Deadpool: The Origin Story

Wade Wilson, also known as ‘Big Dee Pee’, is just your neighborhood friend or foe (more than likely foe). You may have heard about him, maybe not; regardless, he is getting a movie in 2016, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds. Now, you could be asking yourself “Who is Wade Wilson and why should I care?” I am sure Wade is not surprised you do not know who he is because few people know Deadpool by his real name. In all his guts, sarcasm, glory, sass, and wit, Deadpool is one of the more complex characters that Marvel has created. Though he teams up with various other superheroes in the Marvel universe, Deadpool can be considered one of a kind. Even if you’re not convinced, Deadpool would argue you down about how one of a kind he is, because that’s just how he rolls.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

In light of the new film coming out Deadpool (2016), this is going to fill you in on a bit about who he is and how he got to be where he is. Even how many times he has died and who he has dated in the past. So when that moment comes and you go to the movie theater to see Deadpool in 2016, you will now know some things about who he is as a Marvel character. That is, in order to not be the only one in the crowd that is offended by Wade’s humor.

PSA: Most of this description about Deadpool could be false. That is, considering he’s a compulsive liar (and he also remembers slim to none about his past). Whatever is said after this could be taken either way. Do with that as you will.

Now, let’s get started.

Deadpool: Trading Card

  • Name: Wade Winston Wilson (WWW)
  • Located: New York
  • Marital Status: Married/Divorced (many times)
  • Occupation: Mercenary/Former Fugitive/Government Operative/Sumo Wrestler/Soldier/Assassin/Anti-Hero/Bodyguard/Pirate/Mob Enforcer/etc.
  • Education: High School Dropout/US Army Forces Training
  • Gender: Male
  • Features: Scarred Skin/Bald
  • First Appearance: New Mutants #98 (1991)

Wade Wilson: The Beginning

Wade Wilson does not remember much of his childhood. But, Wade would tell you it went a little something like this. His dad abandoned him and his mother when he was a mere boy. Thus resulted in his mom relying on alcohol, humor, and home shopping networks. That resulted in Wade running away from home and joining the army once he turned 18. That story is false. It’s what Wade thinks happened. The true story is that later it was realized his parents were very much so alive and in Canada, where he is from. He did run away, but later when he went back to his old home, he did not recognize anything, not even his parents. All the torture and maneuvering to his brain throughout his adulthood altered the many memories he once had that he no longer does. Most of the memories he has now are not what he thinks they are. He is slowly gaining them back—slowly, but surely.

Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine

Little is known about Wade’s adulthood, he either keeps to himself or tells too much. When he does tell too much, he tells about his insecurities through dialogue. That is more so than his actual life. Yet, what we do know is: he has traveled a bit and had significant relationships throughout that said traveling. Not much is known besides that. When Wade did travel he became a (sumo) wrestler for three years between that. Also, throughout that traveling, he was asked to kill someone and he declined the offer. Remember that, because that is the first time he has ever declined to kill someone. After that, he went back to the US.

Wade, at this time, was currently in a relationship with Vanessa Carlysle. A teenage mutant prostitute (this was before she was Copycat). DP ended things with her after he found out he had cancer. He did not want her to be with someone who was sickly and on the verge of dying. He had chemo for a while, but eventually gave that up. And that is just the beginning of who Wade Wilson is.

Deadpool: The Middle

Weapon X is where DP started his romantic relationship with Death, but that is a whole story in itself. First, let’s talk about Weapon X. Location = Canada and Department = Department K where he was offered a redemption of himself in a special weapons development branch. But, it was actually a branch for DP to join a superhuman enhancement project. This was a project where he was going to be their test subject. The Weapon X program reversed his cancer, in a way, because of the healing factor from the Wolverine. This will prove to be a pro and a con later down the line of DP’s life.

