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Deadpool Reading Order: The Ultimate Merc with a Mouth Guide

He is known as the Merc with a Mouth. He has also been called Jack Silvini, Johnny Cruz, Wade T. Wilson, Wildcard, Weapon XI, the Regenerating Degenerate, among others. Yes, we’re talking about Deadpool aka Wade Wilson, Marvel’s Deathstroke!

Now a movie superstar, Deadpool has come a long way since his beginnings. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, his first appearance was in The New Mutants #98 and X-Force. But he wasn’t the Deadpool who would become famous as Marvel’s most iconic anti-hero. At the time, he was just a supervillain. Under Joe Kelly’s creative vision, things would change for Deadpool, pushing him into new territories and making him break the fourth wall and have conversations with his two internal monologues.

From there, Deadpool went on to have some wild, crazy and fun adventures, as well as some quite serious and intense ones. Nothing was off limits for Deadpool, Cable’s buddy and Spider-Man’s best friend!

Walking the line between criminal and hero, good friend and insufferable prick, Deadpool has made a name for himself in the pages of Marvel Comics and on the big screen, with solo adventures, team-ups, spin-offs, limited series and plenty of out-of-continuity escapades. Explore everything with our Deadpool comics guide!

Deadpool Reading Order

You have now taken the first step towards bringing more Deadpool-ness into your life! Discover the chaotic Marvel Comics life of Wade Wilson with our reading guide. You can now choose when to start this adventure right now:

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The 2026 Dead-Pull List: The Latest Releases

What’s new in the Deadpool universe? Discover the 2026 releases for Spider-Man’s best friend, all included in our complete guide.

Deadpool Beginners: Books to introduce the Merc with a Mouth

If you want to learn more about Deadpool’s past, good luck! His history remains shrouded in mystery, with multiple versions of his origin story. While we don’t know if his childhood was difficult, we do know that he became an international assassin, working for various governments. After developing an aggressive form of cancer, he enrolled in the Weapon X program, which gave him a healing factor from another member (you know… Wolverine) and put him to work for them. In all cases, it’s simply impossible to know how old Deadpool is!

There’s no definitive origin story for our Merc with a Mouth, but there are plenty of other stories to help you get to know him and his brand of humour. Marvel Comics has put out a little collection of stories to help with this:

The House of Ideas also celebrated the character’s 25th anniversary in 2017 with a hardcover book collecting memorable moments that shaped Wade Wilson.

  • Deadpool: The Adamantium Collection
    Collects New Mutants (1983) #98; Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4; Deadpool (1997) #6-8, 44, 65-69; Daredevil/Deadpool Annual ’97; Black Panther (1998) #23; Cable & Deadpool #20-23; Deadpool (2008) #16-18; Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1-4; Deadpool (2012) #15-19; Deadpool Secret Comic Variants.

Deadpool Omnibus & Minibus Reading Order

Many Deadpool comics have been collected in Omnibuses! From his debut in 1990 to adventures from 2016, you can read them in Omnibus, Minibus and some hardcover editions:

