come in the superhero community.

These days, though, it’s mostly remembered for kicking off a controversial pairing between Rogue and Deadpool. And if you think the Rogue and Magneto pairing was controversial, it’s a pale shadow compared to this one. 

The pairing is somewhat downplayed now, though the two get a few sweet moments in Fall of House of X’s Uncanny Avengers relaunch. Regardless of how you feel about the pairing, though, this might be the best pure example of Deadpool evolving into a superhero.

Cable/Deadpool: If Looks Could Kill

Marvel Comics

Once upon a time, Deadpool wasn’t the instant draw for fans that he is today. He was still popular, but the books weren’t lighting up sales charts with the general public. 

With the streamlining of the X-Men titles in the early 2000s, Deadpool found himself in a team-up book with time-displaced future soldier Cable. The story saw the two thrust into a partnership when their DNA is mixed together, resulting in Deadpool being dragged along unwittingly whenever Cable uses his teleporter. 

But the wild thing is…Cable/Deadpool is really good. The irreverent Deadpool and the stoic Cable paired together perfectly, and their stories mixed the big-stakes action of Cable trying to save the future with the low-brow humor of Deadpool just trying to make a living. Cable/Deadpool is a genuinely unique affair, a once-in-a-lifetime team-up book that features some of the best stories these characters have ever had. 

Deadpool vs The Punisher

The Punisher presents a unique challenge to comic book writers. Outside of a few exceptions, he doesn’t normally get a proper rivalry. He just kills his villains. 

That’s what makes Punisher squaring off against Deadpool such an interesting idea. The question asked by the series is dead simple: can Punisher keep killing Deadpool and stay alive? 

The two are at odds over a villain, The Bank, and how to deal with him, which leads to one of Marvel’s wackiest (and goriest) wars. Deadpool vs. The Punisher isn’t a book that ever takes itself too seriously, but fans who want to see these two titans of murder collide need to give this one a read.

Secret Agent Deadpool

The best Deadpool stories kick off with a strong premise. Secret Agent Deadpool exemplifies this with a strong twist set-up that puts the Merc With a Mouth on his suavest adventure. 

Deadpool believes he’s hired to kill a philanderer, but it’s actually super cool secret agent Jace Burns, who Deadpool promptly blows up. In the process, Deadpool winds up in possession of Burns’ watch. Spy agency the Risk Management Organization mistakes the scarred Deadpool for a badly burned Jace. 

Secret Agent Deadpool sees Deadpool get what is arguably his dream job. He’s thrown into the spy game with all the gadgets and perks he could possibly want, which sets up for some of the best comedy and action you can imagine with the character. 

Deadpool & Death Annual ‘98

The 1998 Marvel Annuals had a unique gimmick of teaming up heroes. Deadpool, as always, couldn’t do things the same as everyone else, so he hung out with Death. 

Deadpool and Death remain one of the most iconic pairings in a comic book, and it all starts here. Falling off a cliff, Deadpool relives portions of his life in his dying moments, all the while forming a unique bond with Death. 

Deadpool cheats death here and several other times. However, his on-again/off-again relationship with Death would persist for years, even when he was granted seeming immortality by Thanos as part of a jealous effort to keep the two apart.

Dead Presidents

A necromancer fed up with the state of America resurrects dead presidents to lead the country into a new golden age, but the zombie Presidents aren’t all there. This leads to a huge public controversy when Captain America is seen decapitating a zombie Truman. 

SHIELD obviously can’t have that. The obvious workaround is to hire a mercenary to do the dirty work of eliminating the zombie Presidents, which is where Deadpool comes in.

Dead Presidents is the opening salvo of a really spectacular Deadpool run co-written by comedian Brian Posehn. This run does a lot to re-establish Deadpool in the larger Marvel universe and update the character’s confusing origins, but it also is just great to see a fun romp where Deadpool hangs out with other Marvel heroes. 

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe

The X-Men, seeing Deadpool worse off than ever, commit him to the Ravencroft Asylum. There, the nefarious Psycho-Man poses as a psychiatrist, aiming to use Deadpool’s Weapon X brainwashing to make him the perfect weapon. Instead, something breaks. 

Deadpool has always been off, but now he’s keenly aware of just how dire his life is – and that of everyone around him. The broken Deadpool sets out to kill everyone in a misguided effort to “save” them. 

This remains one of the most beloved universe massacres in Marvel history and showcases Deadpool at his most lethal. Plus, there’s a twist ending that comic book fans will love. 

Uncanny X-Force: The Apocalypse Solution

By the time of Uncanny X-Force, Deadpool had shown up on a handful of teams, but this may be the one fans first really took to. 

The first Uncanny X-Force arc, The Apocalypse Solution, sees Wolverine assemble a new X-Force to stop the return of Apocalypse. The catch: Apocalypse has been revived as a child. 

Uncanny X-Force asks a lot of hard questions but does show a more tender side of Wade. Sure, there are gag moments like Deadpool feeding strips of his own flesh to Archangel so he won’t succumb to famine, but his reaction to the notion of having to kill the child Apocalypse is unforgettable.

Deadpool: The Circle Chase

Marvel Comics

It’s pretty easy to look at Deadpool post-1997 and just enjoy the wacky hijinks, but there is some nuance to how he got there. 1994’s Deadpool: The Circle Chase is something of a forgotten gem that sets the stage for that. 

Set shortly after Deadpool’s X-Force adventures, The Circle Chase sees Deadpool on a mad tear around the world in search of the ultimate weapon. Along the way readers finally get a glimpse at Deadpool’s origin, learning of his background as a cancer survivor and seeing his early days in the Weapon X program. 

More than that, this is the first admission of Deadpool’s that he could be more than a killer. While it may not be a direct line between this story and the 1997 Deadpool launch, The Circle Chase definitely laid the groundwork for today’s version of the character.

Deadpool by Joe Kelly

Marvel Comics

It feels like cheating to name an entire run, but it really needs to be this way. If you want the best Deadpool comics to start with, it’s the seminal Joe Kelly run that starts in 1997’s Deadpool #1. 

For much of the ‘90s, Deadpool was a wacky merc, and his character was slowly developing. The 1997 run defined the character, with many elements from this run making their way to the movie. 

There are just too many iconic moments from this run to pick one. From Deadpool’s first meetings with T-Bird to the legendary issue where he’s stuck in a 1960s issue of Spider-Man, Joe Kelly’s Deadpool is the place to start for the definitive Merc With a Mouth experience. 

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