A fictitious character created by Marvel Comics, Deadpool can be found in American comic books. First appearing in The New Mutants #98 (cover dated February 1991), the character was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld. When Deadpool initially appeared in The New Mutants and later in X-Force issues, he was portrayed as a supervillain; nevertheless, he eventually changed into his more known antiheroic figure. Wade Winston Wilson, better known as Deadpool, is a deformed mercenary with superhuman strength and regenerative abilities. The “Merc with a Mouth” is the nickname given to the character due to his incessant habit to talk and joke, even breaking the fourth wall for comedic effect and running gags.

The character’s popularity has seen him featured in numerous forms of other media. In the 2004 series Cable & Deadpool, he refers to his own scarred appearance as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei” (though in the comic, Reynolds’ name is misspelled as “Renolds”). Reynolds himself would eventually portray the character in the X-Men film series, appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Deadpool (2016), and its sequel Deadpool 2 (2018). Reynolds attributes Cable & Deadpool #2 to what got him hooked on the character and inspired him to bring the character to the movies. He is confirmed to continue playing the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.