  • Deadpool: Beginnings Omnibus
    Collects New Mutants #98; X-Force #2, 11, 15, 47, 56; Nomad #4; Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4; Secret Defenders #15-17; Deadpool #1-4; Wolverine #88, 154-155 and material from Annuals 95 and 99; Heroes For Hire #10-11; Deadpool Team-Up #1; material from Avengers #366; Silver Sable & The Wild Pack #23; and various Deadpool cameo pages.
  • Deadpool by Joe Kelly Omnibus
    Collects Deadpool (1997) #1–33, -1 & 0; Daredevil/Deadpool Annual ’97; Deadpool & Death ’98; Baby’s First Deadpool Book; Amazing Spider-Man #47 & 611; material from Deadpool #900
  • Deadpool Classic Omnibus, Vol. 1
    Collects Deadpool (1997) #34-69, Black Panther (1998) #23, Agent X #1-15, Fight-Man #1; Material From X-Men Unlimited (1993) #28
  • Deadpool & Cable Omnibus
    Collects Cable & Deadpool 1-50, Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular, material from Deadpool (2012) 27
  • Deadpool by Daniel Way Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects: Wolverine: Origins 21-25; Deadpool (2008) 1-26; Thunderbolts (1997) 130-131; Hit-Monkey (2010) 1, (2010b) 1-3; Deadpool Saga
  • Deadpool By Daniel Way Omnibus, Vol. 2
    Collects Deadpool (2008) #27-63, 33.1, & 49.1.
  • Deadpool & Co. Omnibus
    Re-Collects Deadpool’s team-up series and appearances from this period – Marvel Zombies 4 #1-4, Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #1-13, Lady Deadpool #1, Prelude To Deadpool Corps #1-5, Deadpool Corps #1-12, Deadpool Family #1, Deadpool Team-Up #899-883, and material from Marvel Zombies 3 #1.
  • Deadpool Minibus Vol. 0
    Re-Collects multiplies supporting Deadpool mini-series from the 2008-2011 period – Deadpool: Suicide Kings #1-5, Deadpool: Wade Wilson’s War #1-4, Deadpool Pulp #1-4, Amazing Spider-Man Annual 38, Deadpool Annual (2011) 1, Incredible Hulks Annual 1, Fear Itself: Deadpool #1-3
  • Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender Omnibus
    Collects: Uncanny X-Force (2010) 1-35, 5.1, 19.1; Material From Wolverine: The Road To Hell (2010) 1, All-New Wolverine Saga (2010), X-Men Spotlight (2011).
  • Deadpool Mini-bus, Vol. 1
    Re-Collects all of Cullen Bunn’s Deadpool limited series, most of which are not in standard continuity (except Carnage): Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #1-4, Deadpool Killustrated #1-4, Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1-4, Night of the Living Deadpool #1-4, Deadpool vs. Carnage #1-4.
  • Deadpool By Posehn & Duggan Omnibus
    Collects Deadpool #1-45, Deadpool: Dracula’s Gauntlet, and Death of Wolverine: Deadpool & Captain America #1.
  • Thunderbolts: Red Omnibus
    Collects Thunderbolts (2012) #1-32 and Thunderbolts Annual (2013) #1.
  • Deadpool Minibus, Vol. 2
    Another Minibus that Collects Deadpool vs. X-Force #1-4, Hawkeye vs. Deadpool #0-4, Art of War #1-4, Return of the Living Deadpool #1-4, Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #1-4.
  • Deadpool Minibus, Vol. 3
    Collects Mrs. Deadpool & The Howling Commandoes (2015) #1-4, Deadpool vs. Gambit #1-4, Deadpool vs. Thanos #1-4, Deadpool & Cable: Split Second#1-3, and Deadpool: Too Soon #1-4.
  • Deadpool: World’s Greatest Vol. 1 to 5 (HC)
    • Volume 1 collects Deadpool (2015) #1-7 And #3.1: Tres Punto Uno.
    • Volume 2 collects Deadpool (2015) #8-13 And Deadpool: Last Days Of Magic #1.
    • Volume 3 collects Deadpool (2015) #14-20, #21 (A Story) And #22-25.
    • Volume 4 collects Deadpool (2015) #21 (B Story) And #26-29, Spider-Man/Deadpool #15-16 And Deadpool & The Mercs For Money #9-10.
    • Volume 5 collects Deadpool (2015) #30-36 And Deadpool Secret Comic Variants.
  • Spider-Man / Deadpool by Joe Kelly & Ed McGuinness (HC)
    Collecting SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #1-5, #8-10, #13-14 and #17-18.
  • Despicable Deadpool (HC)
    Collects Despicable Deadpool #287-300 and the story assembled from secret comic variants of Deadpool #23-25, 30-36, and Despicable Deadpool #287-296

Deadpool & X-Force Omnibus was also released by Marvel, but this is unnecessary for Deadpool as it would simply act as a double-up for his first omnibus.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, here’s your complete Deadpool Reading Order for everyone, from new recruits to expert mercenaries!

The 90s: Birth of the Merc: From New Mutants #98 to the Joe Kelly Era

The mercenary Deadpool first appeared in New Mutants #98 (1983), went on to become a recurring character in X-Force and made guest appearances in several other Marvel comics. A few years later, in 1983 to be precise, Deadpool became the star of The Circle Chase, his first miniseries written by Fabian Nicieza. This was popular enough for Deadpool to land another miniseries, this time simply titled Deadpool, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Ian Churchill. Although Mark Waid regrets writing it to some extent, this miniseries served as a basis for Joe Kelly’s work on the character.

Sales were high enough for Marvel to take the character more seriously and give him his own ongoing series. Writer Joe Kelly and penciler Ed McGuinness were put in charge of the title and chose to explore the psyche of Marvel’s most unstable personality. Deadpool was transformed into an action comedy anti-hero, and this period is now considered a Marvel classic and without a doubt the most famous period for the character.  Kelly wrote Deadpool until issue #33. He was then succeeded by Christopher Priest (issues #34–45), Jimmy Palmiotti (issues #46–55), Buddy Scalera (issue #56), Frank Tieri (issues #57–64) and Gail Simone (issues #65–69).