Deadpool
Deadpool

This is where it gets interesting, kind of. DP kills his teammate (I want to say on accident, but probably not). That results in DP getting rejected from Weapon X and getting sent to hospice. Hospice is a place where failed superheroes are supposed to get treated. But, nothing ever works that way in the Marvel Universe. What I can tell you is, it was a place where these two insane doctors (one being, Doctor Killebrew) try out experiments. They were insane and tortured DP for their satisfaction. You can find Dr. Killebrew in Deadpool: Sins of the Past Vol 1 (1994).

DP then forms a relationship with death. Yes, you read that correctly, death and death was a she. He was so in love with her, in fact, he tries killing himself to be with her, or tries being killed by someone else. Death then asked DP to kill worm and end his suffering, so he did. However, if you killed another patient in hospice, it was death row basically. That resulted in DP being killed (for the first time)—heart torn out, kind of killed. Left for dead. DP had a vengeance and that vengeance was so strong it restarted the healing factor. What the healing factor did was it started his heart back up and he escaped. He killed the doctor before he left, of course, this would not be a DP origin story without a killing. That is also when he took the name Deadpool and fled the scene.

Following that, he did odd jobs. He worked for Wilson Fisk a bit, made a costume, clashed with Wolverine, and held Blind Al captive. So, there’s that.

Deadpool: The Middle (Still)

After he escaped from hospice he had some odd jobs, ran into a few bumps in the road, and then tried to kill Cable. He did not win. He then teamed up with a few X-Men guys and fought some too, he was going through a rough patch. His past crept up to him again. Weapon X’s Department K caught up to him and he then provide tissues and blood samples for Butler. This was also another sketchy doctor, who wiped DP’s mind to convince him to do things. Most importantly, kill his parents. Even after DP quit, Butler still drugged and assaulted him during his sleep to get what he needed from DP. This is also around the time DP tried to join Heroes for Hire (like the Avengers, but not).

There are many times where DP tried to get out of the killing scene and just live a normal life. He slowly realizes that it will always be a part of him and gets pulled back in, one way or another. He took in a sidekick named Kid Deadpool into his home, but Kid Deadpool was initially after revenge and blew up his home. To revenge his father’s death. DP eventually got him back. He was contacted by Weapon X (Sabretooth), once again, and joined back once again. But DP found it to be too bloody, (no, really). They upgraded his healing factor, though, so I guess you could say that was not a total loss.

Following that, Copycat (Vanessa Carlysle) was killed by Sabretooth. And knowing good ol’ superhero DP, he confronted the Director (the Director of Weapon X). That resulted into him getting his healing factor reversed once again. And dying, once again.

Deadpool
Deadpool Flirting (Or Trying)

The effects of the healing upgrade, then again, resurrected him. The aftermath was it left him, amnesiac. An encounter with an old friend he had thus got his memory back (partial). That is when he realized people were impersonating him when he was away. These imposters were visions of his own personality, that were created by Thanos. Well, Thanos hired someone to do it. But, it lead back to Thanos either way and that’s what matters. At the end of the day, Thanos did get a little jealous over DP’s relationship with Death. So, he vowed to mess that up by creating more imposters. DP saved the day, though, like always. He crushed the device like the noble steed he was. Along with that, he also shot fragments of his own mind into the whirlwind. DP then teamed up with Cable and he had a great time actually, went on adventures and everything—they were the best of pals. They were such good pals that Cable returned the lost fragments of DP’s mind (Best friends, is what I would call that).

He got into S.H.I.E.L.Dno, rather, he bugged his way into S.H.I.E.L.D. So, in the end, they had no choice. But, to say yes. His first job was to find Cable and he proved unsuccessful in that job. He got back into Agent X and then resulted in jobs that were unpaid and left him eventually broke (or borderline broke). But, aside from S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent X, he also has a team called X-Force, where he teams up with X-Men superheroes to eliminate threats.

