Deadpool Reading Order: A Merc’s Guide
The funniest and best Deadpool runs, in the right order.
By Web Admin
Deadpool is comics’ great practical joke that got out of hand. Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, the Merc with a Mouth first showed up in The New Mutants #98 (1990) as a fairly generic Deathstroke-riffing mercenary — his real name, Wade Wilson, is even a nod to that. What he became over the next three decades is one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Universe: a fourth-wall-breaking, chimichanga-obsessed, morally slippery clown who is, underneath the jokes, one of the saddest figures in comics. Reading him in order means finding the runs that balance those two things — the laughs and the pathos — and skipping the ones that are just noise. This Deadpool reading order does exactly that.
A word on tone before we start: Deadpool is loud, crude, violent and gleefully self-aware. When he is written well, that chaos is in service of real character work. When he is written badly, it is just a guy making pop-culture references while people explode. This guide steers you toward the good stuff.
How to approach Deadpool
Unlike a character such as Spider-Man, there is no single continuous saga you must follow. Deadpool is best read by run — each major writer put their own stamp on him, and the great runs are largely self-contained. So think of this less as a strict chronology and more as a “greatest hits in a sensible order.” Start with the run that defined him, then move through the modern classics. If you want to see where he fits into the larger tapestry, our Marvel reading order for beginners is a good map.
Reading order at a glance
| Step | Run / title | Collects / year | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadpool by Joe Kelly | Deadpool (1997) #1–33 | The definitive foundation |
| 2 | Cable & Deadpool | 2004–2008 | The best buddy comedy |
| 3 | Deadpool by Daniel Way | Deadpool (2008) #1–63 | Peak popularity, big laughs |
| 4 | Deadpool by Posehn & Duggan | Deadpool (2012) #1–45 | Funny AND emotional |
| 5 | Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe | 2012 | A pitch-black one-shot classic |
Step 1: Deadpool by Joe Kelly (1997)
The character clicked into place with writer Joe Kelly’s solo series, launched in 1997. Kelly, with artist Ed McGuinness, took Liefeld’s edgy mercenary and gave him the crucial ingredients: the motormouth humor, the fourth-wall breaks, the yellow narration boxes, and — most importantly — a genuine desire to be a better man that he is too broken to achieve. This is the run that made Deadpool Deadpool. It is collected in an omnibus and in several trade paperbacks, and it is the correct place to begin.
Why start here and not at his 1990 debut? Because his early appearances in New Mutants and X-Force are minor and largely generic. Kelly’s run is where the personality arrives fully formed, and everything good that follows builds on it.
Step 2: Cable & Deadpool (2004)
Fabian Nicieza — one of the character’s co-creators — returned to write Cable & Deadpool, an odd-couple buddy series pairing Wade with the dour time-traveling soldier Cable. It is warm, very funny, and one of the most re-readable things with Deadpool’s name on the cover. The dynamic between the wisecracking merc and his humorless partner is comedy gold, and it deepens Wade considerably. Read it after the Kelly run for the full picture.
Step 3: Deadpool by Daniel Way (2008)
This is the era where Deadpool exploded into the A-list. Riding a wave of popularity, Daniel Way’s long run (with artists including Paco Medina) leaned hard into broad comedy — multiple voices in Wade’s head, absurd schemes, and endless team-ups. It is not the most sophisticated take, and purists sometimes knock it for prioritizing gags over depth, but it is enormously entertaining and it is the run that cemented him as a top seller. If you came for the jokes, this delivers by the truckload.
Step 4: Posehn & Duggan (2012) — the best of both worlds
For many readers, the 2012 run by comedian Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan is the sweet spot: as funny as Way’s run but with a beating heart underneath. It begins with a gonzo premise (reanimated dead U.S. presidents) and gradually builds into one of the most emotional Deadpool stories ever told, dealing with his found family, his mental health, and his search for a reason to keep going. The arc “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and the devastating finale are highlights. This run proves Deadpool can make you laugh and then quietly break your heart.
AmazonCheck price on AmazonStep 5: The great one-shots and specials
Once you have the runs down, a few standalone books are worth your time:
- Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (2012) by Cullen Bunn — a pitch-black “what if” where Wade slaughters every Marvel hero. Genuinely disturbing and darkly brilliant; it spawned a whole “Killogy.”
- Deadpool: The Circle Chase (1993) — his first solo miniseries, for the historically curious.
- Hawkeye vs. Deadpool (2014) — a fun, breezy team-up for lighter moods.
- You Are Deadpool (2018) — an interactive choose-your-own-adventure comic that only Deadpool could headline.
Deadpool and Wolverine
You cannot talk about Deadpool for long without Wolverine. The two share the Weapon X program in their origins, a mutual healing-factor durability, and a buddy-antagonist chemistry that Marvel returns to again and again — most famously on the big screen. If Wade has you curious about his gruffer counterpart, our Wolverine reading order is the place to go next. And for the mutant corner of the universe where both characters live, see our X-Men reading order.
How to collect Deadpool
Because Deadpool is best read by run, the cleanest way to collect him is through the “Complete Collection” trade paperbacks, which gather each writer’s full tenure affordably. Omnibus editions exist for the Kelly run and others if you want premium hardcovers. Whatever you do, buy by creative team rather than trying to read every appearance — Deadpool guest-stars in a staggering number of books, and most are skippable. Browse our Marvel hub for more, or the broader Marvel reading order for beginners if you want to branch out.
The verdict
Deadpool rewards a curated approach. Start with Joe Kelly’s foundational run to meet the real character, enjoy the buddy comedy of Cable & Deadpool, laugh through Daniel Way’s blockbuster era, and let Posehn and Duggan’s run remind you that under all the jokes is one of Marvel’s most tragic figures. Add a few killer one-shots and you have read the best of the Merc with a Mouth — no chimichanga required, though we would not judge you for one.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Deadpool first appear?
Deadpool debuts in The New Mutants #98 (1990), created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. His personality did not fully develop until Joe Kelly’s 1997 solo series, which is the best place to start reading.
Do I need to read the X-Men or Wolverine first?
Not at all. Deadpool’s runs are largely self-contained. If you enjoy him, though, our Wolverine reading order is a natural follow-up given their shared history.
Which Deadpool run is the funniest?
Daniel Way’s run leans hardest into pure comedy, but Posehn and Duggan’s run is nearly as funny while also being genuinely moving — most readers rank it the best overall.
Is Deadpool appropriate for kids?
Generally no. The comics feature graphic violence, crude humor and mature themes. For younger readers, Marvel has published a few all-ages Deadpool titles, but the main runs are aimed at adults.