’90s throwback with Rob Liefeld! In 2017, co-creator Rob Liefeld returned to the character with an original graphic novel, set during the nineties. A follow-up was published years later.

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Deadpool Classic Collection, Part I

Deadpool Classic was a collection of trade paperbacks released by Marvel Comics between 2008 and 2019, with the first 10 volumes reprinting everything Deadpool from the ’90s, from his first appearance to the Agent of X series, completed with two volumes of Deadpool Classic Companion encompassing other appearances – titanic team-ups, anthology antics and gratuitous guest shots by the sassin’ assassin!

Deadpool Classic Vol. 1 | Deadpool Classic Companion | Deadpool Classic Vol. 2 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 3 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 4 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 5 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 6 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 7 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 8 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 9 | Deadpool Classic Vol. 10 | Deadpool Classic Companion Vol. 2

The 00s: The Dynamic Duo: The legendary Cable & Deadpool run.

Before he became Spider-Man’s best friend (or not!) and shared a film with Wolverine, Deadpool drove Cable a little bit crazy in Cable & Deadpool, a 50-issue comic series written by Fabian Nicieza. The series was launched following the cancellation of the characters’ previous solo series. Like Joe Kelly’s work in the nineties, it gained a devoted fanbase ready to follow the humorous and action-packed adventures of this buddy team!

It has been collected several times, including in a Deadpool & Cable Omnibus. Marvel Comics has recently started reprinting the title in its Modern Era Epic Collection, which will replace the Ultimate Collection when complete.

Did You Know? Spider-Man and Deadpool’s first official meeting takes place in Cable & Deadpool #24! It will be retconned in Spider-Man/Deadpool #7 (because, of course!), but this is where a little bit of history was made!

2008–2012: The Way of the Wade: The Daniel Way and Uncanny X-Force Years

We have not yet reached the peak of Deadpool’s career, but the mercenary started to become seriously busy at the end of the noughties. He starred in his own series written by Daniel Way, joined Wolverine’s team in Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force, and appeared in several limited and miniseries and out-of-continuity stories.

Way first wrote the character in Wolverine Origins before becoming his main writer for the next few years. Launched during the Secret Invasion, Deadpool faced Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts during the Dark Reign Era, followed by Deadpool trying to make the X-Men love him, visiting a certain wall-crawler’s friendly neighborhood, having some Vegas vacation, a stint in space, and some crazy fights with bad Draculas!

Deadpool, a member of Uncanny X-Force by Rick Remender! Deadpool joins Wolverine’s team, who takes on covert missions in Uncanny X-Force! While the character is underused during a big part of this run, his portrayal in that title is a celebrated one (he gets a moment to shine in the latter part of the story).

The comic was launched around Deadpool (2008) #31, so you can mostly read Uncanny X-Force between Daniel Way Complete Vol. 3 and Vol. 4.

Interlude: Deadpool Max! Published in 2010-2011, Deadpool MAX by Daniel Lapham, Kyle Baker, et al. was an uncensored and continuity-free comic, part of the MAX line, an imprint of Marvel Comics specialising in comic book media aimed at adult readers. Read them wherever you want… or Never! Your choice!

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Deadpool Classic Collection, Part II

After the first ten volumes, the Deadpool Classic series stopped collecting the main stories of the Merc with a Mouth to focus on spin-offs, limited series, one-shots and all the other tales not part of the main continuity. While most of these stories have also been collected in trade paperbacks, let’s not kid ourselves, the Deadpool Classic Collection remains the best way to get them all:

  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 14: Suicide Kings
    Collects Deadpool: Games Of Death #1; Deadpool: Suicide Kings (2009) #1-5; Deadpool #900 & #1000; X-Men Origins: Deadpool; Material From Marvel Digital Holiday Special #2 and Marvel Spotlight: Deadpool.

    • Deadpool: Games Of Death takes place after Deadpool & Cable, but before Daniel Way’s run.
    • Deadpool: Suicide Kings takes place after Deadpool (2008) #7, from Daniel Way’s run.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 11: Merc With a Mouth
    Collects Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth (2009) #1-13, Lady Deadpool #1.

    • Those stories take place between issues #18 and #19 of Daniel Way’s run.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 12: Deadpool Corps
    Collects Prelude to Deadpool Corps (2010) #1-5, Deadpool Corps (2010) #1-12, Deadpool Family #1. Recently collected in Deadpool-Verse: Deadpool Corps.

    • Those stories take place between issues #18 and #19 of Daniel Way’s run.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 13: Deadpool Team-Up
    Collects Deadpool Team-Up (1998) #1 & (2010) #899-883.