Deadpool: The End

Deadpool Gets Married
Deadpool Gets Married Issue

After this, he went down a spiral of sadness. Mostly because he was unable to fully be content with himself, especially from the turmoil he was caused throughout the years. I guess you could say he learned to come to terms with that, he makes snarky comments about it every chance he gets. One can assume he has learned to come to terms with it. DP does have a child. But, he thought it would be best if he did not reach out to have a relationship with her. Mostly because of who he is and what his job is. DP did also get married to Shiklah, so he is currently married. He also has created a new version of Heroes for Hire. It is a corp where he hired different versions of himself for time efficiency. Alas, though, he had to leave his family behind for the risk of getting them hurt.

Deadpool and Shiklah
Deadpool and Shiklah

Even though DP has a snarky, mean streak attitude, he is still the most efficient, relatable superhero in the land of Marvel. He takes out an opponent, never dies, and can make you laugh in a single sentence. The bad guy somehow makes his way to the good guy and even though his good guy is still bad there is something about DP that makes us interested in what he has to say. He is a true anti-hero. No matter what DP has made us chuckle with a single frame and his ability to do that is outstanding. So, with that being said, here is all you need to know about DP (well—most of the important parts anyway).

What do you think? Leave a comment.

Posted on by
I enjoy living recklessly and writing in a similar aspect.

Want to write about Comics or other art forms?

Create writer account

39 Comments

  1. Emily Deibler

    Wow, thank you for the informative (and witty) article. I knew Deadpool’s name and saw him referenced in different instances on the Internet for several years, but I hadn’t much of a clue about his backstory. All I knew was that he was sardonic and broke the fourth wall, and I did see the trailers for the 2016 movie. Great work.

  2. It is sad to see what Deadpool has become since he went mainstream. He no longer is the strong, deadly deeply complicated damaged character… now he is depicted as a skinny pathetic joke character. Joe Kelly’s run is the definitive Deadpool, the cable and deadpool series was the last time I read Deadpool and actually enjoyed him. It is truly sad to see a great character destroyed by his own fame.

    • There are plenty of “strong, deadly deeply complicated damaged” characters, if Deadpool were like that, would be another forgettable boring side character. It’s better to have someone with at least a bit of identity and personality between all archetypes of characters that we are used to.

  3. Thank you for this!

  4. Great stuff. It’s crazy how I’ve been a spidey fan forever but Deadpool is becoming one of my favourite characters =) keep up the good work.

  5. Simply put, deadpool is a caricature of deathstroke from DC.

    • Yeah, he is. But since the early era, he has molted into something that’s different from all characters. He’s more… Complex than Deathstroke. Slade is highly intelligent Mercenary where Wade is basically insane Mercenary. Yeah, caricature but well made one as his insanity is so strong, that it makes sense time to time. Absolutely love both characters, but Deadpool is just simply SO caricaturist version of Slade, that he manages alone. I don’t even know would “rookie-reader” realize anymore how he is copycat of Slade (unless their names are told), if this “rookie” would made read an issue of DP and DS.

  6. I’ve never been much for comics, but I played the Deadpool game, and fell in love with the character. I will be reading his stories.

    • scole

      I haven’t played the game yet, but that’s next on my DP list, I heard it was super good!

  7. ADenkyirah

    As a huge comic book fan and Deadpool fan, I found this article well informed and fun to read! I sent this article to my friend who was on the fence on reading Deadpool and this article convinced her to read the comic! Keep up the good work.

    • scole

      I’m so happy I could do that! That’s such a huge compliment 🙂 I hope your friend loves them and continues to read DP he’s one of my favorite superheroes!

  8. I do like the fact that this article gives a basic overview of Deadpool. It is a useful aid in learning about a comic book character, so as to have a better understanding about the world about the character. The article, most importantly, expresses the complexity of Deadpool, in a way that would make me want to learn more about him. As such, excellent work.

  9. He’s just a hilarious immortal bat shit insane guy who randomly shows up and tries to either kill or assist the other heroes. Of course he is a complex character, and has one of the more depressing back stories but he’s also hilarious insane and fun.