    • Deadpool Team-Up takes place at different moments between Deadpool (2008) #18–29.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 15: All the Rest
    Captain America: Who Won’t Wield The Shield #1, Cable (2008) #25, Deadpool & Cable #26, Amazing Spider-man Annual 38, Deadpool Annual (2011) #1, Incredible Hulks Annual 1, Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy #1, Fear Itself: Deadpool #1-3, Deadpool Corps: Rank And Foul #1.

    • Fear Itself: Deadpool #1–3 takes place before the Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force tie-ins and between Deadpool (2008) #37-38.
    • The rest of the collection is standalone Deadpool stories published between 2008 and 2011.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 16: Killogy
    Collects Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe #1-4, Deadpool Killustrated #1-4, Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1-4. Those are all alternate reality mini-series.
  • Deadpool Classic Vol. 17: Headcanon
    Collects Deadpool: Wade Wilson’s War #1-4, Deadpool Pulp #1-4, Night Of The Living Deadpool# 1-4, Return Of The Living Deadpool #1-4. Also alternate reality mini-series.

2013–2018: The Duggan Marathon: featuring The Mercs for Money and the Spider-Man bromance.

After Joe Kelly, Gerry Duggan (who co-wrote with Brian Posehn) is arguably the most notable Deadpool writer. These things can happen when you write about a character for a long time. It was certainly helped by the fact that this is the most Deadpool-obsessed period! He worked intensively during those years, starring in so many comics that everyone could find a Deadpool comic they liked. Or we suppose, who knows with Deadpool?!

Deadpool by Posehn & Duggan (2012-2015) in Marvel Now

A new team for a new era! In 2012, the House of Ideas relaunched under the Marvel Now! banner. Writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, along with artist Tony Moore, took charge of the new Deadpool comic, with Wade Wilson’s first mission to take down an army of dead presidents.

But wait! Before going on Deadpool’s new solo adventures, the Merc with a Mouth had joined a new team! Yes, Deadpool has been chosen by writer Daniel Way to be part of his version of Thunderbolts, working with Red Hulk, Venom, Elektra, and the Punisher. As Deadpool calls the team to assist him in Dracula’s Gauntlet, the two titles published are a little bit connected. So we recommend starting by reading some (although quite optional!) Thunderbolts stories before diving into some Deadpool solo craziness.

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Deadpool Classic Collection, Part III

More Deadpool stories were published during those years, some part of the continuity, some not, and a few tie-ins to different Marvel events. And all available in the Deadpool Classic Collection:

Deadpool: World’s Greatest (2015-2017)

Deadpool became a movie star around here. Following his box-office success, he is everywhere in the Marvel Universe. Things become quite confusing continuity-wise. So we mostly recommend reading and enjoying all those Deadpool comics the way you want!

Writer Gerry Duggan and artist Mike Hawthorne continue their activities on the main Deadpool comic. At the same time, Duggan is teaming up with artist Ryan Stegman for a run on Uncanny Avengers that includes our famous character! Deadpool also created his own team of mercenaries, first called Heroes for Hire. But the team was legally forced to change and chose “Mercs for Money” instead! The group headlined two series written by Cullen Bunn.

The winning team of Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness was reunited to launch an action-comedy comic starring Deadpool and Spider-Man! Yes, the Merc with a Mouth and your favourite web-slinger teamed up for longer than expected (50 issues!), to face the various threats and messy but fun stories. But that is not all, as Deadpool also worked with the famous X-Man Gambit, is reunited with Cable, and even has his own crossover!

Civil War II! There’s an uninspired event called Civil War II going on around here, in which Deadpool is tied into the shenanigans of the Marvel superheroes as an Uncanny Avenger, and to a lesser extent, in his solo comic too.

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Deadpool Classic Collection, Part IV

The final volumes of the Deadpool: Classic collection are set around this time and collect stories published during the Deadpool: World’s Greatest era, including the Mercs for Money comics.

You can start reading Spider-Man/Deadpool around here!

Despicable Deadpool (2017-2018)

In the wake of Secret Empire, a new era is launched at Marvel Comics, a Legacy era! Deadpool’s days as a hero are over – now Deadpool is despicable but still under Gerry Duggan’s pen! Spider-Man and Deadpool’s friendship is in shambles as the comic was sort of retitled Spider-Man vs Deadpool for Robbie Thompson’s run. And Deadpool also finds the time to face off Old Man Logan.

2018–2022: Fresh Starts: The Skottie Young and Kelly Thompson eras.