  10. Farahke
    1

    I remember that there was a point where Deadpool (or a perfect clone) starred in the Agent X Series, and the premise was that Wade Wilson was dead and Agent X just sort of appeared in order to have adventures with hot babes (as one does). I think Agent X had a limited run but was hilarious; it remains my favorite Deadpool series.

  11. Pa Pointer
    1

    Thanks so much for showing my favorite anti hero some attention.

  12. Valentine
    1

    If dead pool can survive any disease then how did he become infected with the cannabl surum from marvel universe vs the Avengers and marvel universe vs the puniser…

  13. Kids at my school are always excited about deadpool and they only know him from the video games and nothing else.

  14. Deadpool literally can’t die. Thanos made him immortal because, Thanos was jealous of Deadpool and MIstress Death’s relationship.

  15. Thank you Gail Simone! No Deadpool movie if you hadn’t brought him back to what we love.

  16. I couldn’t finish the post because of your horrific grammatical errors, which makes me sad because I love Deadpool and always like to learn more about him. Pity.

  17. Kevin Mohammed

    I have always loved Deadpool as a character and the more I find out about him, the more I friggin’ love him!

  18. This tackles the time old difficulty of wading through comic book chronology well! I would love some focus on the 90’s deadpool before the creators began the 4th wall aspects to the character, primarily the Jim Lee era X-MEN Deadpool. That is one of comics more interesting character shifts that happened before reaching our current conception of Wade.

  19. EarlCoker
    1

    I prefer the version of Deadpools father where Deadpool blames himself for his death. Where the twist is that his father is berating him in a bar about throwing his life away and leaving the military when some drunkard assaults and kills his father. DP blames himself and always tells it like he did the killing himself. The flashbacks always showing him holding the smoking gun and his dad laying on the ground dead… but the true flashback being that he shot the man that killed his father. It adds an emotional depth to the backstory, twisted by the fact that DP might not even be remembering it right anymore and that his version of events might just be how he remembers the life of Wade Wilson.

  20. In reality, he’s not really a mutant. He was given his powers

  21. Melva Lau
    2

    If deadpool can reheal why cant he regane his normal skin and hair?

    • scole

      This is something I think about quite a bit honestly, I think it could be because he had cancer and he was already pretty far along so when his heart restarted those two times, it just stopped in general and left everything how it was from the chemo. But, that is a good question!

  22. I hope the deadpool movie is good I’m hoping for great but I’ll settle for good. I wish marvel had the rights to the wolverine movies maybe we would have got a cameo from captain america during the war scenes or wolverine do a cameo in captain america first avenger.

  23. deadpool is such a copycat

  24. Deadpool is awesome!

  25. Liked Deadpool before he became Spiderman with guns.

  26. ericg

    I didn’t know much about Deadpool before reading this, but I was under the impression he was some whimsical, sarcastic guy who went on wacky adventures and cracked jokes all the time, and never got serious. So I was surprised to learn that he had such a dark origin story. I wonder, how could the comic be so funny when all this lore just seems so…depressing?

  27. Tatijana

    Yep I haven’t heard of him. Also I find it interesting that a semi bad guy gets married so many times haha!

  28. I’m just entering the world of comics books. I’m a newbie and I’ll admit it. I love these articles. You all are doing an amazing job at writing.

  29. Excellent piece! As much as I do love Deadpool, I can’t help but wonder if his growing popularity can be in any way tied to the popularity of Donald Trump. Someone who does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, regardless of societal “norms,” or concern for the public at large. Early response to the upcoming film seems universally positive. Who are our heroes becoming? Are we on our way to a Waid/Ross “Kingdom Come”-type confrontation of ideas concerning heroes?

  30. Amanda Dominguez-Chio

    Great piece! Thank you for this!

  31. The backstory is consistent with other superhero backstories.

Leave a Reply to ericg Cancel reply