The glorious years of Deadpool are officially behind him! After a string of years of oversaturation for Deadpool, the character hit a difficult patch during Marvel Fresh Start. Gerry Duggan left the title to be succeeded by Skottie Young, known for his I Hate Fairyland series. His run, with artist Nic Klein, only lasted 15 issues, where the mercenary worked with his former teammate from the Mercs for Money, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, as his assistant.

He was then followed by Kelly Thompson’s short run (10 issues), who made the Merc the King of the Monsters, assisted by Elsa Bloodstone during his reign (also featuring Jeff the Land Shark).

Marvel cancelled the latest Deadpool comic just before the character’s 30th anniversary! The occasion was marked with the publication of a Black, White & Blood volume, an anthology series that includes several short stories written by various creator teams. Next, Wade Wilson partnered with Conan for a story in Savage Avengers that takes place during King in Black.

2021–2024: Mutant Mayhem: Wade Wilson in the Krakoa Era.

As Deadpool celebrated his 30th Anniversary, the character clearly took a step back. He no longer had his own title, and after appearing in a Savage Avengers story with Conan, he was simply absent from any physical comic. You’ll have to connect to Marvel Unlimited to discover his exploits:

After a little bit of time off, or at least, not a lot going on, Deadpool made his comeback in X-Force (Vol. 6) #30 (he said it on the cover), and not long after that, he had another main series launched, coming from Alyssa Wong and Martin Coccolo. He didn’t really find success, though, as the title was cancelled after 10 issues.

2024–2025: The Resurgence: Cody Ziglar’s Era and Wolverine

With Deadpool’s latest film being a box-office hit, the character has taken a more active role in Marvel Comics! He teamed up with Wolverine a lot in recent years (see below!), while also headlining a new Deadpool volume written by Cody Ziglar, which explores Deadpool’s unique blend of violence and madness, alongside a heavy dose of deadly family drama. As Ziglar is also the writer of Miles Morales, he pulled off a crossover between the two characters.

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Deadpool & Wolverine

There’s no Deadpool Classic Collection anymore, but Marvel Comics has started to publish more limited, miniseries, and other one-shots featuring the Merc with a Mouth, following his return on the big screen in the company of the most famous X-Man, Wolverine! Take a look at the history of the complicated relationship between the two characters with the following stories:

  • Wolverine vs. Deadpool
    Collects Wolverine (1988) #88, 154-155; Deadpool (1997) #27; Cable & Deadpool (2004) #43-44; Wolverine Origins (2006) #21-25; Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy (2011) #1; material from Wolverine Annual ’95, ’99. A collection of comics highlighting the dynamics between Deadpool and Wolverine throughout the ages.
  • Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII
    Collects Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #1-3. A stand-alone story by Joe Kelly & Adam Kubert.
  • Deadpool / Wolverine: A Time of Stryfe [2026]
    Collects Deadpool / Wolverine (2025) #1-10. By Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara
  • Weapon X-Men: The Real Thing
    Collects Weapon X-Men (2025) #1-5. By Joe Casey and ChrisCross

    • Deadpool / Wolverine and Weapon X-Men can be read after Deadpool #12.
  • Deadpool Team-Up by Rob Liefeld: Blood of the Dragon
    Collects Deadpool Team-Up (2024) #1-5.

    • A very ’90s team up featuring Deady-Pool with Major X, Crystar, Ghost-Spider, Wolverine and the Hulk.
  • Wolverines & Deadpools: Claws & Mercs [2026]
    Collects Wolverines & Deadpools (2025) #1-3, Deadpool/Wolverine: Weapon X-Traction (2024) #1, Deadpool vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up (2025) #1

    • Wolverines & Deadpools is written by Cody Ziglar, so set after his run.
    • Deadpool/Wolverine: Weapon X-Tractionis coming from Ryan North.
    • Deadpool vs. Wolverine: Slash ‘Em Up is collecting the infinity comic by Christos Gage.
  • Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time
    Collects Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe One Last Time (2025) #1-5. Earth-71986 One Last Time.
  • Deadpool/Batman and Batman/Deadpool
    • Deadpool/Batman is written by Zeb Wells, with art by Greg Capullo.
    • Batman/Deadpool is written by Grant Morrison, with art by Dan Mora.

2026-Present: Deadpool Right Now with Benjamin Percy

As a new chapter in X-Men is beginning with Shadows of Tomorrow, this is also the occasion to launch Deadpool in a new direction, with a new comic, from the creative team of Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw. This is Wade Wilson: Deadpool, ongoing right now!

Note: An earlier version of this guide appeared on our site in 2020. It has been refreshed and updated with more information, the latest releases, and new pictures.

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